Guide to the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations oral history collection 2011.019

Brooklyn Historical Society
128 Pierrepont Street
Brooklyn 11201
718-222-4111
library@brooklynhistory.org

Brooklyn Historical Society

Collection processed by Julia Lipkins with assistance from Elena Locascio

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on March 08, 2021
eng using Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Revised by Maggie Schreiner Revised by Amy Lau , June 2019 , March 2021

Descriptive Summary

Creator:	Brooklyn Historical Society (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
Creator:	Sullivan, Sady
Title:	Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations oral history collection
Dates [inclusive]:	2011-2014
Quantity:	709 Gigabytes of oral history interviews with 107 narrators. Collection includes transcripts, audio recordings, and photographs formatted as .wav, .mp3, .pdf, .jpg, and .png files, in addition to 3 linear feet of paper transcripts.
Text [Box]:	4 of 4 (2011.019)
Text [Box]:	2 of 4 (2011.019)
Text [Box]:	3 of 4 (2011.019)
Text [Box]:	1 of 4 (2011.019)
Call Phrase:	2011.019
Sponsor:	CBBG was funded with assistance from the National Endowment for the Humanities; Institute of Museum and Library Services; New York Council for the Humanities; New York City Department of Youth and Community Development; The Nissan Foundation; New York City Department of Cultural Affairs; Two Trees Management; Brooklyn Brewery; Sweet'N Low; The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation; and The New York Community Trust.

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Historical note

Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations (CBBG) was an oral history project and public programming series sponsored by Brooklyn Historical Society from 2011 to 2014. CBBG was designed to examine the history and experiences of mixed-heritage people and families in Brooklyn. The project also explored the broader themes of cultural hybridity, race, ethnicity, and identity formation in the United States. CBBG was created by Sady Sullivan, Director of Oral History at Brooklyn Historical Society from 2006-2014, and the project was funded with assistance from public and private grants. CBBG expanded upon Brooklyn Historical Society's oral history collection, which was founded in 1973 and contains interviews with over 1200 narrators.

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Scope and Contents

This collection contains materials from the CBBG oral history project. Included are transcripts and audio recordings of interviews conducted by 25 oral historians with 107 narrators. Also included are photographs of the narrators and their families. The oral histories were conducted as life history interviews; topics of discussion include self and identity; religion and tradition; laws and mores; food and celebration; love and marriage; parents and children; race and ethnicity; and cultural preservation.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged alphabetically by the narrator's last name.

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Access Points

Document Type

Oral histories (document genres)
Interviews (sound recordings)
Transcripts
Digital Photographs

Subject Topics

Queer identity
Racism
Religious identity
Mixed heritage
Cultural diversity
Interfaith families
Education
Bullying in schools
Racially mixed families
Racially mixed people
Passing (Identity)
Race identity
Gentrification
Privilege

Subject Places

United States |x Emigration and immigration
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)

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Administrative Information

Conditions Governing Access

Oral histories can be accessed onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online at the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org.

Please see the Oral History Note for guidelines on using Brooklyn Historical Society's oral history collections.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to use the oral histories other than for private study, scholarship, or research requires the permission of both Brooklyn Historical Society and the narrator. Restricted oral histories are clearly marked in the finding aid. For assistance, please consult library staff at library@brooklynhistory.org.

Preferred Citation

Oral history interview with Narrator's Name (First Last), Year of interview (YYYY), Identifier/ Catalog Number; Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations oral history collection, 2011.019; Brooklyn Historical Society.

Oral History note

Oral history interviews are intimate conversations between two people, both of whom have agreed to share the recordings with Brooklyn Historical Society and with researchers. Please listen in the spirit with which these were shared. Researchers will understand that:

1. Brooklyn Historical Society abides by the General Principles & Best Practices for Oral History as agreed upon by the Oral History Association (2009) and expects that use of this material will be done with respect for these professional ethics.

2.This transcript is a nearly verbatim copy of the recorded interview. As such, it may contain the natural false starts, verbal stumbles, misspeaks, and repetitions that are common in conversation. This decision was made because Brooklyn Historical Society gives primacy to the audible voice and also because some researchers do find useful information in these verbal patterns.

3.Unless these verbal patterns are germane to your scholarly work, when quoting from this material researchers are encouraged to correct the grammar and make other modifications maintaining the flavor of the narrator's speech while editing the material for the standards of print.

Processing Information

All narrators were provided with transcripts of their oral histories and given the opportunity to make redactions and additions. Library staff incorporated the narrators' edits into transcripts and audio recordings. As a result, some of the audio recordings may contain segments that sound uneven or choppy. Additionally, due to privacy concerns, the birthdates of all narrators were redacted from the transcripts and audio recordings featured on the CBBG website.

The CBBG interviewers and narrators discussed the history and experiences of mixed-heritage people and families in an open and forthright manner. This finding aid was therefore created with forthright and descriptive language, i.e., when available, the narrator's race, heritage, nationality, and religion were recorded in the biographical and scope notes.

