Series II. 1995 Oral History Class Interviews, 1995

This interview was conducted on October 20, 1995 by Sarah Schatz at Karl Akiya's residence in the Upper West Side neighborhood of Manhattan, New York. Akiya discusses the experience of being Japanese American, his education in Japan, his career, and his participation in civil rights movements in the United States (US). Akiya describes the discrimination experienced by Japanese people in the US, including anti-immigration laws and concentration camps during World War II. He discusses his experience as one of the kibei, Japanese Americans who left the US for schooling in Japan. He discusses traveling to Washington, DC in order to get a job with the Office of Strategic Services during World War II. Akiya describes moving to New York City and working at a Japanese bank where he observed discriminatory hiring practices against Black and Latino people. Akiya describes working as a finisher in a furniture factory and becoming a union representative (likely in the United Furniture Workers of America). Akiya discusses his involvement in both civil rights and anti-nuclear movements; he discusses trying and failing to see Malcolm X on the day he was murdered and going to anti-apartheid meetings in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, New York. He describes receiving the Martin Luther King, Jr. Award for Community Organizing.

This interview was conducted on October 19, 1995 by Sarah Schatz at Kazu Iijima's apartment in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York. Iijima discusses her family background and history of political activism in Asian groups. She discusses her parents' work running a Japanese-language newspaper in the Chinatown neighborhood of Oakland, California. She describes her mother's mix of feminism and traditionalism. She describes her first political action, picketing a Young Men's Christian Association for discrimination against people of color, while a student at the University of California, Berkeley. She discusses the difficulty of finding a job for Japanese Americans, leading many college graduates to work as maids. She describes moving through the American concentration camp system and later to Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg, Mississippi during World War II. She discusses being shocked by the racism faced by African Americans in Mississippi, and recounts a story in which a bus driver opposed her giving up her seat to pregnant Black woman. She discusses moving to New York City to be with her sister while her husband was overseas during World War II. She discusses her involvement with the Japanese American Committee for Democracy on 52nd Street in Manhattan, New York, including editing their newsletter. She describes participating in anti-Vietnam War protests and the inspiration it gave her to start Asian Americans for Action (AAA) along with her friend, Minn Matsuda. She discusses the United Asian Communities Center through AAA and their solidarity with other political and ethnic identity groups including the Young Lords. She describes the relationship between Asian groups on the East and West Coast, including the ethnic studies movement based at San Francisco State University. She discusses the dissolution of the Asian Movement in the late 1970s.

This interview was conducted on October 6, 1995 by Sarah Schatz at Yuri Kochiyama's apartment in Manhattan, New York. Kochiyama discusses the development of her political and ethnic consciousness. She describes her childhood in San Pedro, California, which she describes as multicultural and recounts not encountering racism until she started looking for work. She discusses typical jobs for Japanese Americans in San Pedro, including working at canneries, selling fruit at stands, and working as part time domestics. She discusses the experience of her family during World War II, including her father's arrest and death in prison, her brothers joining the US military, and her forced removal to the Jerome War Relocation Center near in Jerome, Arkansas. She attributes her awareness of Japanese Americans as a distinct community to her time in the American concentration camps. She discusses working at a United Service Organization office for Japanese American soldiers in Hattiesburg, Mississippi near the Camp Shelby military base. She discusses moving to New York City, including working with African Americans at Chock Full O'Nuts and living in housing projects. She discusses her involvement in African American, Asian, and other community organizations such as the Harlem Parents' Committee, the Organization on African American Unity, and Asian Americans for Action. She discusses her participation in the field of Asian American studies; she discusses teaching for a year at City College in Manhattan and invitations she received around the time of the interview to speak to Asian American student organizations including the University of Connecticut and Brown University.

This interview was conducted on November 1, 1995 by Sarah Schatz in the Chinatown neighborhood of Manhattan, New York. The audio recording for this interview was inaudible and was not included in the collection. The interview covers Minn Matsuda's experiences in the Asian American and African American civil rights movements. She discusses her experiences with Kazu Iijima to organize Asian Americans for Action. She recounts participating in protests of the incarceration of Japanese Americans in the United States during World War II.

