African American Studies Commons^™

Avila, Jose Francisco Interview Part 1, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Jose Francisco Avila was born in the Garifuna village of Cristalis, near the city of Trujillo in Honduras. He moved with his family as at 15 years old to the United States because his parents wanted better opportunities, specifically educational opportunities, for him and his siblings. They moved to the Dorchester neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, where Avila had to quickly learn English at the Boston School for Immigrants, before attending Solomon Lewenberg Junior High School and Boston English High until 1981. Living in a predominantly Black neighborhood in a city with a relatively small Garifuna community, there was constant questioning …

Brenda Beattie Neuman, Mark Naison, Steven Payne

Oral Histories

No abstract provided.

Loving,Julia, Mark Naison

Oral Histories

Julia Loving, Summary of Interview with the Bronx African-American History Project

October 14th, 2020

Dr. Mark Naison and Alison Rini

Summarized by Amy Rini August, 2023

Bronx born public school librarian and high school educator Julia Loving’s parents were from Nelson County, Virginia. She has two older brothers, Jesse and Mark. Her grandparents were the only black store owners in 1920s Roseland, Virginia. In 1960, they moved up to New York City because their parents did not want their children to stay South in the height of Jim Crow. They met while going to colored schools and Baptist and Pentecostal …

Carolyn S. Bowman, Mark Naison

Oral Histories

Bowman became active in the Civil Rights movement in her young adult life. She was active in various organizations including the NAACP, in which she participated in the Youth March on Washington (1958). In her time with the NAACP, she met Aloncita J. Food, a regional director for the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. Flood made Bowman promise she would join the AKA’s upon her higher education graduation. In 1966, Bowman officially joined the Bronx Eta Omega Omega Chapter as its youngest member. Within the Eta Omega Omega Chapter, Bowman participated primarily in children and family based initiatives, including working with …

Jacqueline Everette Brown, Mark Naison

Oral Histories

As one of the founding members of Eta Omega Omega, Brown played an integral part in the chartering process, including fundraising and recruitment. As time passed, Brown became less active in the chapter due to familial commitments. In 1969, Brown graduated from Hunter College with a degree in social work. Although Brown adored her time in New York City, especially because most of her family lived there, she was ready for something new – and the South was calling her name. In 1974, she accepted a position as the Clinical Director of a drug treatment program in Atlanta, Georgia, where …

Marietta J. Tanner, Mark Naison

Oral Histories

Today, Marietta hopes that the sisters in Eta Omega Omega do not forget about their commitment for service in addition to the sisterhood and community building that comes with being part of a sorority. She encourages them to “go where the people are, ” to register them to vote or to get children in the Headstart programs. At the very least, she encourages going directly to teenagers to teach them the camaraderie and drive for change that comes about as being part of a Black sorority.

LINK TO VIDEO INTERVIEW: http://cdm17265.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/baahp/id/78

Irma Clement, Mark Naison

Oral Histories

Ms. Clement’s always has a positive outlook on life journey and noted that “Life is a game that we play to the maximum, with whatever hands we are dealt”.

LINK TO VIDEO INTERVIEW: http://cdm17265.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/baahp/id/72

Sheila Jackson And Ann Myers, Mark Naison

Oral Histories

Biographies:

Sheila Jackson was born in the Harlem Hospital and has one older sister. For her undergraduate studies, Jackson went to the HBCU Morgan State University. After completing her undergraduate studies, she pursued her graduate education at Fordham University, where she obtained her Professional Diploma in Educational Leadership and Administration. During this time, Jackson pledged to the Eta Omega Omega Chapter. Jackson later became deeply involved in the chapter, mentioning that she served as the chapter’s Baselius president. Finally, she retired as Deputy Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction in District 29 of Queens.

Ann Myers was born in Virginia. She …

Turner, Ruby: A Living Legacy, Ruby Mckie Turner

Oral Histories

[Turner has] chosen not to write an oral history of African Americans but, rather, one of Colored Americans through images. These images are those who were among the first freeborn generation of the Civil War, thereby placing them in the historical period of the country changing its course to admit freed former slaves.