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Container List

Sophia Agag, 2014 March 18 Biographical note Sophia Agag was born to an Italian American mother and an Algerian American father and raised in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens. Agag majored in mass communication at LaGuardia Community College in Queens, New York. She also served as a volunteer with the Arab American Association of New York, an organization dedicated to helping Arab American children develop English literacy skills. Scope and Contents In the interview, Agag discusses her childhood in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens; parents' courtship and marriage; father's Berber heritage; career aspirations; international travel experiences; work with the Arab American Association of New York; and impressions of ethnic and cultural diversity in Astoria. Interview conducted by Amna Ahmad. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Racially mixed people Interethnic marriage Arab Americans -- New York (State) -- New York Italian Americans -- New York (State) -- Queens County Cultural diversity Racially mixed families Berbers -- New York (State) -- New York Subject Places Astoria (New York, N.Y.) United States \|x Emigration and immigration
Katherine Ambia, 2012 January 14; 2012 January 22 Biographical note Katherine Ambia was born to a white American mother and a Peruvian father and raised in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn. Ambia received a B.A. in Latin American studies from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, where she co-founded the Multiracial Student Network. She received an M.S. in social work from Columbia University in New York City and worked as a clinical fellow at the Yale Child Study Center in New Haven, Connecticut. Scope and Contents In the interview, Ambia discusses her racial identity; educational experiences; aspirations to pursue a career in family therapy; father's childhood in Chincheros and Lima, Peru; mother's childhood in New York City; and parents' courtship, marriage, divorce and work as community organizers in the 1970s. Interview conducted by Amna Ahmad. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Race identity Peruvian Americans -- New York (State) -- Kings County Spanish language Racially mixed families Racially mixed people Social work Education -- New York (State) -- Kings County Subject Places Sunset Park (New York, N.Y.) Peru
Kai Michael Denn Ando, 2013 February 5 Biographical note Kai Michael Denn Ando was born to a white American mother and a Japanese American father in Seattle, Washington. He was raised in Seattle and New York City. Ando received a B.M. in jazz performance and double bass from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. He worked in the music and publishing industries. Scope and Contents In the interview, Ando discusses his parents' marriage, divorce, and remarriages; relatives' experiences of World War II in the United States and Japan; experiences living on the East and West Coasts; and personal health issues, including a bout with cancer. Interview conducted by Manissa Maharawal. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Japanese Americans -- New York (State) -- New York Japanese Americans -- World War, 1939-1945 Musicians -- New York (State) -- New York Racially mixed families Cancer -- Patients Education -- New York (State) -- New York Education, Higher -- Massachusetts -- Boston Racially mixed people Subject Places Boston (Mass.) Seattle (Wash.)
Sergia Andrade, 2013 May 29; 2013 November 25 Biographical note Sergia Andrade was born to Cabo Verdean parents in France. She was raised in the Boerum Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn and attended boarding school in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Andrade received a B.A. in international studies from City College and studied social work at Hunter College, both located in New York City. She worked as a case coordinator at the Vera Institute of Justice. Scope and Contents In the interviews, Andrade discusses her racial and political identities; encounters with racism; appreciation of African and Caribbean cultures; parents' courtship, marriage, and divorce; maternal grandparents' ethnic and racial identities; father's experiences with racism and segregation in colonial Cabo Verde; and experiences raising her children in Brooklyn, New York. Interviews conducted by Charis Shafer. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Racially mixed people Race identity Interpersonal racism Cabo Verdeans -- Portugal Boarding schools -- Massachusetts -- Wellesley Social work -- New York (State) Racism in education Subject Places France Cabo Verde Boerum Hill (New York, N.Y.) United States \|x Emigration and immigration
Ericka Basile, 2014 June 4 Biographical note Ericka Basile was born to Haitian parents and raised in Johnson City, Tennessee. She received a B.F.A. in painting from East Tennessee State University in Johnson City and an M.A. in visual culture: costume studies from New York University in New York City. Basile lived in the Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn and worked as a writer, artist and independent fashion scholar. Scope and Contents In the interview, Basile discusses her family's African, French, and Taíno ancestry; educational experiences and learning French and Creole; exposure to the West Indian community in New York City; parents' emigration from Haiti; and mother's childhood in Brooklyn and Queens, New York. Interview conducted by Jennifer Scott. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Race identity Haitian Americans -- Tennessee -- Johnson City Racially mixed people West Indian Americans -- New York (State) -- Kings County Racially mixed families Education -- Tennessee -- Johnson City Creole dialects, French Subject Places Springfield Gardens (New York, N.Y.) Johnson City (Tenn.) United States \|x Emigration and immigration Bedford-Stuyvesant (New York, N.Y.) Haiti
Pete Beveridge, 2012 May 23 Biographical note Pete Beveridge was born to white American parents in Newton, Massachusetts and raised in New York City. He received a B.A. in history from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts and an M.A. in African history from Columbia University in New York City. He is the author of Domestic Diversity, a memoir. Scope and Contents In the interview, Beveridge discusses his student life; interest in African history, civil rights, and communism; political activism that led to FBI scrutiny; courtship and marriage to his African American wife; prejudice and racism they experienced as an interracial couple in the 1950s and 1960s; and adopting and raising his son. Interview conducted by Sady Sullivan. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Segregation -- New York (State) -- New York Racially mixed families Community activists -- New York (State) -- Kings County Discrimination in housing -- New York (State) -- New York Education, Higher -- New York (State) -- New York Interracial marriage African Americans -- New York (State) -- New York
Jonathan Blazon, 2012 February 25 Biographical note Jonathan Blazon was born to a Chinese American mother and a French Canadian father and raised in Concord, New Hampshire and Brooklyn, New York. He attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City and the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France. He worked as a director and managing partner at Primera Languages for Business in New York City. Scope and Contents In the interview, Blazon discusses his racial identity; experiences of racism and rejection from white Americans and Chinese Americans; parents' courtship and marriage; maternal relatives' Chinese restaurant in New Hampshire; and aspirations for his daughter to navigate her own mixed heritage. Interview conducted by Cynthia Lee. Related Archival Materials Oral history interview with Jonathan Blazon's mother, Bette Yee, 2011.019.021. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Chinese Americans -- New York (State) -- New York French-Canadians -- New Hampshire Bullying in schools -- New Hampshire Chinese Americans -- New Hampshire Race identity Racially mixed people Racially ambiguous people Parenthood Racially mixed families Subject Places Park Slope (New York, N.Y.) Paris (France) New Hampshire
Sheila Bligen and Barbara Chambers, 2014 May 6 Biographical note Sheila Bligen was born to African American parents and raised in New York City. She graduated from the Julia Richmond High School in Manhattan, New York and worked at Verizon Communications. Biographical note Barbara Chambers was born to African American parents in Darby, Pennsylvania and raised in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn. She attended Midwood High School in Brooklyn, New York and worked as a secretary with the United States Department of Defense and at Verizon Communications. Scope and Contents In the interview, Blingen and Chambers both discuss their childhoods in New York City; courtship and marriage; artistic interests; and impressions of the Civil Rights Movement. Interview conducted by Rebecca Jacobs. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Education -- New York (State) -- New York Work environment -- New York (State) -- New York Same-sex marriage Artists -- New York (State) -- New York Queer identity Subject Places Bedford-Stuyvesant (New York, N.Y.) Pennsylvania
Leina Bocar, 2013 June 12 Biographical note Leina Bocar was born to an Irish American mother and a Filipino father in Oklahoma. Bocar received a B.F.A. from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Illinois and studied at the Slade School of Fine Art in London, England, Metàfora in Barcelona, Spain, and the New School in New York City. Scope and Contents In the interview, Bocar discusses her racially ambiguous appearance; involvement in the artistic community; participation in the Occupy Wall Street movement; political convictions; encounters with racism; parents' courtship and marriage; trips to the Philippines; and family's Christian traditions. Interview conducted by Manissa Maharawal. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Race identity Racially mixed people Racially mixed families Racially ambiguous people Occupy movement -- New York (State) -- New York Filipinos -- Oklahoma Education, Higher -- Illinois -- Chicago Artists -- Illinois -- Chicago Subject Places Oklahoma United States \|x Emigration and immigration Philippines Sunset Park (New York, N.Y.)
Vilray Bolles, 2012 February 9; 2012 February 29 Biographical note Vilray Bolles was born to a Nicaraguan American mother and a white American father and raised in New York City. Bolles attended the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. He worked as a musician and also for Edison Price Lighting, a lighting fixture company in Queens, New York. Scope and Contents In the interviews, Bolles discusses his family; parents' courtship and marriage; maternal grandfather's involvement in the Nicaraguan military; paternal grandparents' interfaith marriage; educational experiences; involvement in the music community; and an experience of arrest with false accusations of terrorism. Interviews conducted by Manissa Maharawal. Related Materials Oral history interview with Vilray Bolles's friend, Hansraj Maharawal, 2011.019.034. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Nicaraguan Americans -- New York (State) -- New York Interfaith families Education, Higher -- Massachusetts -- Boston Education -- New York (State) -- New York War on Terrorism, 2001-2009 Racially mixed people Racially mixed families Race identity Arrest -- New York (State) -- Kings County Subject Places Nicaragua Park Slope (New York, N.Y.)
Daniela Caraballo, 2011 December 18 Biographical note Daniela Caraballo was born to a Dominican American mother and Puerto Rican father and raised in New York City. Caraballo received a B.A. in psychology from Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania and an M.S.W. from Hunter College in New York City. She was employed as a social worker in New York City. Scope and Contents In the interview, Caraballo discusses her Puerto Rican and Dominican heritage; educational experiences; parents' courtship, marriage, divorce; childhood experiences with custody arrangements following her mother's move to Florida; and career in social work. Interview conducted by Margaret Fraser. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Parental relocation (Child custody) -- Florida Dominican Americans -- New York (State) -- New York Interethnic marriage Education, Higher -- Pennsylvania -- Bryn Mawr Education -- New York (State) -- New York Social workers -- New York (State) -- New York Puerto Ricans -- New York (State) -- New York Subject Places Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
Natalie Chassler, 2013 August 29; 2014 January 14 Biographical note Natalie Chassler was born to white American Jewish parents and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Chassler attended Hunter College and the New York School of Social Work, both located in New York City. She was employed as a social worker and director of the Manhattan Psychiatric Center. Scope and Contents In the interviews, Chassler discusses her childhood in the East Flatbush and Crown Heights neighborhoods of Brooklyn during the Great Depression; courtship and marriage to her husband; adult friendships; and personal and professional relationships with people who suffer from mental illness. Interviews conducted by Charis Shafer. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics World War, 1939-1945 Slavery -- United States Great Depression -- New York (State) -- Kings County Psychiatric Hospitals -- New York (State) -- New York Jews, American -- New York (State) -- Kings County Social workers -- New York (State) -- New York Subject Places Chicago (Ill.) East Flatbush (New York, N.Y.) Crown Heights (New York, N.Y.)
Sara Casten and Eduardo Cruz, 2014 February 14 Biographical note Sara Casten was born to white American Jewish parents and raised in Massachusetts. Casten received an M.S. in historic preservation and conservation from the University of Vermont in Burlington. She studied art education at Brooklyn College in New York City and worked as an administrative associate at the Brooklyn Historical Society. Biographical note Eduardo Cruz was born to Mexican parents and raised in Hidalgo, Mexico. Cruz attended Centro De Bachillerato Tecnologico Agropecuario Número 6 in Molango, Mexico. He worked as a primary school teacher in Mexico and in the food services industry in New York City. Scope and Contents In the interviews, Casten and Cruz discuss their courtship; efforts to overcome language barriers; and impressions of familial structure, gender roles, and community in Mexican and American cultures. Casten discusses her experiences living in New York City during a recession. Cruz describes his immigration experience. Interviews conducted by Nadia Williams. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Education -- Mexico English as a second language Sex role Spanish language Interracial dating Interfaith dating Mexicans -- New York (State) -- New York Subject Places Hidalgo (Mexico) United States \|x Emigration and immigration Massachusetts
