Jeremy Torres

Oral History of Jessica Cruz

Jessica Cruz is a 30 year old mother of 4 kids, a 14 year old(Me), a 9 year old, an 8 year old, and a 1 year old. She is a stay at home wife.She was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico in 1978, and raised in Spanish Harlem since she cane to New York in 1982. I was in my moms house in Brooklyn. Me and my mom sat in the kitchen to talk about racism on a beautiful night. My brothers we’re upstairs playing, so it was quiet in the kitchen.

Well, racism affects everyday life for myself and others like myself because as a puertorican, I’m looked upon as a minority, I feel sometimes, it takes a little more effort to do and get things, just because of the level of racism still around now a days.

I think that there will always be some type of racism, although not as much as years ago. But racism will always exist, hopefully, I’m wrong, and people will change their point of views that racism will be stopped in the future. Who knows?

I really, never had any experiences with racism, but I must say I have felt, and I have been treated differently because of who and what my nationality is. For example, in schools, applying for different jobs, government offices, even outside my own community.

Nah, I don’t feel, that at this day and age there will be any riots. I believe that people have found other ways to express their issues other than violence.

Martin Luther King Jr, was a great man who believed in peace and equality, and now a days, I think that there should be more men and women who should, you know, follow along in his values.

Yeah, racism has always existed, just that years ago, there was more racism than now.

I never wanted to go back because of racism, I actually wanted to go back because I miss my family, my culture, you know, my beliefs.

Its stupid, we’re all the same, we just come in different colors and flavors, that’s all.

No, it was more common, I believe, especially in the 50’s and 60’s.

No, getting arrested, I don’t think is ever the solution, that’s my opinion, but, you know, what she did do, she did stand up for herself, and she did make her voice be heard. So, I applaud her for that, even though I really don’t believe getting arrested, breaking the law is the right solution.

(Proudly)No, I don’t fear racism, I am who I am, and who don’t like it, stereotype me, and whatever.

Segregation was just a way of(pause),you know, another word for racism, it was a way in which people were separated, either by their skin color, their race, and religion. I mean, segregation and racism, it’s all the same.

The End

Christopher Matos

Oral History of Noel Rodriguez

Noel Rodriguez is a 59 year old puertorican. He is a a veteran in the U.S army. He has worked as a cashyear for seven years. He also works at a local baseball clinic to help children get better. He currently lives in brooklyn. On the 23rd we sat down and spoke about segregation.

Segregation kept the poor in my community from going to school. Certain schools didnt except puertoricans or black people. Also segregation kept us from geting better Jobs because of our color not because of our Job. Some people were forced to take less paying Jobs although we had the education to work at better Jobs.

I feel very bad because segregation depride me of alot of oppurtunites. For example I wasent able to get housing in certain places and good nieghborhoods because I was puertorican.

I see segregation in the southern states people there are still living in the bad condition and are unable to get good Jobs or places to live and that deprived me of alot of oppurtunites.

Well myself for example I wanna live in a save area so my family can get a good education and a good Job.

If your able to get good housing and education you will get better Jobs.

Certain people try to put people down who believe there not equal to them or they chose to make fun of them instead of helping them.

The goverment are doing there Job but they are being to slow to enforce laws that are already in the books. Like segregation in the buses in the 60s where a black person could not ride in the front of the bus like a white person could.

In my opinion television has to many programs based on racism. For example a television show about a family living were you only see white people and there going to the good schools. When television puts a show with poor people. They always put us in a situation like comedy were the family lives in a poor neighborhood. Another example would be a show called good times was about a poor family living in the projects.

But sometimes the only way you could get your point across is when your joking and people listen to you because they think your telling a joke. For example Black comedians will tell a joke about five or six black people sleeping in the same bed telling it as a joke but actually Its something that is serious.

That is the reason I feel segregation is discrimination because your keeping people from being together and there not able to get good education or good jobs.