See also: Iijima, Kazu

This interview was conducted on December 18, 1995 by Roni Gechtman at an unspecified location. The interview covers Ana Elizabeth Calderón Barrera's life in El Salvador, her family, and her later life in the United States. Barrera discusses her childhood on her family's farm in El Salvador, including the history of her family in the area and the crops they grew on their farm. She discusses her immigration to Honduras, her life there between 1963 and 1969, and the ways in which the 1969 war between Honduras and El Salvador affected her. She discusses the agrarian reform in El Salvador in the 1960s. She discusses her relationship with her husband, including the fact that he was married when they married, their separation, and their remarriage after his divorce.

The date, location, and interviewer for this interview are unknown. The interview is in Spanish. It covers Mike Friedman's early life in New York, New York and his experiences in Nicaragua in the 1980s. Friedman discusses his family and his education. He recounts his involvement in the Committee on U.S.-Latin American Relations (CUSLAR) during his sophomore year at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. He recounts volunteering with Barricada Internacional and spending a year in Nicaragua between 1982 and 1983. He describes agrarian reform in Nicaragua after the Nicaraguan Revolution. He discusses the support of the Contras in Nicaragua by the United States (US), in particular the fact that the US government supplied the Contras with weapons. He describes his wife and their relationship. He discusses living in Nicaragua after his marriage until the early 1990s. Other topics include Friedman's estrangement from his father and his interest in political movements in Latin America.

This interview was conducted on November 6, 1995 by Roni Gechtman at an unspecified location. The interview is in Spanish. It covers Karla Garcia's childhood in Nicaragua, her relationship with her parents, her sisters, and her life in New York, New York. Garcia discusses her family's immigration experiences and her feelings of abandonment when her parents immigrated to the United States (US) and left her in Nicaragua. She describes her relationship with her parents after her immigration to the US. She compares life in the US with life in Nicaragua, particularly cultural differences. She discusses a visit she had made to Nicaragua after her immigration and her feelings about the differences in her life and her friends' lives. She discusses her sisters, their educations, and their career goals and discusses her goals for her own future. She discusses her experiences with prejudice as a Latina in the US. She discusses her opinions of ways in which the political situation in Nicaragua had improved after the Sandinista National Liberation Front had left power.

See also: Valentin de Garcia, Elba and [Unknown] Garcia

This interview was conducted on December 18, 1995 by Roni Gechtman at an unspecified location. It covers Elba Valentin de Garcia's and her husband's lives in Nicaragua, in the United States (US), and their family. The Garcias discuss their lives in Nicaragua and compare life in the US with life in Nicaragua, particularly the differences between their experiences and their daughters' experiences. Garcia discusses the Nicaraguan Revolution and the fact that it led his family to immigrate to the US. He recounts working in a sugar mill that was confiscated by members of the Sandinista National Liberation Front and his difficulty finding work as he did not support the Sandinistas. He discusses the political views of the Sandinistas and the disillusionment felt by their early supporters when they came to power. Other topics include land redistribution due to agrarian reform in Nicaragua.

Elba Valentin de Garcia discusses her nine siblings and her children. She discusses her work as a caregiver for senior citizens.

See also: Garcia, Karla

These interviews were conducted on October 9 and October 22, 1995 by Liz Renner at the Church of the Living Hope in the East Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan. The recording contains individual interviews with George Calvert, Mercedes Ortiz, and Elizabeth "Buffy" Calvert. George Calvert's interview covers his work as a minister in the East Harlem Protestant Parish. He recalls the early years of his seminary field work in East Harlem and his involvement in the community's youth ministry as a youth group administrator. He describes in detail a speaking tour of universities in the southern United States in which he participated in February 1960. He recounts preaching sermons and administering youth bible study groups of interracial groups of students during the speaking tour.. Mercedes Ortiz's interview was conducted on October 9 and October 22, 1995. She discusses her childhood in Puerto Rico and her family's farm. Ortiz discusses her mother's management of the farm and describes the process of making cheese. Ortiz describes her involvement in the Church of the Son of Man and the fact that her knowledge of English and Spanish allows her to contribute to the community through her translation of sermons. Throughout the interview she stresses the importance of her faith and the fact that it provided her with inner strength. Buffy Calvert recalls experiences during her teenage and early adult years in which she fought racial and gender discrimination, including supporting racial diversity within her sorority. She describes her desire to work in a the religious ministry in New York City and explains her opinion that, racial integration would only occur if white people voluntarily integrated primarily African-American and Latino neighborhoods. She describes her experiences living in East Harlem and and recalls enjoying its liveliness, culture, and honesty of its residents. She discusses a summer volunteer, church work camp for college students that she and her husband managed and recounts the first year of the camp. She describes the Four Disciplines of the East Harlem Protestant Parish Group Ministry which focus on religion, economics, politics, and social action. She explains her opinion on the importance of finding balance between being a mother, a minister's wife, and a community member which depends heavily upon faith and participation in both the church and surrounding community.