Daniel Aldana Cohen, 2013 June 20 Biographical note Daniel Aldana Cohen was born to a Guatemalan mother and a white Canadian Jewish father in Toronto, Canada. He was raised in Toronto and Paris, France. Cohen received a B.A. in intellectual history and development studies from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. He lived in the Prospect Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn and pursued a Ph.D. in sociology at New York University located in New York City. Scope and Contents In the interview, Cohen discusses his Jewish and Guatemalan heritage; encounters with racism in France; educational experiences; parents' courtship and marriage; views on Zionism; and encounters with anti-Semitism. Interview conducted by Manissa Maharawal. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Zionism Racially mixed people Racially mixed families Jews, Canadian Interfaith families Guatemalans -- Canada Education, Higher -- Québec -- Montréal Education -- France -- Paris Subject Places Paris (France) Toronto (Ont.)
Adam Collado, 2013 September 7 Biographical note Adam Collado was born to a Puerto Rican mother and a Dominican father in New York City. He grew up in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn and received a B.A. in economics from Brooklyn College in New York City. He worked as a technology coordinator at a high school in the Dumbo neighborhood of Brooklyn. Scope and Contents In the interview, Collado discusses his parents' adolescent years, courtship, and marriage; educational experiences in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn; employment in New York City public high schools; relatives' experiences with drug trafficking and addiction in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn; and childhood exposure to violent crime in East New York. Interview conducted by Charis Shafer. Related Materials Oral history with Adam Collado's cousin, Amy Collado, 2011.019.070. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Drug traffic -- New York (State) -- Kings County Crime -- New York (State) -- Kings County Interethnic marriage Puerto Ricans -- New York (State) -- Kings County Racism in education -- New York (State) -- New York Dominican Americans -- New York (State) -- Kings County Education -- New York (State) -- Kings County Subject Places Brownsville (New York, N.Y.) East New York (New York, N.Y.)
Amy Collado, 2013 November 11 Biographical note Amy Collado was born to a Dominican American mother in New York City and raised in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn. She worked on Open City Mixtape, a collection of narrative and documentary films about New York City. Scope and Contents In the interview, Collado discusses her family; close relationship with her cousin, Adam Collado; relatives' experiences with drug trafficking and addiction in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn; maternal grandfather's racial prejudices; and impressions of gentrification in Brooklyn, particularly in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. Interview conducted by Charis Shafer. Related Materials Oral history with Amy Collado's cousin, Adam Collado, 2011.019.060. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Gentrification -- New York (State) -- Kings County Drug traffic -- New York (State) -- Kings County Interpersonal racism Dominican Americans -- New York (State) -- Kings County Crime -- New York (State) -- Kings County Subject Places Williamsburg (New York, N.Y.) East New York (New York, N.Y.)
Alexander David, 2012 January 13 Biographical note Alexander David was born to a Chinese American mother and a Jewish Canadian father in New York City. He was raised in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn and attended Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan, New York, where he played a variety of sports and founded a club for mixed race students. David studied biomedical engineering as a Macaulay Honors student at City College of New York in New York City. Scope and Contents In the interview, David discusses his racial identity; childhood in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn; parents' courtship and marriage; and academic, social, and athletic experiences in middle school, high school, and college. Interview conducted by Amna Ahmad. Conditions Governing Access Access to the full interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Education -- New York (State) -- New York Student life and customs -- New York (State) -- New York Race identity Racially mixed families School sports -- New York (State) -- New York Racially mixed people Subject Places Park Slope (New York, N.Y.)
Amalia della Paolera, 2013 Dec 30; 2014 March 20 Biographical note Amalia della Paolera was born to a white American mother and an Argentinian father and raised in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn. Della Paolera received a B.A. in Latin American studies from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. Scope and Contents In the interview, della Paolera discusses her parents' courtship and marriage; father's immigration to the United States; childhood in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn during the 1980s; and impressions of racial, ethnic, and economic diversity in Fort Greene. Interview conducted by Senait Tesfai. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Education -- New York (State) -- New York Presbyterian Church -- New York (State) -- Kings County School sports -- New York (State) -- New York Interethnic marriage Cultural diversity Subject Places Fort Greene (New York, N.Y.) Park Slope (New York, N.Y.) Argentina
Daisy Dominguez, 2012 July 6 Biographical note Daisy Dominguez was born to Ecuadorian parents in New York City and raised in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn. Dominguez received a B.A. in Latin American studies from New York University, an M.L.S. from Long Island University, and an M.A. in history from the City College of New York, all located in New York City. She worked as an English language teacher in Quito, Ecuador and a reference librarian at City College of New York. Scope and Contents In the interview, Dominguez discusses her cultural and racial identities; childhood in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn; trips to Ecuador; and study of the Quechua language. Interview conducted by Cynthia Tobar. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Quechua language Race identity Ecuadorian Americans -- New York (State) -- New York Ethnic identity Subject Places Quito (Ecuador) Bushwick (New York, N.Y.) United States \|x Emigration and immigration
Jessica Chen Drammeh, 2012 May 20 Biographical note Jessica Chen Drammeh was born to a Chinese mother and a mixed heritage American father and raised in Wheeling, West Virginia. Drammeh received a B.F.A. in film and television production from New York University in New York City. She directed and produced "Anomaly," a documentary film about mixed race Americans. Scope and Contents In the interview, Drammeh discusses her childhood; Chinese heritage; incidents of racially-motivated bullying; mother's death; impressions of community identity in the the Boerum Hill, Fort Greene, and Prospect Heights neighborhoods of Brooklyn; involvement in the mixed race community; and production of her documentary film, "Anomaly." Interview conducted by Rita Renedo. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Education, Higher -- New York (State) -- New York Racially mixed people Bullying in schools -- West Virginia -- Wheeling Community identity -- New York (State) -- Kings County Documentary films Chinese Americans -- West Virginia -- Wheeling Racially mixed families Wheeling (W. Va.) Subject Places United States \|x Emigration and immigration Boerum Hill (New York, N.Y.) Fort Greene (New York, N.Y.) Prospect Heights (New York, N.Y.)
Yasmin Dwedar, 2014 March 20 Biographical note Yasmin Dwedar was born to a Filipino Catholic mother and an Egyptian Muslim father and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Dwedar received a B.A. in English language arts from Hunter College, an M.A. in international studies from the Graduate Center at City University of New York, and a J.D. from the City University of New York School of Law, all located in New York City. She worked as a lawyer in New York City. Scope and Contents In the interview, Dwedar discusses her ethnic and religious identities; educational experiences; parents' courtship and marriage; mother's conversion to Islam; family visits to Egypt; and experiences with Islamophobia in high school. Interview conducted by Amna Ahmad. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Muslims -- New York (State) -- New York Education -- New York (State) -- New York Interfaith families Conversion -- Islam Filipinos -- New York (State) -- Kings County Female circumcision Lawyers -- New York (State) -- Kings County Egyptians -- New York (State) -- Kings County Islamophobia Subject Places United States \|x Emigration and immigration Egypt Bay Ridge (New York, N.Y)
Shawn Elgart, 2011 November 18 Biographical note Shawn Elgart was born to African American parents in Fort Worth, Texas and raised in Fort Worth and Portland, Oregon. Elgart received a B.A. in psychology from San Diego State University in California and an M.S.Ed. in childhood education from Hunter College in New York City. Scope and Contents In the interview, Elgart discusses her interracial and interfaith marriage; childhood experiences in a single-parent household; conversion to Judaism; daughter's relationship with extended family members; and mother's adolescent years and early adulthood. Interview conducted by April Reynosa. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Interfaith marriage Parenthood Conversion -- Judaism Education, Higher -- California -- San Diego Racially mixed families African American Jews -- New York (State) -- New York African Americans -- Oregon -- Portland Subject Places Portland (Or.) Park Slope (New York, N.Y.)
Monica Elias and Roy Walter, 2013 August 14 Biographical note Monica Elias was born to an Ashkenazi Jewish mother and a Sephardic Jewish father and raised in New York City. Elias received a B.F.A. in painting from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut and an M.A. in speech language pathology from New York University in New York City. She worked as a speech language pathologist for the New York City Department of Education and in private practice. Biographical note Roy Walter was born to an English mother and a German American father and raised in Northport, New York. Walter received a B.S. in music performance and theory and studied computer science at Brooklyn College in New York City. He worked in the media and entertainment industries. Scope and Contents In the interviews, Elias and Walter both discuss their childhoods; cultural and religious heritage; courtship and marriage; experiences as an interfaith couple; and the decision to raise their children in the Jewish faith. Interviews conducted by Abigail Ettelman. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Education -- New York (State) -- New York Education, Higher -- Connecticut -- Middletown Interfaith families Jews, Americans -- New York (State) -- New York Judaism Religion Parenthood Subject Places Brooklyn Heights (New York, N.Y.)
Champ Ensminger, 2014 February 2 Biographical note Champ Ensminger was born to a Thai mother and a French father in Chiang Mai, Thailand and raised in Spokane, Washington. Ensminger received a B.A. in cinema studies and anthropology from the University of Washington at Seattle. Scope and Contents In the interview, Ensminger discusses his racial identity; French and Thai heritage; romantic relationships; parents' marriage and divorce; mother's remarriage; relationship with his German American stepfather; experience reuniting with his father's family in France as an adult; and involvement in the artistic community in New York City. Interview conducted by Kendra Danowski. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Racially mixed families Racially mixed people Thais -- Washington (State) -- Spokane Artists -- New York (State) -- Kings County Education, Higher -- Washington (State) -- Seattle Race identity Subject Places France Spokane (Wash.) Chiang Mai (Thailand) United States \|x Emigration and immigration
Sebastien Fargeat and Vanessa Snowden, 2012 April 11 Biographical note Sebastien Fargeat was born to French parents in Lyon, France. Fargeat attended Université Jean Moulin in Lyon, France for a graduate degree in international security policies. He worked in the tourism industry in New York City. Biographical note Vanessa Snowden was born to a Venezuelan mother and a white American father in Caracas, Venezuela and raised in Buffalo, New York. Snowden received a B.A. in English from Princeton University in New Jersey and an M.S. in adolescent education from Pace University in New York City. She worked as an au pair and teaching assistant in Lyon, France, and as a middle and high school teacher in New York City. Scope and Contents In the interview, Snowden and Fargeat discuss their courtship and marriage; visa application process in the United States; and the cultural and language barriers they experienced in Venezuela, France, and the United States. Snowden also discusses her experiences in college; teaching in New York City; and working with an economically and culturally diverse student body. Interview conducted by Charis Shafer. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Vene-uelan Americans -- New York (State) Teachers -- New York (State) -- New York Racially mixed families Racism in education -- New York (State) -- New York French -- New York (State) -- New York Subject Places Lyon (France) United States \|x Emigration and immigration Venezuela East Williamsburg (New York, N.Y.)
Caroline Fermin, 2013 March 1 Biographical note Caroline Fermin was born to a white American mother and a Dominican father in Houston, Texas and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. Fermin studied dance at the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts and received a B.F.A. in dance from the Juilliard School in New York City. She lived in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn and worked as a professional dancer and dance teacher. Scope and Contents In the interview, Fermin discusses her racial identity; dance education and practice; spiritual and religious beliefs; family's mixed heritage; father's experiences with racial profiling and prejudice in New Orleans; and racial dynamics within her extended family. Interview conducted by Liza Zapol. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Spirituality Interracial marriage Education -- Louisiana -- New Orleans Racially mixed people Racially mixed families Catholicism Dominican Americans Dancers -- New York (State) -- New York Subject Places Fort Greene (New York, N.Y.) New Orleans (La.)
Joseph Figueroa, 2012 June 12 Biographical note Joseph Figueroa was born to Puerto Rican parents and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Figueroa earned a high school diploma while incarcerated in prison. After his release, Figueroa worked for gang intervention organizations and lived in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. Scope and Contents In the interview, Figueroa discusses his childhood in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn; impressions of racial tensions in Brownsville; experience dropping out of high school and joining a gang; impressions of jail and halfway houses; and work with at-risk youth. Interview conducted by Dorothy Saint Jean. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Prison gangs -- New York (State) Prison -- New York (State) Puerto Ricans -- New York (State) -- Kings County Drug traffic -- New York (State) -- New York Crime -- New York (State) -- Kings County Subject Places Crown Heights (New York, N.Y.) Brownsville (New York, N.Y.)
