Series 1: Oral histories, 1992-1993, inclusive

In the interview, Melinda Broman provides information about her experience as a heterosexual woman within a straight relationship dealing with HIV/AIDS. She speaks about the lack of support within the AIDS movement and also the lack of support from the hemophiliac community. Broman made friends with gay men active in the AIDS movement, but did not always feel she was getting the support she needed. It was different within the community of people with hemophilia. She felt that fear of HIV/AIDS made the virus an unwanted topic of discussion. Melinda Broman also speaks about being in a serodiscordant couple and how it related to handling her own non-HIV-related health issues. Interview conducted by Robert Sember.

In the interview, Philip Coleman talks about the impact that AIDS has had on the Black gay community and on his life. He speaks about what love, sex and relationships have come to mean to him as a PWA. He makes some observations about gay PWAs living in Brooklyn, based on the experiences he had in his support group. Coleman shares his thoughts and feelings rooted in the intersectional experience of being Black, gay, and living with HIV throughout the interview. He talks about what he thinks was needed in terms of activism and services, and how racism and homophobia play out in church, in community, and elsewhere. Throughout the interview, Coleman connects the work he does around his being a gay Black man living with HIV to issues such as ageism, the house music and ballroom dance scenes, and even overlapping activism as it related to Haiti. Interview conducted by Robert Sember.

Beverly Rotter, Melissa De La Cruz, and Randy Rotter are interviewed as a family group. They discuss Iris De La Cruz (1954 - 1991) and the powerful mark she made on the world as an AIDS activist, sex worker activist, and writer. They talk about her life and work before HIV and after. Each one remarks on Iris's humor, kindness, and fierceness as an activist. Melissa talks about what it was like to have Iris as her mother. Randy discusses bonding with Iris through humor, and also his anger around her HIV infection. Beverly speaks about being a caregiver and the work that it takes to advocate for someone. Each also speaks about their own understanding of HIV/AIDS before Iris seroconverted (when HIV antibodies are detected) and after. Criticizing stigma and discrimination of people with HIV/AIDS, Beverly Rotter tells the interviewer that their line of questioning is inappropriate and lets him know she will not continue in that direction. Interview conducted by Robert Rosenberg.

In the interview, the narrators discuss Kristy Fernandes' HIV positive status and Carney Fernandes' role as primary caregiver. Kristy talks about her friends, the care she has received, what she wants to be when she grows up, and disclosure at school. Carney talks about Kristy's mother, his previous relationships, and how he has dealt with Kristy's health. Based on his experiences, he presents his ideas of what work has to be done to better respond to HIV/AIDS. Carney is vocal about AIDS issues and the community. He provides insight as a straight man of color not living with HIV who is profoundly impacted by the virus. Interview conducted by Robert Rosenberg.

In the interview, Christopher Henry speaks of AIDS from the position of a young gay man of color living in a city. He is conscious of the role race and ethnicity play in understanding the issues raised by the AIDS crisis. He describes his mother's reaction to his HIV positive status and interactions with gay friends. Henry provides insights into the views of people impacted by HIV in Brooklyn related to the systemic issues of HIV/AIDS. He speaks about HIV being created by the government as well as how the government's inaction impacts care. He talks about the ignorance he sees within his own Brooklyn neighborhood of Crown Heights. He discusses the virus in the contexts of spirituality, gay rights, and race. Interview conducted by Robert Sember.

In the interview, Marilyn John speaks about the changes she has witnessed within Caribbean communities, particularly with regards to sexuality, because of the AIDS crisis. John brings to the conversation her experience from within the Caribbean community, as well as a background and interest in community health. Throughout the course of the interview, John talks about the need for a holistic approach to health (Holistic Methods of Intervention), specifically with a focus on culture and immigration. She also talks about the need for Caribbean-specific cultural training related to HIV. Since her primary interest is in education, she concentrates on the approaches she takes to address different needs and characteristics of the communities she works with. Finally, she outlines what should be done for Brooklyn's Caribbean communities. Interview conducted by Robert Sember.

In the interview, Adolph Morciglio speaks about his long relationship with drugs; both as a person who used drugs for 30 years and as someone who no longer uses drugs, as well the role that drugs played during his time at Rikers Island. He speaks about his early childhood and the impact he feels it had on his opportunities in life, his early awareness of HIV, and the impact HIV has had on his life, his family, and the Red Hook community he is from. Towards the end of the interview, he speaks about the need for greater action by the government and churches. Interview conducted by Robert Rosenberg.

This interview focuses on the life, death, and relationships of artist and dancer Michael through the points of view of his sister Karen Morrissey and his lover Robert (Rob) Ripp. Together they discuss serodiscordant couples, spirituality in the face of death, the lack of governmental response to HIV/AIDS, witnessing and supporting someone navigating the healthcare system, and the impact of HIV/AIDS on family, friends, and community. Ripp speaks about his understanding of HIV/AIDS as a gay man. Both reflect on being near Michael when he died. Morissey recalls how she came to learn more about homosexuality and HIV/AIDS through her brother and how she was awed by her brother's spirit in the face of adversity. Interview conducted by Robert Sember.

In the interview, Donna Mulcahy discusses her experience as a partnered straight woman not living with HIV in Brooklyn in the early 1990s, married to a man with HIV and an addiction to heroin. The narrator speaks about her partner's addiction and his status as an HIV positive person with AIDS. She speaks of a supportive family, a fulfilling work life, and a community of people living with and impacted by HIV and addiction. For this narrator, the AIDS crisis was at first something she ignored, then something she understood as about about people who used drugs, and eventually about other communities such as gay men and other partners of people living with HIV. Interview conducted by Robert Sember.