Mesa, Gloria, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Interviewer: Jane Edward

Interviewee: Gloria Mesa

Date of Interview: October 4, 2019

Transcribed by: Allison Lecce

Summarized by: Allison Lecce

Gloria Mesa emigrated from the Democratic Republic of Congo with her family when she was a child. She was born and raised in Kinshasa, the capital of DRC, when her family won the diversity lottery. Her oldest siblings moved to the U.S. and eventually her and her parents joined them in Greensboro, North Carolina. Gloria is the youngest of five. She speaks French, which was her first language, English, Lingala, Kikongo and Gimbala, a language from her parents’ ethnic group. …

David Harris, Kelli Johnson

Oral Histories

Kelli Johnson interviewing David Harris on January 4th, 2019, who is going to take Dr. Johnson on a little driving tour of Fairfield.

Sanabria, Bobby, Mark Naison

Oral Histories

Bobby Sanabria Summary

Summarized by Ian Smith, August 2022

Bobby Sanabria is a drummer, percussionist, composer, arranger, conductor, documentary film producer, educator, bandleader, and activist. He is a 7-time grammy nominee as lead, and his versatility as both a drummer and percussionist, from small group to big band, has become legendary. His knowledge of latin jazz, both as a historian and as a maker of its history, has earned him worldwide acclaim.

Bobby Sanabria’s family were from rural Puerto Rico. Bobby was born in 1957 at the historic St. Francis hospital in the South Bronx. When he was 3, his …

Carolyn Nicks, Mijour Jones

Oral Histories

Oral History of Carolyn Nicks interviewed by Mijour Jones in Huntington, West Virginia

Gina Johnson, Shyah Johnson

Oral Histories

Oral History of Gina Johnson, interviewed by Shylah Johnson in Huntington, West Virginia.

Joe Williams, Markayla Moore

Oral Histories

Oral History of Joe Williams, interviewed by Markayla Moore in Huntington, West Virginia.

Shirley Williams, Markayla Moore

Oral Histories

Oral History of Shirley Williams, interviewed by Markayla Moore in Huntington, West Virginia.

Janella Coleman, Denise Wattie

Oral Histories

Oral History of Janella Coleman, interviewed by Denise Wattie in Huntington, West Virginia.

Carl Woolfolk, T'Rayah Paschall

Oral Histories

Oral History of Carl Woolfolk, interviewed by his granddaughter T'Rayah Paschall in Huntington, West Virginia.

Doris Atkinson, Ariana Redding

Oral Histories

Oral History of Doris Atkinson interviewed by Ariana Redding in Huntington, West Virginia.

Rev. Reginald Hill, Raiven Scott

Oral Histories

Oral History of Rev. Reginald Hill of the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church in Huntington, West Virginia

Parker, William, Bronx African American History Project, Mark Naison

Oral Histories

Interview: William Parker

Interviewer: Mark Naison

Date of Interview: December 8, 2018

Summary by Bailey Barnett

William Parker was born in the Bronx in 1952. As a child, Parker had the opportunity to play several different instruments before ultimately settling on the bass. Parker not only discusses some of the teachers who influenced him but also explains what he believes distinguished people who were truly "from the Bronx." He spent many years working various odd jobs until, during the 1980s, he was able to support himself by traveling and sharing his music with others. The belief that music has the …

Manus, Charlotte And Himmelstein, Paul, Bronx African American History Project, Mark Naison

Oral Histories

Interview: Charlotte Manus and Paul Himmelstein

Interviewer: Mark Naison

Date of Interview: November 17, 2017

Summary by Alison Rini

Charlotte Manus moved from Harlem to the Prospect Avenue neighborhood of the Bronx at an early age. She recalls the pressure that she and other neighborhood children felt to establish a "reputation" for themselves by fighting and also touches upon the jazz and other kinds of street music that influenced her as a child. Ms. Manus discusses which areas of the Bronx were considered dangerous during her adolescence as well as some of the typical ways in which she and other …