Ricardo Osmondo Francis, 2014 June 13 Biographical note Ricardo Osmondo Francis was born to an African American mother and a Panamanian father in Houston, Texas. He was raised in Los Angeles, California and Houston, where he attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. He received a B.F.A. in painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. Francis founded Apanamae Productions, an independent art company, and worked as director of the LeonidesArts NY Gallery in New York City. Scope and Contents In the interview, Francis discusses his childhood; participation in the Singing Boys of Houston choir; formal arts education; involvement in the artistic community; perspectives on racism and homophobia; mother's adoption; and maternal grandmother's sentiments on race and racism. Interview conducted by Rebecca Jacobs. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Homophobia African Americans -- New York (State) -- New York Panamanians -- Texas -- Houston Artists -- New York (State) -- New York Adoption Queer identity Subject Places Houston (Tex.)
Fiona Gardner and Uche Nduka, 2013 June 5 Biographical note Fiona Gardner was born to white American parents with Romanian and German Jewish heritage and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota. Gardner received a B.F.A. in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence and an M.F.A. from Columbia University in New York City. She worked as a photographer and artist in Boston, Massachusetts and New York City. Biographical note Uche Nduka was born to Igbo parents in Umuahia, Nigeria. Nduka received a B.A. in English and history from the University of Nigeria in Nsukka. He lived in Bremen, Germany and Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and received an M.F.A. in creative writing from Long Island University in Brooklyn. He worked as a writer and an adjunct college lecturer in literature in New York City. Scope and Contents In the interviews, Gardner and Nduka discuss their childhoods; educational experiences; courtship; and living in Brooklyn. Gardner discusses her childhood in an observant Jewish household. Nduka discusses the Nigerian Civil War of 1967-1970; genocide of the Igbo people; and British cultural influence on Nigeria. Interviews conducted by Charis Shafer. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Education -- Nigeria Interracial dating Genocide -- Igbo (African people) Judaism Nigeria -- History -- Civil War, 1967-1970 Igbo (African people) -- Nigeria Race identity Subject Places United States \|x Emigration and immigration Nigeria Saint Paul (Minn.)
Douglas Giles and Natalie Giles, 2012 January 14; 2012 January 22 Biographical note Natalie Green Giles was born to white American Jewish parents in New York City and raised in Queens, New York. Natalie received a B.A. in psychology from Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts and an M.P.P.M. from the Yale School of Management in New Haven, Connecticut. She worked in the Office of the Mayor of New York City under the Giuliani administration and as an independent writing and development consultant. Biographical note Douglas Giles was born to white American Christian parents in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Greenbrae, California. Douglas received an undergraduate degree from the University of Oregon and an M.P.P.M. from the Yale School of Management in New Haven, Connecticut. He worked for KPMG, a consulting organization. Scope and Contents In the interviews, Natalie and Douglas Giles discuss their courtship and marriage; interfaith relationship; and raising children in the Brooklyn, New York. Natalie discusses her childhood in Queens, New York; German Jewish ancestry; and maternal grandparents' flight from Nazi Germany. Douglas's discusses his childhood in San Francisco, California; and relatives who worked as blue collar steelworkers in the 19th century and business owners in the 20th century. Interviews conducted by Abigail Ettelman. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Interfaith marriage Religious identity Jews, Americans -- New York (State) -- New York Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Parenthood Episcopalians -- California -- San Francisco Judaism Interfaith families Subject Places San Francisco (Calif.) Brooklyn Heights (New York, N.Y.)
Zoltan Gluck, 2014 May 29 Biographical note Zoltan Gluck was born to a mixed race American mother and a Hungarian father in San Francisco, California. Glück received a B.A. in philosophy from Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York and an M.A. in sociology and social anthropology from Central European University in Budapest, Hungary. Gluck moved to New York City to pursue a Ph.D. in anthropology at the Graduate Center at City University of New York. Scope and Contents In the interview, Gluck discusses his Mexican, Filipino, Jewish, and Hungarian ancestry; parents' emphasis on an affluent, "old world Europe" identity; perspectives on race and social justice; and involvement in political activism, particularly with the Occupy movement in New York City. Interview conducted Manissa Maharawal. Related Materials Oral history with Zoltan Gluck's partner, Manissa Maharawal, 2011.019.093. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Community activists -- New York (State) -- New York Racially mixed people Education, Higher -- New York (State) Privilege Occupy movement -- New York (State) -- New York Interracial dating Racially mixed families Mexican Americans -- California Race identity Subject Places San Francisco (Calif.) Budapest (Hungary)
Itamar Goldstein, 2011 December 9 Biographical note Itamar Goldstein was born to a Yemenite Jewish mother and an American Jewish father in Jerusalem, Israel. Goldstein served in the Israeli army as a young adult and moved to Brooklyn, New York to attend medical school at the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in New York City. Scope and Contents In the interview, Goldstein discusses his childhood; travel experiences; service in the Israeli army; experiences as an Israeli Jew living in in New York City; impressions of the Arab-Israeli conflict; and the distinct religious, cultural, and linguistic practices of Yemenite Jews and other Jewish ethnic groups in Israel. Interview conducted by Katrina Grigg-Saito. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Arab-Israeli conflict Education, Higher -- New York (State) -- Kings County Israelis -- New York (State) -- New York Judaism Jews, Yemenite -- Israel Subject Places Israel Jerusalem Palestine
Paul Golin and Yurika Golin, 2013 August 16 Biographical note Paul Golin was born to Jewish American parents and raised in Staten Island, New York. He attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and worked for the Jewish Outreach Institute, an organization dedicated to serving unaffiliated and interfaith Jewish families in New York City. Biographical note Yurika Golin was born to Japanese parents and raised in Tokyo, Japan. She attended Kingsborough Community College and Baruch College, both located in New York City. She worked as a flight attendant with Continental Airlines and United Airlines. Scope and Contents In the interviews, Paul and Yurika discuss their courtship and marriage; negotiations surrounding cultural backgrounds; and exposing their son to his linguistic and religious heritage. Paul discusses race and diversity in Brooklyn; gentrification; and interracial relationships. Yurika discusses her experience of moving to New York City a few weeks before the September 11 Terrorist Attacks. Interviews conducted by Abigail Ettelman. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001 Racially mixed families Education, Higher -- New York (State) -- New York Judaism Interfaith families Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Jews, Americans -- New York (State) -- New York Gentrification -- New York (State) -- Kings County Japanese Americans -- New York (State) -- New York Subject Places Park Slope (New York, N.Y.) United States \|x Emigration and immigration Tokyo (Japan)
Leslie Gordon, 2013 May 12 Biographical note Leslie Gordon was born to a white American Jewish mother and a mixed race American father in Berkeley, California. Gordon received a B.A. in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She lived in New York City and worked as a development associate for Education Through Music, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing music programs to inner city schools. Scope and Contents In the interview, Gordon discusses her racial identity; interracial relationships; impressions of cultural diversity in the San Francisco Bay Area; parents' courtship and marriage; father's African American, Native American, and German heritage; and impressions of family businesses founded by her grandparents. Interview conducted by Jonathan Tarleton. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Education, Higher -- North Carolina -- Chapel Hill Race identity Education -- California -- Berkeley Cultural diversity Racially mixed people Racially mixed families Subject Places Berkeley (Calif.)
Dina Helal, 2013 July 19; 2013 October 20 Biographical note Dina Helal was born to an Ashkenazi Jewish mother and an Egyptian father in London, England. Helal received a B.A. in art and art history from the University of Leeds in England and an M.F.A. in painting from Pratt Institute in New York City. She worked as the manager of education resources at the Whitney Museum of Art in Manhattan, New York. Helal passed away on December 14, 2020. Scope and Contents In the interview, Helal discusses her childhood; racial identity; parents' marriage and divorce; involvement in New York City's artistic community; relationship with her partner; death of her partner and parents; and experiences living in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn. Interview conducted by Liza Zapol. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and via the Oral History Portal. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Artists -- New York (State) -- New York Interfaith families Bereavement England -- Emigration and immigration Racially mixed families Racially mixed people September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001 Subject Places Bedford-Stuyvesant (New York, N.Y.) United States \|x Emigration and immigration Williamsburg (New York, N.Y.) Greenpoint (New York, N.Y.)
Lisa Heller, 2011 December 20 Biographical note Lisa Heller, who has African American and American Jewish heritage, was raised in the Bronx, New York. Heller received a B.A. in economic geography from the University of California at Berkeley and a dual M.B.A./M.C.P. from the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, Massachusetts. Scope and Contents In the interview, Heller discusses her racial identity and appearance; childhood in a white Jewish household; decision to become a single mother; and presentation of her son's racial identity and heritage. Interview conducted by Jen Chau. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Single mothers -- New York (State) -- New York Racially mixed people Religious identity Race identity Education, Higher -- California -- Berkeley African American Jews -- New York (State) -- New York Subject Places Fort Greene (New York, N.Y.)
Lyn Hill, 2013 August 22 Biographical note Lyn Hill was born to German Jewish parents and raised in Queens, New York. Hill received a B.A. and an M.A. from Queens College, and a Ph.D. from the Graduate Center at City University of New York, both located in New York City. She worked as a costume designer, theatre educator and historian, and hospital administrator. Scope and Contents In the interview, Hill discusses her childhood in the Inwood and Forest Hills neighborhoods of Queens; courtship and marriage to her Christian husband; parents' flight from Nazi Germany; career in theater and costume design; and suffering from Graves' Disease, an immune system disorder. Interview conducted by Abigail Ettelman. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Graves' disease Theaters -- New York (State) Jews, German -- New York (State) -- Queens County Education -- New York (State) -- New York Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Interfaith marriage Interfaith families Jews, American -- New York (State) -- Queens County Christians -- New York (State) -- New York Subject Places Forest Hills (New York, N.Y.) Park Slope (New York, N.Y.) Inwood (New York, N.Y.)
Lenge Hong, 2012 January 19 Biographical note Lenge Hong was born to a Scottish mother and a Chinese father and raised in Miami, Florida. Hong received a B.F.A. in film and video production from New York University, an M.F.A. in creative writing from the New School, and an M.L.S. from Pratt Institute, all located in New York City. She worked as a film researcher and as an archivist at the New York Historical Society in New York City. Scope and Contents In the interview, Hong discusses her family; racial identity and racially ambiguous appearance; educational experiences; career path; father's immigration to the United States from China; and the history of media portrayals of mixed race people. Interview conducted by Jen Chau. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Chinese Americans -- New York (State) -- New York Racially mixed families Racially ambiguous people Education, Higher -- New York (State) -- New York Racially mixed people Racism in mass media Scottish Americans -- Florida -- Miami Race identity Chinese Americans -- Florida -- Miami Subject Places United States \|x Emigration and immigration China Miami (Fla.)
Minna Aslama Horowitz, 2013 December 13 Biographical note Minna Aslama Horowitz was born to Finnish parents in Finland. Horowitz received a Ph.D. from the University of Helsinki in Finland and immigrated to the United States to work as a fellow for the Social Science Research Council in New York City. She was employed an assistant professor of mass communication in the College of Professional Studies at St. John's University in New York City. Scope and Contents In the interview, Horowitz discusses her experiences living in the Crown Heights and Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhoods of Brooklyn; relationship with her husband, a Russian American Jew from Brooklyn, New York; and impressions of the differences between Finnish and American culture in regards to academia, economic security, and community identity. Interview conducted by Liza Zapol. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Community identity -- New York (State) -- Kings County Education, Higher -- New York (State) -- New York Finns -- New York (State) -- New York Interethnic marriage Cultural diversity Subject Places United States \|x Emigration and immigration Crown Heights (New York, N.Y.) Finland Bedford-Stuyvesant (New York, N.Y.)
Aya Hosch, 2013 December 10 Biographical note Aya Hosch was born to a Colombian mother and Syrian father in Rockville, Maryland and raised in Dallas, Texas. Hosch received a B.A. in political science and linguistics from the University of Texas at Arlington and served as a public policy and international affairs law fellow at the University of California at Berkeley. Scope and Contents In the interview, Hosch discusses her racial, ethnic, and religious identities; educational experiences; romantic relationships; work on political campaigns; parents' courtship, marriage, and divorce; and mother's conversion to Islam. Interview conducted by Rebecca Jacobs. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Sex role Racially mixed families Racially ambiguous people Racially mixed people Education -- Texas Conversion -- Islam Muslims -- Texas -- Dallas Subject Places Washington (D.C.) Dallas (Tex.) United States \|x Emigration and immigration