In the interview, A.N. discusses the life of a single Black woman living with HIV/AIDS in Brooklyn. The narrator speaks about her health challenges, weaving together her time in California and her time in Brooklyn. She speaks about the Brooklyn neighborhood of Crown Heights in relation to people's ideas of who has HIV, and who doesn't. She also speaks about sexuality, race, and HIV. Towards the end of the recording, an unidentified second interviewer comes in. Interview conducted by Robert Rosenberg.

In the interview, Barbara Norris speaks about her experience as a nurse from the 1970s to the early 1990s in Brooklyn, whose work was deeply impacted by HIV. She speaks about the virus' impact on the people of Brooklyn who she saw coming into the hospital. During the interview she mentions differences she has seen between the AIDS epidemic in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Due to the narrator's long-standing perspective as a nurse with various managerial positions, she shared ideas on the role of the hospital within the epidemic and what ought to be happening. Norris also shares insights into the emotional toll the epidemic has on nurses. Interview conducted by Robert Rosenberg.

In the interview, Maria Palazzo describes volunteering with a large AIDS organization in a major city in the United States in the 1990s. She speaks about her motivations for volunteering, her interactions with fellow volunteers, and the reactions she received from the general public, her workmates, friends, and family related to her volunteering. The narrator also considers differences in attitudes and available resources between Manhattan and the Bronx. Interview conducted by Robert Sember.

In the interview, Mildred Pearson discusses being a mother of a person with AIDS (PWA) and working as a care provider. Pearson talks about discovering that her son Bruce Williams was sick, his treatment, and the home care that had a positive effect on his health. In the wake of Williams' death, she recalls getting help from a volunteer who had befriended Williams. She discusses reaching out to tell her story in support of the Brooklyn AIDS Task Force (BATF). She talks about forming the Mother's Love group when she was searching for a support group for mothers that felt more inclusive and diverse. Pearson describes her development into an activist. Pearson's interview covers topics of health care, social services, and the emotions generated by illness and loss. Pearson also discusses her faith, homelessness and addiction, and other deaths in her family. Interview conducted by Robert Sember.

In the interview, Kenny Post and Cheryl Wagner discuss issues specific to HIV-positive people with addiction and the programs established for this population. Wagner provides examples of discrimination faced by women with AIDS. They both discuss the healthcare and welfare system in New York City and the inadequate and unequal distribution of resources across the boroughs. They also discuss their relationship as two people with AIDS and the emotional impact of the AIDS crisis. Interview conducted by Robert Sember.

In the interview, Dolores Rivera talks about her childhood in an abusive home and how that affected her adulthood. She describes her IV drug use and time when she was homeless. She discusses how her life changed after her diagnosis. Rivera shares her awareness of AIDS issues, how AIDS has impacted various Brooklyn communities, and ideas about what should be done to better manage the crisis. The interview is paused several times for Rivera to take care of her granddaughter. Interview conducted by Robert Sember.

Dr. Luis Nieves Rosa is interviewed about his young adult life as a gay man in Puerto Rico and the four years spent in Brooklyn prior to this 1992 interview. He speaks generally about the issues of Latino and gay Latino people with AIDS from his work with the Hispanic AIDS Forum. He discusses his participation in an experimental drug study, his experience as a care-partner for a friend with AIDS, and being a service provider and activist. Interview conducted by Robert Rosenberg.

In the interview, William Sandoval speaks about the spread of the epidemic through Brooklyn neighborhoods, particularly Sunset Park. Sandoval compares Brooklyn and other parts of the city through his experience in AIDS organizations. He makes observations about the differences between Brooklyn and Manhattan physicians treating people with AIDS. Sandoval and his sister Rita Rodriguez recall their upbringing, Sandoval's drug use, and how the family has responded to his illness. They discuss how treatment can be improved and how awareness can address the stigma associated with the virus. Interview conducted by Robert Sember.

In the interview, Dr. Douglas Sepkowitz discusses his experience as a doctor in Brooklyn during the AIDS crisis. He brings up issues of ethics as a medical service provider and patients' agency in making decisions around care. He also discusses what changed as the epidemic evolved, including the populations of the patients he saw and structural changes within the world of medicine. Interview conducted by Robert Sember.

In the interview, Alice Terson shares her experience living with HIV and providing care and services for others living with HIV. Early in the interview, she speaks about how she had to deal with the negative stereotypes associated with the various aspects of her identity: lesbian, woman, Latina, former drug user, formerly incarcerated, Spanish-speaker. Terson identifies as an advocate and activist. She discusses issues with services for people with HIV/AIDS: how doctors need to build trust with patients, how prisons need to have HIV awareness and prevention programs, and the need for more Brooklyn-based services for folks living with HIV. Interview conducted by Robert Sember.

In the interview, Ivan Keith Weinstein discusses his experience as a gay man living with HIV in Brooklyn with a partner in the early 1990s. He discusses his opinion on the difference between living with HIV versus getting an AIDS diagnosis; his partner not wanting to disclose his HIV positive status; the lack of good services for people living with HIV in Brooklyn; and the impact that living with HIV has had on his personal relationships, work, sex life, and interactions with the medical profession. Towards the end of the interview, a different interviewer comes in and prompts Weinstein to discuss the first person he knew with HIV in Brooklyn and the differences in stigma and care in Manhattan versus Brooklyn. Most of the interview was conducted by Robert Rosenberg.