This interview was conducted on October 27, 1995 by Liz Renner at Norman Eddy's home in the East Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, New York. The interview covers Eddy's early life in Connecticut, his experiences during World War II, and his experiences in East Harlem as a Protestant minister. Eddy describes New Britain, Connecticut and discusses the relationship between the Yankee residents and the immigrants who settled in New Britain in the early 20th century. He describes his grandparents, their personalities, and their influences on him. He describes his experiences during World War II (WWII) and recounts his duties a volunteer ambulance driver with the American Field Service in northern Africa and the Middle East. He compares the experiences of soldiers during WWII and those who served in the Vietnam War, and the impressions he had of how American civilians perceived the experiences of soldiers and civilians living in countries affected by the war. He explains that after his service in the war, he decided to take time to decide what career he wanted for himself. He recounts his experiences between 1944 and 1948, traveling throughout the United States, working on farms, and learning about different religions. He describes a spiritual experience he had during WWII in Syria, and his interest in Buddhism, Islam, and mystical parts of Judaism. He explains how this experience inspired him to serve the spiritual needs of people and his belief at the time that this would not be possible in established Protestant churches. He recounts taking courses at the Union Theological Seminary in Manhattan in 1945. He discusses his work as a farm laborer in different areas of the United States between 1945 and 1948 and studying in New York City during the winters. He recounts enrolling full time at the Seminary, working in East Harlem, and joining the East Harlem Protestant Parish and moving to East Harlem in 1949. He describes the sense of community he witnessed in East Harlem amongst the Puerto Rican, African American, Eastern European, and Italian residents of the neighborhood. He explains that while everyone was aware of the ways in which their neighbors were different from them, they were connected by the fact that they were neighbors and lived together. He discusses the work of the Metro North Citizens' Committee and the Parish to ensure the residents of the neighborhood had adequate housing. He discusses the ways in which public housing projects positively and negatively affected the community and compares them to the tenements they replaced.

These interviews were conducted on November 11, 1995 by Liz Renner in the Bronx, New York. The majority of the interview with Candida Rios covers her memories of her husband's political career. She recalls migrating to the United States (US) with her husband, Carlos Rios, in order for him to become politically engaged in the Democratic Party in the US. She describes her husband's passion for civil rights and the fact that he was admired by the residents of East Harlem. She recalls finding community at the Church of the Living Hope in East Harlem, due to the majority of the congregation being bilingual. Rosa Leon's interview covers her memories of her father, Carlos Rios, and the active role he played in the religious and political aspects of the East Harlem community. Leon describes the fact that her father started an annual food drive for low income East Harlem families during the Thanksgiving season. She recalls her parents hosting community gatherings in their apartment. Leon explains her philosophy regarding religious beliefs and church attendance.

This interview was conducted on November 8, 1995 by Christian Turek at an unspecified location. This interview was videotaped. The interview covers Billie Biederman's life in the Lower East Side (LES) neighborhood of Manhattan, New York. Biederman discusses her working life and education. She discusses her regret at not having a religious Jewish education as a child. She describes her parents, their immigration experiences, and their working lives. She describes her mother's responsibilities as a janitor of the building in which the family lived on Ludlow Street in the LES and describes the family's apartment on Ludlow Street. She states that she visited the apartment around the time of the interview and relates her astonishment at the fact that her family and their boarders fit into the apartment. She discusses traditions in her family around Jewish holidays and food her mother would prepare for the family. She describes games she would play with her friends and other social and leisure activities in which she participated in the LES. She discusses anti-Semitism in the United States and her experiences of confronting anti-Semitic people in social situations. She discusses her working life after high school, including living in California between 1948 and 1951 and working as a writer. Other topics include customs in the LES around holidays, food in the LES, and Biederman's memoirs.

The interviewer, date, and location of this interview are unknown. The audio recording for this interview is missing.