Andrew Hoyles and Nayantara Sen, 2014 February 14 Biographical note Andrew Hoyles was born to African American parents in Watertown, New York and raised in Detroit and Okenos, Michigan. Hoyles received a B.S. in biosystems engineering from Michigan State University in Lansing, Michigan. He worked as a compost instructor and manager at the Lower East Side Ecology Center in Manhattan, New York. Biographical note Nayantara Sen was born to Indian parents in Calcutta, India. She attended boarding school in Dehradun, India and immigrated to the United States at the age of fifteen. Sen received a B.A. in English literature from Michigan State University in Lansing and attended graduate school at New York University in New York City. She worked as a project associate for Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations at the Brooklyn Historical Society. Scope and Contents In the interviews, Hoyles and Sen discuss their childhoods; courtship; experiences as an interfaith and interracial couple; encounters with racism; and impressions of gentrification in New York City. Hoyles discusses his family life and experiences with racism and racial stereotyping in Michigan. Sen discusses her impressions of British influences at her boarding school in India; relationships with family members; and move to Michigan as a teenager. Interviews conducted by Manissa Maharawal. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics East Indian Americans -- New York (State) -- New York Gentrification -- New York (State) -- New York African Americans -- Michigan Boarding schools -- India -- Dehra Dun Interfaith families Interracial dating Hinduism Interfaith dating Racial stereotyping \|z Michigan Queer identity Racially mixed families Subject Places Lansing (Mich.) United States \|x Emigration and immigration India
Teresa Ish, 2011 November 12 Biographical note Teresa Ish was born to a Chinese-Malaysian mother and Swedish father in Fresno, California and raised near Clovis, California. Ish received a B.A. in environmental studies and biology and an M.S. in marine science from the University of California at Santa Cruz. Ish co-founded Fish Wise, a nonprofit organization dedicated to seafood sustainability. Scope and Contents In the interview, Ish discusses her Chinese and Swedish heritage; family's culinary and holiday traditions; parents' courtship in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; childhood in California; and perspectives on raising a family in Brooklyn, New York. Interview conducted by April Reynosa. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Race identity Racially mixed people Marine sciences Swedish Americans -- California Racially mixed families Cooking -- Social aspects Chinese Americans -- California Subject Places Santa Cruz (Calif.) Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) Park Slope (New York, N.Y.)
Melissa Jimenez, 2012 May 11 Biographical note Melissa Jimenez was born to a Filipino American mother and a Dominican American father and raised in New York City. Jiminez lived in New York City with her Italian American husband and their daughter. Scope and Contents In the interview, Jimenez discusses her racial identity; connections to her Dominican and Filipino heritage; childhood with her maternal grandmother, her primary caregiver; parents' courtship, marriage, and divorce; courtship and marriage to her Italian American husband; and experiences raising their daughter in New York City. Interview conducted by Nadia Williams. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Racially mixed families Racially mixed people Race identity Racially ambiguous people Filipinos -- New York (State) -- New York Parenthood Dominican Americans -- New York (State) -- New York
Ari Joseph, 2012 June 6 Biographical note Ari Joseph was born to a mixed race Peruvian Catholic mother and a white American Jewish father and raised in New York City. Joseph received a B.A. from Middlebury College in Vermont and an M.P.S. from New York University in New York City. He worked for Hostelling International in New York City. Scope and Contents In the interview, Joseph discusses his racial identity; encounters with racism; educational experiences; parents' religious traditions; mother's Spanish and Chinese heritage; family visits to Peru; and impressions of gentrification in Brooklyn, New York. Interview conducted by Manissa Maharawal. Related Materials Oral history with Ari Joseph's partner, Emily Pinkowitz, 2011.019.039. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Catholicism Education -- New York (State) -- New York Racially mixed people Racially mixed families Race identity Judaism Interfaith families Gentrification -- New York (State) -- Kings County Subject Places Peru Park Slope (New York, N.Y.)
Madeleine Kanai, 2011 December 10 Biographical note Madeleine Kanai was born to a white American mother and a mixed race Japanese father in Kobe, Japan and raised in Kobe and Lexington, Kentucky. Kanai received a B.A. in international studies from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois and an M.A. in globalization from the University of Sussex in Falmer, England. She worked in communications and marketing in the retail industry, as well as for the Loving Day Project, an organization dedicated to fighting racial prejudice through education. Scope and Contents In the interview, Kanai discusses her racial identity; racially ambiguous appearance; involvement with mixed race community groups; courtship and marriage to her husband, who is also mixed race; father's ancestry and heritage; mother's experiences as a white woman in Japan; early childhood in Japan; and family's move to Kentucky. Interview conducted by Katrina Grigg-Saito. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Racially mixed people Racially mixed families Racially mixed children Race identity Loving Day Japanese Americans -- Kentucky -- Lexington Interracial marriage Subject Places Lexington (Ky.) Kobe-shi (Japan) United States \|x Emigration and immigration
June Kaplan, 2013 June 24 Biographical note June Kaplan was born to German Jewish parents and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Kaplan received an undergraduate degree from Queens College and an M.S.W. from New York University, both located in New York City. She was employed as a social worker and lived in Westchester, New York. Scope and Contents In the interview, Kaplan discusses her childhood in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn and the Kew Gardens neighborhood of Queens; parents' flight from Nazi Germany; career in social work; and experiences working with United States Air Force service members and their families. Interview conducted by Charis Shafer. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Jews, Americans -- New York (State) -- New York Jews, German -- New York (State) -- New York Social workers -- New York (State) -- New York Education -- New York (State) -- Kings County Subject Places United States \|x Emigration and immigration Bushwick (New York, N.Y.) Kew Gardens (New York, N.Y.)
Svetlana Kitto, 2014 June 5 Biographical note Svetlana Kitto was born to a Latvian American mother and an English father in London, England and raised in Los Angeles, California. Kitto received a B.A. in English and creative writing from Mills College in Oakland, California and an M.A. in oral history from Columbia University in New York City. She worked as a copyeditor and oral historian. Scope and Contents In the interview, Kitto discusses her childhood in Los Angeles, California; commitment to activism; sexual orientation; interest in creative writing; maternal grandparents' experiences as Holocaust survivors; father's childhood experiences at an alternative school; and parents' courtship, marriage, and divorce. Interview conducted by Manissa Maharawal. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Drug addiction -- California -- Los Angeles Education -- California Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Queer identity Subject Places United States \|x Emigration and immigration England Latvia Los Angeles (Calif.)
Julie Kline, 2012 January 13 Biographical note Julie Kline was born to a white American Lutheran mother and a white American Jewish father and raised in Oakland, California. Kline received a B.F.A. in acting from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois. She lived in Brooklyn, New York and worked as an actor, director, and theatre instructor. Scope and Contents In the interview, Kline discusses her family; maternal grandparents' courtship during World War II; paternal grandparents' divorce; move to Brooklyn; involvement in New York City's theatre community; romantic relationships; Jewish and Pagan religious convictions; and childhood health issues. Interview conducted by Liza Zapol. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Interfaith families Judaism Neopaganism Religious identity Actors -- New York (State) -- Kings County Theater -- New York (State) -- New York Subject Places United States -- Armed Forces -- World War, 1939-1945 Park Slope (New York, N.Y.) Oakland (Calif.)
Corbin Laedlein, 2013 March 8 Biographical note Corbin Laedlein was born to an African American mother and a white American father in Brooklyn, New York. He was raised in the Red Hook and Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhoods of Brooklyn. Laedlein majored in Africana studies at Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey, where he co-founded, Fusion: The Rutgers Union of Mixed People. Laedlein worked for Added Value, an urban agriculture nonprofit organization in Brooklyn, New York. Scope and Contents In the interview, Laedlein discuss his childhood in Brooklyn, New York; parents' courtship and marriage; impressions of gentrification, class, and privilege in the Bedford-Stuyvesant and Red Hook neighborhoods of Brooklyn; and experiences as a student in the New York City public school system. Interview conducted by Amna Ahmad. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Education -- New York (State) -- New York Gentrification -- New York (State) -- Kings County Racism in education -- New York (State) -- New York African Americans -- New York (State) -- Kings County Racially mixed families Racially mixed people Passing (Identity) Privilege Subject Places Bedford-Stuyvesant (New York, N.Y.) Red Hook (New York, N.Y.)
Daniel Latorre, 2013 September 20 Biographical note Daniel Latorre was born to a Norwegian American mother and a Colombian father in Bogotá, Colombia. He was raised in Bogotá, San Diego, California, and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Latorre attended the University of Wisconsin at Madison and founded Wise City, a civic engagement and product strategy company in New York City. Scope and Contents In the interview, Latorre discusses his racial identity; encounters with racism in San Diego and Minneapolis; educational experiences; career path; romantic relationships; parents' courtship and marriage; siblings' connection to their Colombian heritage; and experience during the September 11 terrorist attacks. Interview conducted by Rebecca Jacobs. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Colombians -- Minnesota -- Minneapolis Racially mixed people September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001 Colombians -- California -- San Diego Passing (Identity) Race identity Racially mixed families Subject Places Minneapolis (Minn.) San Diego (Calif.) Bogotá (Colombia) Greenpoint (New York, N.Y.)
Thomas Lax, 2012 June 16 Biographical note Thomas Lax was born to a mixed race French mother and a white American Jewish father and raised on the Upper West Side, Manhattan. Lax received a B.A. in Africana studies and art from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island and an M.A. in modern art from Columbia University in New York City. He worked as a curator at the Studio Museum in Harlem and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is restricted. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Race identity Queer identity Interfaith families Homophobia Racially mixed people Racially mixed families Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) African Americans -- New York (State) -- New York Subject Places Upper West Side (New York, N.Y.) United States \|x Emigration and immigration
Catherine Leung, 2012 November 27 Biographical note Catherine Leung was born to a mixed heritage American mother and a Chinese American father and raised in the Park Slope and DUMBO neighborhoods of Brooklyn. She attended Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn, New York and Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. Scope and Contents In the interview, Leung discusses her racial identity; encounters with racism and racial stereotypes; parents' courtship, marriage, and divorce; father's connection to Chinese culture; mother's Assyrian heritage; and involvement in community building organizations at Smith College. Interview conducted by Sady Sullivan. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Racial stereotyping Race identity Education, Higher -- Massachusetts -- Northampton Education -- New York (State) -- Kings County Assyrians -- New York (State) -- New York Chinese Americans -- New York (State) -- New York Student life and customs -- New York (State) -- Kings County Racially mixed people Racially mixed families Subject Places Park Slope (New York, N.Y.) DUMBO (New York, N.Y.)
Hansraj Maharawal, 2012 June 18 Biographical note Hansraj Maharawal was born to a Scottish American mother and an Indian father and raised in the Prospect Heights and Park Slope neighborhoods of Brooklyn. Maharawal received a B.A. in visual arts from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York. He lived in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn and worked as an artist and assistant designer. Scope and Contents In the interview, Maharawal discusses his racial identity; encounters with racism; educational experiences; childhood in the Park Slope and Prospect Heights neighborhoods of Brooklyn; parents' courtship, marriage, and divorce; father's emigration from India; and involvement in the artistic community. Interview conducted by Manissa Maharawal. Related Materials Oral history with Hansraj Maharawal's sister, Manissa Maharawal, 2011.019.093.; Oral history with Hansraj Maharawal's cousin, Neela Miller, 2011.019.079; Oral history with Hansraj Maharawal's cousin, Rajiv Miller, 2011.019.092; Oral history with Hansraj Maharawal's friend, Vilray Bolles, 2011.019.017.023. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics East Indian Americans -- New York (State) -- Kings County Artists -- New York (State) -- Kings County Racially mixed people Race identity Racially mixed families Education -- New York (State) Interracial marriage Subject Places Prospect Heights (New York, N.Y.) Park Slope (New York, N.Y.)
Manissa Maharawal, 2014 May 22 Biographical note Manissa Maharawal was born to a white American mother and an Indian father in New York City. She was raised in the Prospect Heights and Park Slope neighborhoods of Brooklyn. Maharawal received a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York. She pursued a Ph.D. in anthropology at the Graduate Center at City University of New York. Scope and Contents In the interview, Maharawal discusses her racial identity; childhood in the Prospect Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn; academic and social experiences in public and private schools; impressions of gentrification in Brooklyn, New York; and experiences with racism and prejudice following the 1991 Crown Heights Riots and the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks. Interview conducted by Svetlana Kitto. Related Materials Oral history with Manissa Maharawal's brother, Hansraj Maharawal, 2011.019.034.; oral history with Manissa Maharawal's cousin, Neela Miller, 2011.019.079.; oral history with Manissa Maharawal's cousin, Rajiv Miller, 2011.019.092.; oral history with Manissa Maharawal's partner Zoltan Gluck, 2011.019.094. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001 Riots -- New York (State) -- Kings County Racially mixed families Racially mixed people Gentrification -- New York (State) -- Kings County Race identity East Indian Americans -- New York (State) -- Kings County Education -- New York (State) -- New York Bullying in schools -- New York (State) -- Kings County Subject Places India Prospect Heights (New York, N.Y.) United States \|x Emigration and immigration