Rivers, Darney "K-Born", Bronx African American History Project, Mark Naison

Oral Histories

Interviewer: Mark Naison, Lisa Betty

Interviewee: Darney “K-Born” Rivers, Rodney Morris

Summarized by: Sarah Cavanagh

Darney “K-Born” Rivers is a legendary Bronx rapper and community organizer. He was born in the Bronx in 1970 and lived on Grant avenue and then Morris avenue near 169th street. Living on Grant avenue in the early 1970s, Rivers describes the fires that became a common sight in the area. The Grant avenue neighborhood became so dangerous that he had to live with relatives in Queens for some time. Rivers and his family moved to the Fordham road area of the Bronx in 1978. …

Turner, Joel, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Joel Turner is an IBM executive who grew up in the Patterson Houses from 1950 until 1972. During his life, he witnessed many of the major social changes in the Bronx and can also attest to having achieved success in the business world. Additionally, Turner has Jewish ancestry on his mother’s side, and spoke about his experience as an African-American Jew.

As a child, Turner attended elementary school at a Yeshiva at 170^th Street and Morris Avenue. Although he said that the education he received was better than what he would have received at a public school, he said …

Tucker, Ed, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Ed Tucker’s family moved to New York shortly after WWII, his father was a veteran. Ed was born inMorrisaniaHospitalin 1943 and the family lived onProspect Avenue. His father was a cab driver, for the most part. John Mcgilcrest’s family, both sides from Jamaica, moved to New York after WWI. His father worked at a fragrance factory and was part of the Teamsters. Ron Nelson’s family moved to the Bronx during WWII fromHarlem.

The neighborhood Nelso lived in was mostly Jewish, whereas John and Ed were growing up in a neighborhood that was mostly Africa-American. All of them boys went to …

Nathaniel, James, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

When Jim was 14 his family moved to the Bronx from Brooklyn. The family found the Bronx through the New York City Housing Authority and moved to the Eastchester Projects. The development had been around for some time, but there were very few black families living in the building. His parents saw the move as a step up in the world. They had 8 children and the Eastchester projects provided them with more space for their family. When the Nathaniels moved, Jim’s father worked as a stevedore in a market in lower Manhattan. Jim quickly made friends because of his …

Hodge, Ray, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Ray Hodge’s family came to the Bronx in 1947 to Prospect Avenue. His parents came to the Bronx from St. Croix. The family was one of the first to move into the Patterson Houses in 1950. They moved into the side of Building 291 on East 143^rd street, facing PS 18. Many families viewed moving into these new housing projects as moving up in the world. There was a real sense of community; everyone kept the building it clean and looked out for all the children.

He attended PS 18 and had a good experience there. He says that …

Fortune, Monique, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

ISummarized By: Eddie Mikus

Monique Fortune was a Professor of Communications at Fordham University who also works for WFUV. She provided some insight to the Bronx African American History Project about the development of the borough’s musical culture. Fortune also spoke about how Bronx musicians gained national prominence through groups like the Chantels.

Fortune stated that musical genres such as doo-wop and hip-hop had their origins in the 1940s when musicians started to emphasize harmony over melody. She stated that this development led to the formation of doo-wop. Fortune also stated that buildings such as churches and Police Athletic Leagues …

Braithwaite, John, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Summarized by Concetta Gleason

John Braithwaite moved with his family fromManhattaninto theBronxontoKelly Streetin 1945 when he was two years old. His parents learned of theBronxandKelly Streetfrom their friends. Braithwaite’s parents and many of his neighbors were fromBarbados. The neighborhood and schools were very diverse with Italians, Jews, Spanish and blacks (both from the South and the Caribbean), and that did not change until the Cross-Bronx Expressway divided theBronxin half. The family was associated with St. Margaret’s Protestant Episcopal Church. His family has a great love for the arts; his father was a tailor, but painting was his passion, his older …

Rivieccio, Anthony, Bronx African American History Project

Oral Histories

Born in 1960, Anthony Rivieccio moved to the Morris Heights section of the Bronx after his parents divorce with his mother and two sisters at twelve years old. Rivieccio recalls the racial tensions that developed in the South Bronx as the demographics changed leading to gangs. Rivieccio himself joined the gang The Devil’s Disciples. During the time he lived in the Bronx, Rivieccio remembers Fordham Road as an area of entertainment including arcades and movie houses, as well as a department store he would reluctantly visit with his mother on Saturday mornings.

As the fires moved closer to his location …