This interview was conducted on December 11, 1995 by Christian Turek at an unspecified location. This interview was videotaped. The interview covers Roberto Ortiz-Arroyo's family and his life in Manhattan, New York. Ortiz-Arroyo discusses his parents and their lives in Puerto Rico and in the United States, including his mother's experiences in New York as a single parent in the 1940s and her illness and death from Alzheimer's disease. He describes his childhood in the Lower East Side (LES) neighborhood of Manhattan and his extended family in the LES. He discusses his education and describes his experiences at a Ukrainian Catholic school and the isolation he felt as the only Latino student in the school. He recounts his insecurities around speaking English, particularly problems understanding English idioms as a child and the way in which he became comfortable speaking English as an adult He discusses his conversion to the Episcopal Church from Catholic Church and reactions friends and family had to his conversion. Throughout the interview he describes his experiences as the only Latino person in groups and organizations to which he belonged and his feelings about these experiences.

This interview was conducted on November 6, 1995 by Christian Turek at an unspecified location. Portions of the interview are unintelligible because of a recording error. Ray Weinstein Walker discusses her family, her education, and her career. She discusses her parents obtaining money to immigrate to the United States (US). She describes the ethnic diversity and tenements of the Lower East Side (LES) neighborhood of Manhattan, New York. Walker describes locating extended family members who immigrated to various countries as a result of World War II. Walker discusses learning to dance as a child and performing professionally at a farm in the Catskill Mountains in New York. Walker discusses teaching in English in Israel and becoming a Vietnam War protestor upon her return to the US. She discusses traveling to Morocco, Canada, and England. Walker describes maintaining Jewish traditions. She discusses creative projects such as writing a utopian play, taking a television production course at Brooklyn College, New York, and working on scripts.

This interview was conducted on November 6, 1995 by Sandra Nguyen at Seward Park High School in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, New York. The majority of the interview covers Tamser Cisse's experience as a student in Dakar, Senegal and adjusting to life in New York City. The interview is difficult to understand as the voices are frequently muffled. Cisse recalls his ideas of what the United States (US) would be like based upon American television programs he watched in Dakar including The Beverly Hillbillies, and his realization that the US was different from the way in which it was portrayed on television. At the time of the interview, Cisse was contemplating his future educational plans and discusses his options with the interviewer which include pursuing higher education at an American university.

This interview was conducted on November 30, 1995 by Sandra Nguyen at Seward Park High School in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, New York. The audio recording is difficult to understand as the voices are frequently muffled. The majority of the interview covers Friday's knowledge of West African languages and her memories of attending school in Sierra Leone. She states that she speaks Temne and Creole, in addition to English. She discusses differences between school in Sierra Leone and the United States, including the fact that teachers in Sierra Leone were more strict.

This interview was conducted on November 17, 1995 by Sandra Nguyen at Seward Park High School in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, New York. The majority of the interview covers Jean Clarence's experience growing up in Haiti. He discusses his childhood, including the fact that his parents sent him to live with his grandparents in Haiti when he was one year old, his experiences in school, and his recollections of American television programs in Haiti during the 1980s and 1990s. Clarence sometimes speaks in French and gives little detail in his responses.

This interview was conducted on November 13, 1995 by Sandra Nguyen at Seward Park High School in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan, New York. The majority of the interview covers Abdourahmane Sarr's experience as a student in Dakar, Senegal and his adjustment to life in New York City. He discusses the fact that he found learning English to be difficult, but found it to be a necessary skill he needed to learn in order to live in the United States (US). At the time of the interview, Sarr had been in the US for less than a year and was contemplating his future educational plans beyond Seward Park High School, including possibly attending an American university.

This interview was conducted on an unspecified date by an unspecified interviewer at an unspecified location. The majority of the interview covers Darline Tremont and Diedra L'Ouverture's childhoods in Haiti. Tremont recalls growing up in a very structured household in which education held precedence. She explains her reasons for not practicing one particular religion and describes her belief in a greater force that is beyond the basic human existence. L'Ouverture recalls experiencing discrimination in each place she lived due to her family being practitioners of Vodou. She explains that the pantheon of Vodou brings her comfort and security. She discusses her experiences in the various countries and states in which she lived prior to New York City. Both Tremont and L'Ouverture discuss the common perceptions of Haitians and provide examples of discrimination they have faced, mostly regarding the common idea that Haitians are all poor and uneducated.