Michelle Materre, 2014 June 6 Biographical note Michelle Materre was born to African American parents and raised in Chicago, Illinois. Materre received a M.Ed. in educational media from Boston College in Massachusetts. She worked in film marketing and distribution, and was employed as a professor at The New School in New York City. Scope and Contents In the interview, Materre discusses her Haitian, Native American, French, and German Jewish ancestry; family's roots in New Orleans, Louisiana; experiences with racially-motivated violence in Georgia and Louisiana; involvement in the Civil Rights Movement; social and academic experiences at a predominantly white private high school; work in the film industry; and impressions of contemporary political issues. Interview conducted by Jennifer Scott. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Slavery -- United States African Americans -- Illinois -- Chicago Civil rights movements -- United States -y 20th century Independent films Race identity Racially mixed families Subject Places Chicago (Ill.) New Orleans (La.) United States \|x Emigration and immigration
Shameeka Mattis, 2013 July 11 Biographical note Shameeka Mattis was born to an African American mother and a Vincentian father and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Mattis received a B.A. in English and sociology from the State University of New York at Binghamton and an M.S.W. from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. She worked as an assistant director at the Vera Institute of Justice, a nonprofit center for justice policy and practice in New York City. Scope and Contents In the interview, Mattis discusses her childhood in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn; crime and gentrification in Brooklyn, New York; and courtship and marriage to her Haitian American wife. Interview conducted by Charis Shafer. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Gentrification -- New York (State) -- Kings County Haitian Americans -- New York (State) -- Kings County Same-sex marriage Queer identity Caribbean Americans -- New York (State) -- Kings County Crime -- New York (State) -- Kings County Subject Places Bedford-Stuyvesant (New York, N.Y.) Fort Greene (New York, N.Y.) Williamsburg (New York, N.Y.) Red Hook (New York, N.Y.)
Leslie Martinez, 2014 June 6 Biographical note Leslie Martinez was born to Honduran parents in New York City and raised in the Bronx, New York. Martinez received a B.A. in history from Baruch College and an M.S.Ed.in leadership and museum education from Bank Street College of Education, both in New York City. Martinez worked at several museums in New York City and as a program manager at Cool Culture, an organization that provides low-income families with free access to New York City's cultural institutions. Scope and Contents In the interview, Leslie Martinez discusses her family's Garifuna heritage; parents' immigration to the Bronx, New York from Limon, Honduras; and experiences as a black Spanish speaker in New York City. Interview conducted by Jennifer Scott. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics African Americans -- New York (State) -- Bronx County Race identity Spanish language Cultural identity Garifuna (Caribbean people) -- New York (State) -- New York West Indian Americans -- New York (State) -- New York Honduras Subject Places Bronx (New York, N.Y.) United States \|x Emigration and immigration
Taneka Maxwell, 2013 April 21 Biographical note Taneka Maxwell was born to African American parents on a U.S. Army base in Heidelberg, Germany. She was raised in Brooklyn, New York and Anniston, Alabama. Maxwell received a B.A.Sc in communication and media studies from Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. She wrote a children's book under the pseudonym "Pink Maxwell" and worked as an account analyst at Morgan Stanley. Scope and Contents In the interview, Maxwell discusses her childhood in the Brownsville neighborhood of Brooklyn; friendships in the Brownsville community; family's roots in Anniston and Birmingham, Alabama; relatives' migration from Alabama to New York City in the 1930s; and losing her mother and other family members to cancer. Interview conducted by Dorothy Saint Jean. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics African Americans -- New York (State) -- Kings County Education -- New York (State) Bereavement in adolescence African Americans -- Alabama -- Anniston Migration, Internal -- United States Subject Places Anniston (Ala.) Brownsville (New York, N.Y.)
Pattie McGill and Ralph McGill, 2013 August 3 Biographical note Pattie McGill was born to African American parents and raised in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn. She worked as a school aide in a public school in East New York. Biographical note Ralph McGill was born to an Italian mother and a white American father and raised in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn. He worked as a mechanic in his family's auto business. Scope and Contents In the interview, the McGills discuss their childhoods in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn; perceptions of cultural changes in East New York; courtship, marriage, and raising children in New York City; and plans for retirement. Interview conducted by Dorothy Saint Jean. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Education -- New York (State) -- New York Community identity -- New York (State) -- Kings County Racially mixed families Parenthood Subject Places East New York (New York, N.Y.)
Aglaye Metellus, 2014 June 16 Biographical note Aglaye Metellus was born to a Haitian mother and a Cuban father and raised in Nyack, New York. Metellus studied psychology and health services administration at Lehman College and received an M.S. in drug regulatory affairs from Long Island University, both located in New York City. She worked in the pharmaceutical industry. Scope and Contents In the interview, Metellus discusses her Haitian and Cuban heritage; parents' courtship; experiences growing up with ten siblings; and impressions of multiculturalism and diversity in Nyack, New York. Interview conducted by Jennifer Scott. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Racially mixed families Cultural diversity Haitians -- New York (State) -- Nyack Racially mixed people Cubans -- New York (State) -- Nyack Subject Places Nyack (N.Y.)
Neela Miller, 2014 January 16 Biographical note Neela Miller was born to an Indian mother and a white American father in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Norwood, New Jersey. Miller received a B.F.A. in sculpture from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York and worked for several yoga and art organizations. Scope and Contents In the interview, Miller discusses her Indian heritage; racial identity; Hindu convictions; parents' courtship and marriage; relationship with her husband; and negotiations surrounding food, culture and faith in her marriage. Interview conducted by Manissa Maharawal. Related Materials Oral history with Neela Miller's cousin, Hansraj Maharawal, 2011.019.034.; Oral history with Neela Miller's cousin, Manissa Maharawal, 2011.019.093.; Oral history with Neela Miller's brother, Rajiv Miller, 2011.019.092. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Education -- New Jersey -- Norwood Racially mixed people Racially mixed families Interfaith families Hinduism East Indian Americans -- New Jersey -- Norwood Subject Places Norwood (N.J.)
Rajiv Miller, 2014 May 16 Biographical note Rajiv Miller was born to an Indian mother and a white American father. He was raised in Norwood, New Jersey and received an undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Purchase. He worked as a computer technician at a high school in New Jersey. Scope and Contents In the interview, Miller discusses his Indian heritage; academic performance and behavior in elementary school; participation in afterschool clubs and sports; and romantic relationships. Interview conducted by Manissa Maharawal. Related Materials Oral history with Rajiv Miller's cousin, Hansraj Maharawal, 2011.019.034.; oral history with Rajiv Miller's cousin, Manissa Maharawal, 2011.019.093.; oral history with Rajiv Miller's sister, Neela Miller, 2011.019.079. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Racially mixed families Student life and customs -- New Jersey -- Norwood Racially mixed people Education -- New Jersey Race identity East Indian Americans -- New Jersey -- Norwood Subject Places Norwood (N.J.) Sunset Park (New York, N.Y.)
Janise Mitchell, 2014 February 21 Biographical note Janise Mitchell was born to African American parents in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mitchell majored in communications and minored in theater at Temple University in Philadelphia. She lived in Brooklyn, New York and worked as a social studies teacher. Scope and Contents In the interview, Mitchell discusses her childhood in Philadelphia; courtship and marriage to her husband; their experiences as an interracial couple; and raising their children in Brooklyn, New York during the 1980s. Interview conducted by Jeanmarie Theobalds. Related Materials Oral history with Janise Mitchell's daughter, Jasmine Mitchell, 2011.019.055. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Crime -- New York (State) -- Kings County Parenthood Interpersonal racism Gentrification -- New York (State) -- Kings County Education -- New York (State) -- New York Racially mixed families African Americans -- New York (State) -- Kings County Interracial marriage African Americans -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Subject Places Park Slope (New York, N.Y.) Philadelphia (Pa.)
Jasmine Mitchell, 2013 August 19 Biographical note Jasmine Mitchell was born to an African American mother and a white American father in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Mitchell earned a B.A. in American studies from Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts and a Ph.D. in American studies from the University of Minnesota: Twin Cities. She worked as an assistant professor at the State University of New York at Old Westbury. Scope and Contents In the interview, Mitchell discusses her family; racially ambiguous appearance; experiences of racism and stereotyping; marriage to her white American husband; childhood the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn; and perceptions of crime, race, diversity and gentrification in Brooklyn, New York. Interview conducted by Jeanmarie Theobalds. Related Materials Oral history with Jasmine Mitchell's mother, Janise Mitchell, 2011.019.075. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Racially mixed families Racially ambiguous people Parenthood Gentrification -- New York (State) -- Kings County Racism in education Racially mixed people Bullying in schools -- New York (State) -- New York Crime -- New York (State) -- Kings County African Americans -- New York (State) -- New York Subject Places Fort Greene (New York, N.Y.) Philadelphia (Pa.) Subject Uniform Title(s) Gaslight gazette, the Park Slope neighborhood guide
Amanda Claire Morales, 2013 January 26 Biographical note Amanda Claire Morales was born to a white American mother and a Puerto Rican father and raised in the Fresh Meadows neighborhood of Queens. Morales received a B.A. in philosophy and art from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. She lived in the Williamsburg, Greenpoint, and Park Slope neighborhoods of Brooklyn. Scope and Contents In the interview, Morales discusses her childhood; Puerto Rican heritage; educational experiences in New York City public schools; impressions of the academic philosophy of the College of William and Mary; and participation in campus dialogues about race and racism. Interview conducted by Manissa Maharawal. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Racially mixed people Racially mixed families Education, Higher -- Virginia Race identity Interracial dating Puerto Ricans -- New York (State) -- New York Education -- New York (State) -- New York Subject Places Fresh Meadows (New York, N.Y.) Greenpoint (New York, N.Y.) Williamsburg (New York, N.Y.)
Mala Yee Mosher and Sham Yee Mosher, 2013 March 8 Biographical note Mala Yee Mosher was born to a Burmese mother and a Malaysian Chinese father and raised in New York City. Mala attended the United Nations International School in New York City and Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. She lived in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn and worked in the theater industry as a stage manager and company manager. Biographical note Sham Yee Mosher was born to an African American mother and a white American father in Washington, D.C. He was raised in an American Sikh community and attended boarding school in India for three years. Sham attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. He lived in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn and worked as an artist and art teacher. Scope and Contents In the interview, Mala and Sham discuss their courtship and marriage; racial and ethnic identities; encounters with racism; and aspirations for their children. Sham discusses his experience growing up in a primarily white Sikh community. Mala discusses her experiences at the United Nations International School in New York City and traveling in Burma. Interview conducted by Angela Tucker. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics African Americans -- New York (State) -- New York Burmese -- New York (State) -- New York Racially mixed people Racial stereotyping Interracial dating Interfaith dating Sikh Americans Racially mixed families Interethnic marriage Ethnic identity Education, Higher -- Rhode Island -- Providence Cultural assimilation Subject Places United States \|x Emigration and immigration
Yasmin Nagi, 2014 March 18 Biographical note Yasmin Nagi was born to a Sudanese mother and a Yemeni father in Brooklyn, New York. She was raised in Sana'a, Yemen and Brooklyn. Nagi studied international relations at the City College of New York in Manhattan, New York and served as a volunteer and youth fellow with the Arab Association of New York. Scope and Contents In the interview, Nagi discusses navigating her identity as an Arab American in New York City and Yemen; gender roles and cultural differences in Yemen, Sudan, and New York City; and her parents' courtship, marriage, and decision to leave Yemen. Interview conducted by Amna Ahmad. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Sex role Interethnic marriage Islamophobia Hijab (Islamic clothing) -- United States Muslims -- New York (State) -- New York Cultural assimilation Arab Americans -- New York (State) -- New York Education -- New York (State) -- New York Subject Places Sana'a (Yemen) Bay Ridge (New York, N.Y)
