WaHi Oral Histories
What started as a volunteer activity has since become a true life-learning experience. Since February, I have been a volunteer interviewer for The Oral History Project, a program of the New York Public Library (NYPL). The goal is to create a bank of stories of our community, Washington Heights-Inwood. As such, it will also serve as a reference for the public at large on different neighborhoods throughout the City.
So far, I have had the privilege to interview nine members of the community.
Octavio Felicie, super of my building. He moved to the neighborhood in 1968 from Puerto Rico.
Mino Lora, co-Executive Director & Program Director of People´s Theater Project. Her master´s thesis became her work.
Zead Ramadan, businessman. He grew-up in the community and became one of its biggest advocates.
Jimmy Nolan, Treasurer of the Inwood Little League. He has been involved with the organization for 50 years.
Led Black, writer, blogger & paradigm-shifter. He has lead a movement of bringing awareness that Uptown is a cool place to live, work, and play.
Polly Ferman, pianist and cultural entrepreneur. She has created several festivals including one with all-women tango performers.
Maggie Hernandez-Knight, visual artist and self-empowerment junkie. She became an entrepreneur by opening a movement studio.
Andrea Arroyo, visual artist and curator. Originally a dancer, her work has a keen feminist perspective.
Mario Tavarez, visual artist. He was involved with the Inwood Little League.
Hear their stories here: http://oralhistory.nypl.org/neighborhoods/washington-heights-inwood (some are in Spanish, some in English)
So why did I decide to do this volunteering, really? My selfish goal in doing these interviews has been to learn more about my neighbors. After living in Inwood for a little over two years, I still consider myself a newbie. Plus I like to ask (lots of) questions as well as listen to personal stories.
Last week, as part of the Uptown Arts Stroll (a month-long arts festival in June), I went to a talk at Word-Up Bookshop/Libreria Comunitaria with Led Black and Robert W. Snyder, author of Crossing Broadway. This book offers a fascinating view on politics and demographics and their repercussions on the neighborhood level. Much of what was talked and asked about by the audience had come up in my interviews too. History has come to life for me. Housing, gentrification, drugs, violence, parks, etc. help explain how many things have changed, but also how it has in some ways stayed the same.
Earlier in the week, I lead a Memory Circle at my library (Inwood Branch) on Uptown parks. Instead of having a 1-1 interview, the circle encourages participation from a group. We had seven neighbors who shared stories and anecdotes on our local parks that consist of 500 acres of parks north of 155th Street. One of my favorite stories was of a family burying ashes of a loved one in the caves of Inwood Park!
Before moving to Inwood, my goals in my neighborhoods had always been very practical or so I thought. Get to know the good places to shop, eat, and be friendly with the storeowners you frequent. Mind you, I don´t always fit in as my mom reminded me recently. This past Mother´s Day, my very Irish-looking mother walked side by side with her Latina-Americanized daughter through a very Dominican part of Washington Heights on our way to Marjorie Eliot’s Jazz Parlor. At one point, she said: I think we stick out. All I could say was: You think?
Afterwards, we both had to chuckle. Even when moments like this take place, my daily life is a much richer experience than it has been in a long time. I know more of my neighbors and a fair amount about the community’s history.
The Oral History Project ends in October, so my plan is to keep interviewing until then. In the meantime, I look forward to my next Memory Circle coming up!
Do you know about the history of your neighborhood?
Photo: George Washington Bridge.
