“So my dad said, ‘Well, you know what, I don’t have to live here.’” Edited by Nick Ladeau. Transcript for Settling in Gary My dad left, he ran away from his father, at the age of thirteen. He left Mexico and worked on a tramp steamer. A tramp steamer was a boat, I think, that […]
Code-Switching
“And so they had to negotiate both of those worlds. That’s what black people have always done.” Recorded over Zoom. Edited by Rebecca Warner. Transcript for Code-Switching The journey of my parents to South Bend, Indiana is—to me, it’s very interesting. They both went to Crispus Attucks High School in Indianapolis. They were both born […]
Watching Fires
“No other part of their humanity could be seen beyond the color of their skin.” Welcome Project at Valparaiso University · Watching Fires This interview was recorded over Zoom. Transcript for Watching Fires I grew up in Dorchester, Massachusetts. It’s right in the City of Boston. My family was the second African American—Afro-Caribbean family to […]
School Days
“I was the only Caucasian in the whole class.” Edited by Nick Ladeau. Transcript for School Days I went to Froebel School, kindergarten, in about 1948. My kindergarten class was basically all white. I had Mrs. Reising for a kindergarten teacher. And I remember that everybody had to have a rug. And at ten o’clock […]
In Thy Light, We See Light
“No light, no engagement; no light, no understanding.” Welcome Project at Valparaiso University · In Thy Light, We See Light Transcript for In Thy Light, We See Light I’ve always been the kind of person “get in where you fit in.” I was a black student leader on the campus when I got here, and […]
Eliminated by Technology
“It was really a grim reaper for jobs…sweeping away thousands at one time.” Edited by Welcome Project Intern Ella Speckhard Transcript for Eliminated by Technology First time I went in the steel mill was 1969. I came home from college to work in Christmas break. I worked at Republic Steel where my dad was. It […]
We Don’t Make Excuses
“We don’t ever want the kids to be able to say we weren’t there.” Edited by Welcome Project Intern Ella Speckhard Transcript for We Don’t Make Excuses I kind of feel like today the school is not the community resource that it used to be when I was a child. It’s more like, now, we […]
The Patch
“Anybody who was not well-connected, you go to the Patch.” Edited by Welcome Project Intern Ella Speckhard Transcript for The Patch My grandmother, my mother’s mother, was a twin. And they left Poland and they didn’t speak English. They had a note on their—pinned to their thing: Chicago. And so, they, you know, landed in […]
I’m Terrible at Being Angry
“These were fifth graders, I don’t think they really mean to be racist. They’re probably just trying to get a laugh.” Edited by Nick Ladeau. Transcript for I’m Terrible at Being Angry I don’t think they really saw me as a Middle Easterner. I mean, some people have even made mistakes, thinking me a Chinese, […]