Alicia Ohs, 2014 June 6 Biographical note Alicia Ohs was born to a Japanese American mother and a white American father on a United States Air Force base outside of Landstahl, Germany. She was raised in Marina and Lancaster, California. Ohs attended New York University in New York City and worked as a dancer, teaching artist, and yoga instructor in San Francisco, California and New York City. Scope and Contents In the interview, Ohs discusses her racial and sexual identities; Japanese and American ancestry; parents' marriage and Christian convictions; maternal grandparents' experiences in a Japanese internment camp during World War II; involvement in theatre communities in New York City and San Francisco; experience during September 11 terrorist attacks; and an experience of an arrest in New York City. Interview conducted by Svetlana Kitto. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Christianity Japanese Americans -- Evacuation and relocation, 1942-1945 Sex role Arrest -- New York (State) -- New York Buddhism Racially mixed families Racially mixed people Queer identity Race identity September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001 Subject Places San Francisco (Calif.)
Alece Oxendine, 2014 May 2 Biographical note Alece Oxendine was born to African American parents in Greensboro, North Carolina and raised in Durham, North Carolina. Oxendine received a B.A. in English and mass communications from Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina and an M.A. in film studies from Columbia University in New York City. She worked in the film industry in New York City. Scope and Contents In the interview, Oxendine discusses her racial identity; Native American heritage; encounters with racism; educational experiences; impressions of race and class divisions in her high school, college, and graduate school; parents' courtship and marriage; and work on independent films. Interview conducted by Jennifer Scott. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics African Americans -- North Carolina -- Durham African Americans -- New York (State) -- New York Independent films Education, Higher -- New York (State) -- New York Education -- North Carolina -- Durham Lumbee Indians -- North Carolina Race identity Racially mixed people Cultural diversity Racism in education -- North Carolina -- Durham Subject Places Durham (N.C.)
Alicia Piller, 2012 February 8; 2012 April 12 Biographical note Alicia Piller was born to an African American mother and a white American Jewish father and raised in Chicago, Illinois. Piller attended Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey and worked as an artist and jewelry designer in Brooklyn, New York. Scope and Contents In the interviews, Piller discusses her childhood in Chicago; racial and religious identities; romantic relationships and sexuality; parents' courtship and marriage; family's spiritual beliefs and religious traditions; visits to Tanzania with her father; and impressions of living in Brooklyn, New York. Interviews conducted by Sady Sullivan. Related Materials Oral history with Alicia Piller's partner, Justice Whitaker, 2011.019.028. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Race identity Queer identity Racially mixed people Racially mixed families Religious identity African American Jews -- Illinois -- Chicago African Americans -- Illinois -- Chicago Artists -- New York (State) -- New York Homophobia Interfaith families Jews, American -- Illinois -- Chicago Subject Places Chicago (Ill.) Kilimanjaro, Mount (Tanzania)
Emily Pinkowitz, 2012 November 12 Biographical note Emily Pinkowitz was born to a mixed race American mother and a white American Jewish father and raised in New York City. Pinkowitz received a B.A. from Pomona College in Claremont, California and an M.A. in museum studies from New York University in New York City. She worked for the Lower East Side Tenement Museum and Friends of the High Line, both cultural institutions in New York City. Scope and Contents In the interview, Pinkowitz discusses her racially ambiguous appearance; mother's Chinese and American heritage; family's Jewish traditions; childhood friendships; experiences at the Hunter College Campus Schools in New York City; and romantic relationships. Interview conducted by Manissa Maharawal. Related Materials Oral history with Emily Pinkowitz's mother, Janet Pinkowitz, 2011.019.067.; Oral history with Emily Pinkowitz's partner, Ari Joseph, 2011.019.033. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Racially mixed people Asian American Jews -- New York (State) -- New York Racially mixed families Education -- New York (State) -- New York Chinese Americans -- New York (State) -- New York Interracial dating Interfaith families Judaism Jews, Americans -- New York (State) -- New York Race identity Passing (Identity) Subject Places United States \|x Emigration and immigration
Janet Pinkowitz, 2013 October 29 Biographical note Janet Pinkowitz was born to a Chinese mother and a white American father in Chongqing, China. She was raised in Canton, China and Springfield, Massachusetts. Pinkowitz studied music at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts and worked as a librarian. Scope and Contents In the interview, Pinkowitz discusses her family history; Chinese heritage; and marriage to a Jewish American man and their children; impressions of communism in China; cultural preservation in the United States; and passing privilege. Interview conducted by Manissa Maharawal. Related Materials Oral history with Janet Pinkowitz's daughter, Emily Pinkowitz, 2011.019.039. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Passing (Identity) Racially mixed families Racially mixed people Chinese -- Massachusetts -- Springfield Chinese Americans -- Massachusetts Communism -- China Interfaith families Subject Places Massachusetts Guangzhou (China)
Conor Tomas Reed, 2014 June 4 Biographical note Conor Tomas Reed was born to a Puerto Rican mother and an Irish American father in Baltimore, Maryland and raised in New York City and Texas. Reed attended the City College of New York and studied English at the Graduate Center at City University of New York, both located in New York City. He was actively involved in the Occupy Wall Street movement. Scope and Contents In the interview, Reed discusses his racial identity; educational experiences; parents' activism with the nuclear disarmament movement; and his own activism, particularly with the Occupy Wall Street movement. Interview conducted by Manissa Maharawal. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Racially mixed families Education, Higher -- New York (State) -- New York Racially ambiguous people Race identity Puerto Ricans -- Texas Police brutality -- United States Occupy movement -- New York (State) -- New York Demonstrations -- United States
Anna Roberts, 2013 June 11 Biographical note Anna Roberts was born to a white American mother and an African American father in upstate New York. Roberts received a B.A. in sociology and history from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. She worked at the Relay Graduate School of Education and the Institute of International Education, both located in New York City. Scope and Contents In the interview, Roberts discusses her interest in sociology and education; experiences attending public and private schools; relationships with siblings; parents' courtship and marriage; and relatives' interracial relationships. Interview conducted by Alexandra Kelly. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Racially mixed people Education, Higher -- Massachusetts -- Northampton Racially mixed families Student life and customs -- Northeastern States Education -- Northeastern States Subject Places Lower East Side (New York, N.Y.) Larchmont (N.Y.)
Manu Sachdeva and Laurel Turbin, 2012 December 3 Biographical note Manu Sachdeva was born to Punjabi parents in Amritsar, India. Sachdeva's family immigrated to the United States when he was seven years old. He was raised in Vermont and received a B.F.A. in visual communication design from the University of Hartford in Connecticut. He worked as a graphic and web designer in New York City, Oakland, California, and Oahu, Hawaii. Biographical note Laurel Turbin was born to a Chinese American mother and a white American Jewish father and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. Turbin attended the University of California at Los Angeles and received an M.P.H. from Columbia University in New York City. She went on to pursue a Ph.D. in geography at the Graduate Center at City University of New York. Scope and Contents In the interviews, Turbin and Sachdeva discuss their gender, racial, and queer identities; families' Jewish and Sikh religious convictions; involvement in the Asian American community in New York City; and plans for having children. Interviews conducted by Manissa Maharawal. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics East Indian Americans -- New York (State) -- New York Education, Higher -- New York (State) -- New York Asian American Jews -- Hawaii -- Honolulu Chinese Americans -- Hawaii -- Honolulu Racially mixed people Sikh Americans -- New York (State) -- New York Race identity Racially mixed families Interracial dating Queer identity Gender identity Interfaith dating Subject Places United States \|x Emigration and immigration
Christy Sacks and Stephen Sacks, 2013 October 12; 2013 October 13 Biographical note Christy Sacks was born to white American Episcopalian parents in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and raised in Port Washington, New York. Christy received a B.A. in English from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York and an M.A. in English from the University of California in Berkeley. She worked a high school teacher, social worker, and computer programmer. Biographical note Stephen Sacks was born to white American Jewish parents and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. Stephen received a B.A. in economics from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a graduate degree in economics from the London School of Economics in England, and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of California at Berkeley. He worked as a professor of economics at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. Scope and Contents In the interviews, Christy and Stephen Sacks discuss their childhoods; career paths; courtship and interfaith marriage; and move to Brooklyn, New York. They also discuss Christy's English ancestry; Stephen's Russian Jewish ancestry; and raising their two children in Storrs, Connecticut. Interviews conducted by Abigail Ettelman. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Interfaith families Jews, American -- Massachusetts -- Boston Religious identity Interfaith marriage Hebrew language Judaism Episcopalians -- New York (State) -- Port Washington Subject Places Boston (Mass.) Brooklyn Heights (New York, N.Y.) Port Washington (N.Y.) Storrs (Conn.)
Harry Schwartzman, 2011 December 15 Biographical note Harry Schwartzman was born to a Japanese mother and a white American Jewish father and raised in New York City. He received an undergraduate degree from McGill University in Montreal, Canada and worked at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum in New York City. Scope and Contents In the interview, Schwartzman discusses his childhood in the Upper East Side neighborhood of Manhattan; cultural and linguistic heritage; experiences as a Japanese, Yiddish and English speaker; and impressions of racial and ethnic diversity in New York City, Japan, and Canada. Interview conducted by Becky Amato. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Cultural diversity Asian American Jews -- New York (State) -- New York Jews, Americans -- New York (State) -- New York Japanese Americans -- New York (State) -- New York Racially mixed people Racially mixed families Subject Places Upper East Side (New York, N.Y.) Japan United States \|x Emigration and immigration
Stephanie Skaff, 2011 December 8 Biographical note Stephanie Skaff was born to parents with Lebanese, Polish, Irish, and German heritage and raised in Perrysburg, Ohio. Skaff lived in New York City and worked as an artist and activist on anti-gun violence campaigns. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is restricted. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Lebanese Americans -- Ohio -- Perysburg Ethnic identity Crime -- New York (State) -- Kings County Interethnic marriage Racial stereotyping -- New York (State) -- Kings County Subject Places Morocco Perrysburg (Ohio) Clinton Hill (New York, N.Y.)
Shawnta Smith, 2012 June 10 Biographical note Shawnta Smith was born to a Belizean American mother and a Jamaican father and raised in the East Flatbush and Brownsville neighborhoods of Brooklyn. Smith received a B.S. in queer women's studies from the City University of New York, and an M.L.S. and M.F.A. in fiction from Queens College, all located in New York City. She worked as an archivist at the Lesbian Herstory Archives and as reference librarian at the City University of New York. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is restricted. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Community activists -- New York (State) -- New York Gangs -- New York (State) -- Kings Country Jamaicans -- New York (State) -- Kings County Queer identity African Americans -- New York (State) -- Kings County Education -- New York (State) -- New York Family violence Subject Places East Flatbush (New York, N.Y.) Brownsville (New York, N.Y.)
Lara Stapleton, 2014 May 23 Biographical note Lara Stapleton was born to a Filipino mother and a white American father and raised in East Lansing, Michigan. Stapleton received her undergraduate degree from Michigan State University and an M.A. in creative writing from New York University in New York City. She worked as a writer and lecturer in the English Department at the Borough of Manhattan Community College in New York City. Scope and Contents In the interview, Stapleton discusses her parents' courtship and marriage; mother's immigration to the United States from Manila, Philippines; childhood in Michigan; racial identity; educational experiences; and creative writing. Interview conducted by Jennifer Scott. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics World War, 1939-1945 -- Philippines -- Manila Racially mixed people Race identity Racially mixed families Filipino Americans -- Michigan Education, Higher -- New York (State) -- Kings County Subject Places Manila (Philippines) Fort Greene (New York, N.Y.) Michigan United States \|x Emigration and immigration
Asha Sundararaman, 2012 January 8 Biographical note Asha Sundararaman was born to a white American mother and an Indian father in Palo Alto, California. She was raised in California, Indiana, Canada, and Nigeria. Sundararaman received a B.A. in Africana studies and theatre studies from Wellesley College in Massachusetts and an M.A. in international studies and diplomacy from the University of London in England. Sundararaman lived in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn and worked as the volunteer coordinator for Orbis International, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing and treating blindness in developing countries. Scope and Contents In the interview, Sundararaman discusses her racial and cultural identities; family's frequent relocations; involvement in Fusion, an organization for mixed race students at Wellesley College; impressions of race and community dynamics in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn; and work for Orbis International. Interview conducted by Jen Chau. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Race identity Racially mixed families Education, Higher -- Massachusetts -- Wellesley Interfaith families East Indian Americans Racially mixed people Subject Places Indiana Nigeria United States \|x Emigration and immigration Park Slope (New York, N.Y.)
