Randolph Houses Oral History Project

RANDOLPH HOUSES ORAL HISTORY PROJECT A COMMUNITY IN IMAGES AND WORDS

Randolph Houses, W. 114th Street, Harlem

RANDOLPH HOUSES ORAL HISTORY PROJECT April, 14, 2018 2:00 - 3:300 PM Oberia D. Dempsey Multi-Services Center 127 W 127th St New York, NY 10027 Sara Montijo, Teaching Artist

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This program is made possible, in part, by public funds from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the New York City Council.

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About the Oral History Project

A Collaboration Between Creative Art Works, West Harlem Group Assistance, Innovation Diploma Plus, and Randolph Houses West 114th Street has been many things to many people over time. Through may evolutions, however, it has endured as a community. Creative Art Works, in collaboration with West Harlem Group Assistance, assembled a team of students from Innovations Diploma Plus High School as well as residents of Randolph Houses to create an oral history of life on West 114th Street. Working under the guidance of a CAW Teaching Artist, these CAW Youth Apprentices interviewed and photographed senior residents of Randolph Houses to learn about their lives and the rich history of their neighborhood.

These stories and images were compiled into a website designed by the Youth Apprentices. Visit the Randolph Houses Oral History Project on the web: https://www.randolphhousesoralhistories.com/

About Creative Art Works

Creative Art Works is a creative youth development organization that empowers young people through the visual and multimedia arts. Our programs equip children, teens and young adults with essential tools and skills; connect them with community, academic success and career opportunities; and inspire them to reach for new possibilities. Students and apprentices learn valuable technical and developmental skills while creating profound connections between themselves, their art and their communities.

www.creativeartworks.org 3

Ryan Bagot

Isaiah Brown Abigaile Jeudy

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Esmeralda Valle

Shay Epps Natalia Veras

Cory Danzy Esmeralda Tenezaca

Thalicity Santos

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Ryan Bagot Age: 16 Favorite aspect of this program: “Having the opportunity to experience real photography and collaborate with new people.”

Christy Rivera Age: 17 Favorite aspect of this program: “Learning how to use the camera.”

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Natalia Veras Age: 17 Favorite aspect of this program: “I like the fact we get to work with actual cameras and play with photography.”

Shay Epps Age: 19 Favorite aspect of this program: “Learning about photography, famous photographers, cameras and also working with a team.”

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Esmeralda Valle

Age:17 Favorite aspect of this program: “Being able to gain knowledge about photography and experiences of the elders. I consider myself to be someone who is all about expression and creativity. That is why I aspire to someday have my own clothing and cosmetology lines. I believe fashion and makeup are art forms.

They allow people to express themselves in a different ways.”

Thalicity Santos

Age: 17 Favorite aspect of this program: “I loved working with exposures.”

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Samantha Minaya Age: 17 Favorite aspect of this program: “Being able to learn and experience new things.

My goal is to become a successful psychologist which has been my dream career for the longest time.

It will continue to be my dream until I achieve it.”

Jasmine Carroll Age: 18 Favorite aspect of this program: “Being in the Creative Art Works program I learned how to work with camera exposures and how light changes the way a picture can come out and how to work with different camera angles. Some of the vocabulary words I learned were Shutter Speed, F-Stop, Long Exposure, Portrait, Depth, High Definition Resolution. We this camera vocabulary during the program and we had to use while shooting.”

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Isaiah Brown Age: 16 Favorite aspect of this program: “Experimenting with the cameras.”

Cory Danzy Age: 15 Favorite aspect of this program: “Coming together to create an educational project and becoming friends with people that were once strangers to me.”

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Briyana Jeudy Age: 19 Favorite aspect of this program: “Being able to collaborate with other youth members from different boroughs.”

Abigaile Jeudy Age: 15 Favorite aspect of this program: “The learning experiences and being able to test my creative boundaries.”

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Esmeralda Tenezaca

Age: 18 Favorite aspect of this program: “Being able to work in group activities, building, and defining how to understand the activities that were given.

Many of my teammates became new friends, which I am thankful for, The best part of it all was the experience of learning about the history of Randolph Houses and how much it has impacted the people living here.�

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Kenshal Lopez

Age: 19 Favorite aspect of this program: “Being able to learn more about photography and to use the camera.”

Ms. Rosa Brooks Rosa Brooks was born on February 24, 1923 in a small town in Georgia.

She attended a high school called Cook County Training School.

Rosa has six siblings and she is the second to last child...

Rosa says: “I look in the mirror and I don’t see anything special about me.”

We all disagree.

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Ms. Elizabeth Williams

Coming from a town named Blackville located in South Carolina, came a strong independent woman with lots of energy named Elizabeth Williams.... She wants everyone to come together as a community and stay together.

MS. Katherine McKinnon When she was younger, she looked up to her Aunt Liz because she wouldn’t sugarcoat anything, which is how Katherine is now...

Ms. McKinnon’s life in the country ended when her family picked up and moved to 215 111th street on 7th Avenue.

Ms. Katherine is a matured seventy year old now. She says the difference between when she was young and now, is that she feels more free. All her grandkids are older, her youngest being thirteen. All she expects from them is respect. They definitely give her respect, along with so much love and admiration.

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Ms. Robertus Coleman

She wants to make sure she’s remembered for the impact she has made....

Ms. Coleman believes there’s an area of improvement that everyone has room for in their personality and that we should all strive to be the best person we can possibly be.

Mr. Pierre Amazon Pierre Amazon was born March 19, 1942, in Haiti. He has lived on this block for 30 years. He moved here when his son was 2 and his daughter was 4. Everyone liked and respected him, and his children never got into trouble.

In their years of living here, they have had a wonderful time on the block.

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“Many of my teammates became new friends, which I am thankful for. The best part of it all was the experience of learning about the history of Randolph Houses and how much it has impacted the people living here.”

--Esmeralda Valle Creative Art Works is grateful to www.digitaltouchinc.com for providing discounted printing services and world-class customer service.

520 Eighth Avenue, Suite 201A New York, NY 10018 646.424.0392 www.creativeartworks.org Creative Art Works is a 501(c)(3), EIN #13-3638436 Copyright © 2017 Creative Art Works. All rights reserved.