This interview was conducted on December 1, 1995 by John P. Spencer at Helen Davenport's apartment within the Bernard M. Baruch Houses in the Lower East Side (LES) neighborhood of Manhattan, New York. The majority of the interview covers Davenport's childhood experiences growing up during the Great Depression in the LES. She recalls standing in bread and soup lines with her mother and great-grandparents. In the 1930s, Davenport's parents were not able to support the family financially and sent Davenport and her three siblings to a shelter at the Church of Saint Catherine of Genoa in Manhattan. Davenport and her siblings remained at the shelter for about a month until her father regained employment. She attended high school at the Metropolitan Vocational School in Manhattan. Davenport received leave from high school so that she could assist her mother with caring for her sister who had poliomyelitis. Davenport discusses the jobs she held as a teenager, including seamstress, babysitter, housecleaner, and as a mail clerk at American Steel in Brooklyn.

This interview was conducted on October 3 and October 19, 1995 by John P. Spencer at Richard Karp's apartment in the Lower East Side (LES) neighborhood of Manhattan, New York. The interview covers Karp's life in the LES, his family, and his experiences in the Amalgamated Dwellings in the LES. Karp discusses his parents and grandparents, their immigration experiences, and their lives in the LES. He describes the ethnic divisions in the LES in the early decades of the 20th century. He discusses his education and the schools he attended in the LES. He recounts customs in his family and in the LES around the Jewish holidays. He describes the apartments in which his family lived in the LES, the living arrangements, and the amenities and utilities in the apartments. He discusses the changes in the ethnic composition in the LES after World War II when many Jewish residents moved from New York City to Long Island, New York and his opinions on why this change occurred.

Karp discusses his move to the Amalgamated Dwellings in the LES in 1953 and describes the apartments in which he and his family lived. He compares the Amalgamated Dwellings in Manhattan and in the Bronx and discusses the programs available in the Bronx. He describes his feelings about cooperative housing and his desire to maintain a friendly and hospitable community in the Amalgamated Dwellings in the LES. He discusses his family members who moved out of the LES, the reasons why they moved, and his reasons for staying. He discusses his working life and describes his work as a teacher and school administrator in public schools in New York City. He discusses his involvement in the Board of Directors and the House Committee of the Amalgamated Dwellings between 1955 and the time of the interview, and his reasons for joining the board. He describes Abraham Kazan and his role in development of the Amalgamated Dwellings, the relationship between Kazan and Robert Moses, and urban renewal in the LES in the 1950s and 1960s. He discusses the differences between the Amalgamated Dwellings in the LES and the Bronx in detail. He discusses the founding philosophy the Bronx and LES Dwellings, as well as other cooperative buildings in the LES. He describes the ethnic and religious identities of the residents of the LES and Bronx Dwellings and his opinion that the residents of the Bronx Dwellings were mainly working class, religious Jewish people and the residents of the LES Dwellings were middle-class, culturally Jewish people. He discusses the changes in the ethnic and racial composition of the LES in the 1950s and 1960s as a mainly Eastern European Jewish neighborhood to a Latino neighborhood, his opinions on the reasons for this change, and differences in the neighborhood before and after the change in its population. Other topics include his children and grandchildren and social and leisure activities in which he participated as a child and teenager in the LES.

This interview was conducted on October 18, 1995 by John P. Spencer at Saul Mildworm's office in Manhattan, New York. The audio recording for this interview was inaudible and was not included in the collection. The interview covers Mildworm's life in the Lower East Side (LES) neighborhood of Manhattan and his experiences with the cooperative housing movement in the LES in the 1950s.

This interview was conducted on December 1, 1995 by John P. Spencer at the Seward Park Houses in the Lower East Side (LES) neighborhood of Manhattan, New York. The interview covers Leonard Wertheim's life in the LES and his experiences in the Seward Park Cooperative buildings. His wife, Ellen Wertheim, occasionally contributes to the interview. Leonard Wertheim describes the buildings in which his family lived on Goerck Street and Baruch Place in the LES. He describes the LES in the 1940s and his memories of a close-knit neighborhood. He discusses his parents and grandparents, their histories, and their immigration experiences. He describes his mother, her working life, and the fact that she cared for her mother later in life. He describes his religious education and studying for his bar mitzvah. He describes his family's apartments in the Lavanburg Homes and the Bernard M. Baruch Houses in the LES. He describes his father, his working life, and his reputation in the neighborhood as a friendly and helpful person. He discusses his involvement in the Boys Brotherhood Republic in Manhattan, activities and events at the organization, and other members of the organization. He discusses his family's move to the Seward Park Cooperative buildings in the LES and compares the buildings in the 1950s and the time of the interview. He discusses his work at the New York City Board of Elections, including the positions he held there over 30 years and the reasons he remained at the Board.