Sonnet Takahisa, 2012 January 31 Biographical note Sonnet Takahisa was born to an American Jewish mother and a Japanese American father and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She received a B.A. in East Asian studies from Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts and an M.A. in East Asian and Japanese studies from the University of Washington at Seattle. She worked as the director of education at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City. Scope and Contents In the interview, Takahisa discusses her parents' views on atheism and Zionism; paternal grandfather's immigration to the United States; career path; and practice of honoring Japanese holidays and traditions. Interview conducted by Elisabeth Pozzi-Thanner. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Asian American Jews -- New York (State) -- Kings County Education, Higher -- Massachusetts -- Boston Jews, Americans -- New York (State) -- New York Japanese Americans -- New York (State) -- New York Parenthood Racially mixed families Race identity Museums -- New York (State) - New York Racially mixed people Subject Places Seattle (Wa.) Japan
Leila Tamari, 2014 February 23 Biographical note Leila Tamari was born in New York City to a Haitian mother and a French Jewish father in New York City. Tamari received a B.A. in art history from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. She lived in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn and worked as a programming coordinator at Creative Time, a public arts organization in New York City. Scope and Contents In the interview, Tamari discusses her ethnic and racial identities; experiences with interracial dating; parents' courtship, marriage, and relationships with extended family members; father's cultural and religious identities; mother's immigration to the United States from Haiti; and impressions of gentrification in New York City. Interview conducted by Kendra Danowski. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Education, Higher -- Massachusetts -- Northampton Ethnic identity Gentrification -- New York (State) -- New York Haitians -- New York (State) -- New York Race identity Racially mixed families Racially mixed people Religious identity Subject Places United States \|x Emigration and immigration Crown Heights (New York, N.Y.) Israel Morningside Heights (New York, N.Y.) Palestine
Elizabeth Velazquez, 2013 March 27 Biographical note Elizabeth Velazquez was born to a Peruvian mother and a Puerto Rican father and raised in Sullivan County, New York. Velazquez received an M.A. in painting from the State University of New York at New Paltz. She worked as an artist and art teacher in the Cypress Hills neighborhood of Brooklyn. Scope and Contents In the interview, Velazquez discusses her family; Puerto Rican and Peruvian heritage; childhood experiences as a Hispanic student on the honors track in a predominantly white school district; work as an art teacher in Brooklyn, New York; perspectives on serving as a role model for students of color. Interview conducted by Nadia Williams. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Artists -- New York (State) -- Kings County Peruvians -- New York (State) Education -- New York (State) Racism in education -- New York (State) Puerto Ricans -- New York (State) Teachers -- New York (State) -- Kings County Subject Places Cypress Hills (New York, N.Y.) Peru Puerto Rico
Whitley Watson, 2014 May 18 Biographical note Whitley Watson was born to a white American mother and an African American father in Allentown, Pennsylvania and raised in Alpharetta, Georgia. Watson received a B.F.A. in scientific illustration from the University of Georgia at Athens. She lived in New York City and worked as an artist and an administrative assistant. Scope and Contents In the interview, Watson discusses her racial identity; encounters with racism; move to New York City; parents' courtship, marriage and divorce; mother's career in the hotel industry; stepfather's Greek heritage; and art career. Interview conducted by Jonathan Tarleton. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Racially mixed families Artists -- New York (State) -- Kings County Education -- Georgia Race identity Racially mixed people Subject Places Georgia Bushwick (New York, N.Y.) Flushing (New York, N.Y.)
Justice Whitaker, 2012 April 26; 2012 May 17 Biographical note Justice Whitaker was born to a white American mother and an African American father in Arroyo Grande, California. Whitaker received a B.F.A. in film and television production from New York University and studied education at Long Island University, both located in New York City. He worked as an artist and media educator in New York City. Scope and Contents In the interviews, Whitaker discusses his childhood in Arroyo Grande, California; racial identity; experiences with racism, stereotyping and profiling; perspectives on activism and politics; parents' courtship, marriage, divorce, remarriages, and children; father's military service; and work as a filmmaker and educator. Interview conducted by Sady Sullivan. Related Materials Oral history with Justice Whitaker's partner, Alicia Piller, 2011.019.016.027. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Teachers -- New York (State) -- New York Bullying in schools -- California -- Arroyo Grande Racially mixed people Unitarianism Interfaith families Race identity Racial stereotyping -- California -- Arroyo Grande Racially mixed families Subject Places South Africa Thailand Arroyo Grande (Calif.) Portland (Or.)
Devika Wickremesinghe, 2013 October 10 Biographical note Devika Wickremesinghe was born to a white American mother and a Sri Lankan father and raised in Staten Island, New York. Wickremesinghe received a B.A. in dance and art history from Barnard College in New York City. She worked as a professional dancer. Scope and Contents In the interview, Wickremesinghe discusses her racial identity; educational experiences; father's emigration from Sri Lanka; family visits to Sri Lanka; maternal grandparents' Italian heritage; relationships with siblings; and involvement in the dance community. Interview conducted by Manissa Maharawal. Related Materials Oral history with Devika Wickremesinghe's sister, Neela Wickremesinghe, 2011.019.068. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Racially ambiguous people Racially mixed families Racially mixed people Italian Americans -- New York (State) -- New York Dancers -- New York (State) -- New York Education -- New York (State) -- New York Sri Lankan Americans -- New York (State) -- New York Race identity Subject Places United States \|x Emigration and immigration Staten Island (New York, N.Y.)
Neela Wickremesinghe, 2013 October 22 Biographical note Neela Wickremesinghe was born to an Italian American mother and a Sri Lankan father and raised in Staten Island, New York. Wickremesinghe received a B.A. in architecture and urbanism from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts and an M.S. in historic preservation from Columbia University in New York City. She worked as an architecture conservator in New York City and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Scope and Contents In the interview, Wickremesinghe discusses her Italian, Sinhalese, and Dutch heritage; racial identity; family visits to Sri Lanka; educational experiences; career in architecture; and impressions of crime and demographics in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Interview conducted by Manissa Maharawal. Related Materials Oral history with Neela Wickremesinghe's sister, Devika Wickremesinghe, 2011.019.069. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Sinhalese (Sri Lankan people) Racially mixed people Race identity Racially mixed families Italian Americans -- New York (State) -- Staten Island Architecture -- Conservation and restoration Subject Places Minneapolis (Minn.) Staten Island (New York, N.Y.) Sri Lanka
Teresa Wiltz, 2014 May 9 Biographical note Teresa Wiltz was born to African American parents in Washington, D.C. She was raised in Staten Island, New York and Atlanta, Georgia. Wiltz received a B.A. in playwriting from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire and worked as a journalist for the Washington Post and Chicago Tribune. Scope and Contents In the interview, Wiltz discusses her African, Creole, European, and Native American ancestry; parents' experiences growing up during segregation in the South; and connections to New Orleans, Louisiana, where her father was raised. Interview conducted by Jennifer Scott. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Segregation -- United States Passing (Identity) Education -- Georgia -- Atlanta Bullying in schools -- Georgia -- Atlanta Bullying in schools -- New York (State) -- Staten Island African Americans -- Georgia -- Atlanta African Americans -- New York (State) -- Staten Island Racially mixed people Racially ambiguous people Race identity Subject Places Staten Island (New York, N.Y.) New Orleans (La.) Atlanta (Ga.)
Manyi Wong, 2014 January 27 Biographical note Manyi Wong was born to Chinese parents in Hong Kong and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Wong received a B.F.A. in art photography from Syracuse University in New York and an M.S. in organizational change management from the New School in New York City. She worked as the executive director at the Park Slope Child Care Collective in Brooklyn, New York. Scope and Contents In the interview, Wong discusses her family's immigration experiences in Hong Kong and the United States; maternal grandparents' marriage and separation; experiences with racial tension in Syracuse, New York; photography career; marriage to her Indian American husband; and experiences naming and raising their daughter. Interview conducted by Sady Sullivan. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Chinese Americans -- New York (State) -- New York Parenthood Marriage customs and rites -- New York (State) -- Kings County Interethnic marriage East Indian Americans -- New York (State) -- New York Subject Places Bensonhurst (New York, N.Y.) United States \|x Emigration and immigration
Clare Workneh and Fikre Workneh, 2012 February 10 Biographical note Clare Workneh was born to white American Catholic parents in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Floral Park, New York. Upon graduation from Our Lady of Mercy High School, Clare became a nun with the Maryknoll Sisters in Ossining, New York. She left the order after eight years and worked for the United Methodist Board of Social Ministries. Biographical note Fikre Workneh was born to Ethiopian parents and raised in Gojjam, Ethiopia. He was a minister in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and served as a missionary in the Caribbean before immigrating to the United States. He attended the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College in New York City and worked for the National Institute of Mental Health. Scope and Contents In the interviews, Clare and Fikre and discuss their religious backgrounds; courtship, wedding, and marriage; encounters with racism and prejudice; and their children. Fikre also discusses Ethiopia's role in the Arab-Israeli conflict. Interviews conducted by Liza Zapol. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Discrimination in housing -- New York (State) -- New York Ethiopians -- New York (State) -- New York Ethiopian Orthodox Church Interfaith marriage Arab-Israeli conflict Catholicism Religious institutions -- New York (State) -- New York Racially mixed families Subject Places Ethiopia United States \|x Emigration and immigration
Geo Wyeth, 2014 June 4 Geographical note Geo Wyeth was born to an African American mother and a white American father in New York City. He was raised in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan and Montclair, New Jersey. Wyeth received a B.A. in American studies from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Following graduation, he moved to the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn and worked at Apple, Inc. and as a freelance writer, musician, and artist. Scope and Contents In the interview, Wyeth discusses his racial and gender identities; incidents of racism and bullying in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan and Montclair, New Jersey; relationship to the artistic community; and his mother's experiences growing up in Washington, D.C. as schools were desegregated. Interview conducted by Svetlana Kitto. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Document Type Hell's Kitchen (New York, N.Y.) Subject Topics Crime -- New York (State) -- New York Bullying in schools -- New York (State) -- New York Gender identity Education -- New York (State) -- New York Bullying in schools -- New Jersey -- Montclair Artists -- New York (State) -- New York Race identity Queer identity Racially mixed people Racially mixed families Subject Places Montclair (N.J.)
Bette Yee, 2012 February 26 Biographical note Bette Yee was born to Chinese parents in Boston, Massachusetts and raised in Hooksett, New Hampshire. Yee received a B.A. in sociology and math from the University of New Hampshire. She worked in the finance industry in New York City and volunteered with the Organization of Asian Women. Scope and Contents In the interview, Yee discusses cultural values and gender roles in her family; experiences with bullying in Hooksett, New Hampshire; courtship with her first husband, a white American with French-Canadian heritage, who served in the Vietnam War; and involvement in New York City's Asian community. Interview conducted by Cynthia Lee. Related Archival Materials Oral history interview with Bette Yee's son, Jonathan Blazon, 2011.019.022. Conditions Governing Access Access to the interview is available onsite at the Brooklyn Historical Society's Othmer Library and online on the Crossing Borders, Bridging Generations website: cbbg.brooklynhistory.org. The Brooklyn Historical Society does not have permission to license oral history audio recordings or transcripts to third parties. Subject Topics Racially mixed families Cooking -- Social aspects Sex role Bullying in schools -- New Hampshire -- Hooksett Catholics -- New Hampshire Community organi-ing -- New York (State) -- New York Education -- New Hampshire Chinese Americans -- New Hampshire Chinese Americans -- New York (State) -- New York Subject Places New Hampshire Park Slope (New York, N.Y.) Prospect Heights (New York, N.Y.)

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Descriptive Summary

Historical note

Scope and Contents

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Sophia Agag, 2014 March 18

Biographical note

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Katherine Ambia, 2012 January 14; 2012 January 22

Biographical note

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Kai Michael Denn Ando, 2013 February 5

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Sergia Andrade, 2013 May 29; 2013 November 25

Biographical note

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Ericka Basile, 2014 June 4

Biographical note

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Pete Beveridge, 2012 May 23

Biographical note

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Jonathan Blazon, 2012 February 25

Biographical note

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Related Archival Materials

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Sheila Bligen and Barbara Chambers, 2014 May 6

Biographical note

Biographical note

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Leina Bocar, 2013 June 12

Biographical note

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Vilray Bolles, 2012 February 9; 2012 February 29

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Daniela Caraballo, 2011 December 18

Biographical note

Scope and Contents