Wertheim discusses a lawsuit brought against the Seward Park Cooperative buildings in the 1980s and describes the changes in the ethnic and racial backgrounds of the residents in the 1980s and 1990s. He explains that the majority of the residents were Jewish and the reasons why the residents may not have wanted to accept Latino and African-American residents. He states his opinion that the safety, cleanliness, and infrastructure of the buildings had declined after more Latino and African-American people moved into the buildings in the 1980s and 1990s. He and his wife discuss social events and activities sponsored by settlement houses and the cooperative buildings in the LES, including trips, summer camps, and parties. He discusses the history of the cooperative buildings in the LES and the fact that he learned about it through annual meetings and newsletters. Other topics include his children and a discussion of crime in the LES in the 1940s through the time of the interview.

This interview was conducted on October 22, 1995 by Thomas Bausano at the Young Devils Clubhouse on 115th Street and Madison Avenue in Manhattan, New York. Mike Rivera discusses being the youngest player and mascot for the Young Devils stickball team at age seven. He describes the status that stickball players had in the community, including popularity with women and respect from gangs. Rivera describes being raised Catholic and his friendly relationship with some priests in the East Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan. He discusses his experience as a Puerto Rican entering the garment industry at a time when most workers were Jewish. He discusses working with Latin music stars as a music promoter and road manager.

This interview was conducted by Thomas Bausano on November 7, 1995 at an unspecified location. The interview focuses Jesus Ruiz's childhood and adolescence in the Bronx, New York, particularly his participation in organized stickball teams. Ruiz discusses his parents' migration from Puerto Rico to New York and the different neighborhoods in which they lived in the Bronx. He recounts his experiences learning English, attending school, and relearning Spanish when he returned to Puerto Rico in his 20s. He discusses his two marriages and his relationship with his daughter. The majority of the interview consists of Ruiz discussing stickball culture in the Bronx, including the fact that each block in the Bronx had its own team, that teams generally reflected the ethnic and racial composition of the neighborhoods, and the organization of games between rival teams and blocks. Ruiz discusses playing for the Sharks and the Young Devils when he was younger and playing for the Minotaurs at the of the interview.

These interviews were conducted on October 1, 1995 by Thomas Bausano at a stickball playground in the Bronx, New York. The first 43 minutes of the recording are difficult to hear. This recording consists of four individual interviews with John Stephens, George Murray, Ralph Munoz and Carlos Diaz. The interviews cover each man's experiences playing stickball, with the most detailed interview being the one with Carlos Diaz. Stephens, Murray, and Muno contribute only brief personal introductions. Diaz recalls growing up in the East Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan and discusses the influence of gangs on his childhood. Diaz discusses his opinion on the importance of stickball and of providing children, teenagers, and adults in East Harlem with community activities and organizations to encourage positive life choices and fellowship.

These interviews were conducted on October 22, 1995 by Thomas Bausano at an unspecified location. This recording consists of four individual interviews with Gary Torres, Louis Rentas, Henry Mambo, and Charlie Horse. The interviews cover each man's experiences playing stickball. Rentas and Mambo provide brief personal introductions. The interviews with Torres and Horse are more detailed and include discussions of their personal lives. Torres recalls the crowds of people who would gather to watch stickball games on Saturdays and Sundays in the East Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, New York. He discusses the fact that people would watch from their windows and fire escapes, and would often throw money to the players. Horse explains how stickball provided him with a recreational and positive social outlet which helped him resist gang activities.

This interview was conducted on November 9, 1995 by Ellen Noonan at Mildred Kaminsky's apartment in the Bronx, New York. The majority of the interview covers Kaminsky's involvement in the Workmen's Circle in Manhattan and the Three Arrows Cooperative Society (3A) in Putnam Valley, New York. Kaminsky describes herself as a revolutionary and Trotskyite, and discusses her participation in the Young Communists' League and the Young People's Socialist League. She recalls spending summers at 3A and describes attending social events there. She remembers 3A organizing weekly picnics for the community during the summer where members would cookout, socialize and often get into conversations regarding politics. Kaminsky explains her opinion of Jewish identity that involved being politically and socially responsible rather than overly religious.

See also: Manson, Julius

This interview was conducted by Eileen Noonan on October 9, 1995 at Israel Kugler's apartment in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens, New York. The audio recording for this interview is missing. The interview covers Kugler's education, his working life, and his involvement in the Three Arrows Cooperative Society (3A) in Putnam Valley, New York. Kugler discusses his education and the schools he attended. He discusses his working life and his service in the Navy during World War II. He discusses his experiences teaching at the New York State Institutes of Applied Arts and Sciences in Brooklyn and his involvement in the United Federation of College Teachers. The majority of the interview covers Kugler's membership in the 3A, activities and events at 3A, and other residents.

This interview was conducted on October 4 and December 8, 1995 by Ellen Noonan at Julius Manson's apartment in the Stuyvesant Town residential complex in Manhattan, New York. The majority of the interview covers Manson's childhood in the Harlem and Lower East Side (LES) neighborhoods of Manhattan and his experience at the Three Arrows Cooperative Society (3A) in Putnam Valley, New York. Manson recalls playing in the street in the LES, in particular running underneath horses. He describes the poverty of his family and their neighbors. Manson explains various political and socialist philosophies, and discusses his memberships to the Young People's Socialist League, the War Resisters' League, 3A, and the Hebrew Free Loan Society. He goes into detail about his financial struggles as a young adult and how he borrowed money from the Hebrew Free Loan Society who offered interest-free loans to its members. He discusses in detail the fundamentals of the Hebrew Free Loan Society and the types of loans services they provided for its members. Manson explains that he joined 3A because it required its members to accept cooperative living principles, like common ownership of property, and overall community involvement. He describes giving public speeches to the 3A community as well as to neighborhoods in Manhattan.

See also: Kaminsky, Mildred

This interview was conducted on November 11, 1995 by Ellen Noonan at the Tamiment Library & Robert F. Wagner Archives at New York University in Manhattan, New York. The majority of the interview covers Bernice Kaufman Nisinson's experiences as a member of the Young Democratic Socialists (YDS) and her interest in political and religious philosophies. She recalls the large selection of student run clubs at James Madison High School in Brooklyn and the fact that she attended a meeting for each club as a way to decide which ones she would like to join. Nisinson argues that it is important to develop your own life philosophy. She spends a majority of her interview discussing general socialist and Jewish beliefs including the importance of education, the emphasis of family togetherness and carrying on traditions.

This interview was conducted on November 30, 1995 by Rachel Mattson at at the City University of New York School of Law in Queens, New York. The audio recording for this interview is missing. The interview covers Luis Degraffe's early life in the East Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, his identity as a person of mixed race, and his involvement in the Young Lords activist organization in New York City. DeGraffe discusses his childhood and education in East Harlem. He discusses his identity as an African-American and Puerto Rican person and the ways in which his identity changed throughout his life. He discusses his mother's experiences in Puerto Rico and her ostracization from her family after she married DeGraffe's father who was African-American. He discusses his mother's family and his relationship with his grandmother. He recounts his brief membership in the Black Panther Party and the way in which he learned about the Young Lords. He discusses his involvement in the Young Lords, and the growth of the organization in the early 1970s. He describes political actions taken by the Young Lords and his opinion of these. He recounts his removal from the Young Lords and his decision to attend law school.

This interview was conducted on October 2, 1995 by Rachel Mattson at Gloria Quinones's home in the East Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, New York. This interview was videotaped and the first 50 minutes of the interview is missing. The remaining part of the interview covers Quinones's opinion of the Young Lords activist organization in New York City. She discusses her opinion on why other people belonged to the organization and ways in which the community of the East Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan viewed the Young Lords. She states her reasons why she did not join the Young Lords and discusses the riots in East Harlem in the 1960s.

This interview was conducted on October 19, 1995 by Rachel Mattson at Luis Romero's home in Brooklyn, New York. The audio recording for this interview is missing. The interview covers Romero's memories of life in Puerto Rico, his early life in Brooklyn, and his participation in the Young Lords activist organization in New York.