540 24 26018 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d84e090228651be9efc7c279456114c5.pdf 4432c12379a61b6df25c4eb325890351 PDF Text Text Young Lords In Lincoln Park Interviewee: Melisa Jiménez Interviewers: José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez Location: Grand Valley State University Special Collections Date: 7/15/2012 Biography and Description Melisa Jiménez is the youngest daughter of Mr. José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez. Like his other children she was not able to grow up with Mr. Jiménez. But she has always maintained a close relationship with him, even though they live miles away from each other. Ms. Jiménez’s other siblings are Jackie, Jodie, Sonia, and Alex. Ms. Jiménez lives not far from Mrs. Iberia Hampton, Fred Hampton’s mother, and they have maintained a close personal relationship for many years. Ms. Jiménez was born in the Lincoln Park neighborhood hospital, via the use of the La Maze childbirth method. Her father reminds her that he was the first to hold her. Ms. Jiménez lived in Lincoln Park for the first years of her life until the rent became unbearable for her mother. Only a couple of months after she was born, her father was incarcerated for a year, awaiting trial because his bond was too far out of range for his income. He later explained to her that he was doing, “volunteer work, supporting the Puerto Rican Freedom fighters.” When Mr. Jiménez won the case, Ms. Jiménez was living in Logan Square and they were once again united. This time Jackie, the oldest of Mr. Jiménez’s daughters from another relationship, moved in with them briefly. Teenage Jackie had a young boyfriend who was extremely polite, but very persistent. So Jackie’s mother, frustrated, dropped her off for Mr. Jiménez “to take responsibility and to take care of her.” He gladly agreed. And It was a way for Melisa and Jackie to get to know each other. Each sibling plays a role and Ms. Jiménez has played the role of sibling unifier in a world of divorce and separations. �She graduated from Oak Park River Forest High School in 1998 and attended some college. She loves photography and is an accomplished artist. Some of her jobs have included child care, marketing research and mortgage broker sales. �Transcript JOSE JIMENEZ: [00:00:00] Okay, we were talking about the substance abuse and the neighborhoods being filled with drugs and all that as part of sociology. MELISA JIMENEZ: It’s my personal opinion that that is why my generation lost fathers in the household because you have soldiers who came back traumatized from war. Whether they’re physically okay or not, they were not able to be part of the family the way that families were used to having the man of the house. You have people who were very hard-working who became a part of the Civil Rights Movement and were extremely passionate and had their souls crushed, watching everything around them be destroyed. You know, the movement starts with this anger and it turns into this excitement and this purpose, and then you watch people who [00:01:00] finally understand you be destroyed and killed or discredited. JJ: And so people were talking about that among that group of people, your family, that you call the extended family? Around Angie and -- MJ: I still feel -- and I wasn’t even born then -- I feel it as if it was part of my history, part of a memory I’ve had, and it’s the feeling of it. It’s not the times and dates and, oh, so-and-so did this. It’s something that still affects my generation. I’m getting older now so it may not affect the people who are a little bit younger than me, but it crushes your spirit to think that you can finally have a voice that’s the American dream. Everybody has the right to their own freedom of speech and freedom of opinion, and if you do, you might be destroyed by it. You know, that’s 1 �not really freedom. That’s a trap. And to be able to believe in something [00:02:00] and then have it torn apart is not something that affects one person. It affects everybody. Everybody feels it. JJ: What do you mean, torn apart? Do you believe in something that is torn apart? What do you mean? MJ: To have people, you know, like Malcolm X or Martin Luther King or Fred Hampton or the Reverend -- JJ: Bruce Johnson? MJ: -- Bruce Johnson. People who love their people, but not because it’s a cause. Because they really love people, and they have felt this and they’ve lived through it and they’re finding a way to talk to other people -- JJ: Now, you’re only reading about these people, right? MJ: I’m not reading about just these people. I’m knowing the people that they affected. I grew up with the people that they affected. I just happened to be born in the middle of this, and everybody I know was personally touched, knew these people individually, and -- JJ: I mean, did you know anybody that knew Fred Hampton? MJ: I do. I mean, [00:03:00] you worked with Fred Hampton. You know, you as ChaCha Jiménez, then Fred Hampton created along with the Brown Berets the Rainbow Coalition. JJ: Along with the Young Patriots. MJ: The Young Patriots. JJ: Yeah. That’s all right. 2 �MJ: I know them as -- JJ: Okay, no, no, the Brown Berets were on it too. MJ: I mean, and later in my life, my mother, after she retired, she still did community work but she does it with children. You know, she doesn’t do it -- JJ: Didn’t you know Fred Hampton’s mother? MJ: Yes, that’s what I’m saying. She was doing community events with the children, my mother was, and at a community event, she happened to bump into this other woman and they had a great conversation and that was it. They were at different community events and they kept bumping into each other and they became friends. JJ: Which other woman? MJ: Just because of who they are, how they are a part of the community, they just got along. Their personalities matched. And it wasn’t until months after that that she found out that was Fred Hampton’s mother, and Mrs. Hampton found out that my mother [00:04:00] used to be involved with you, or married to you. So these two women had already developed a friendship without knowing their connection to the movement because it is a neighborhood thing. It’s just a neighborhood feeling. It’s who you are as a person, to take care of each other, that they were involved in activities that was taking care of the whole community and they kept bumping into each other and they really got along and they really started spending time together. They didn’t pass each other’s resumes to each other. They’re just normal women who have loved through this and lost through this and they had a lot in common. 3 �JJ: So what did she say Fred Hampton’s mother was doing? Iberia Hampton. MJ: Iberia Hampton, Mrs. Hampton, she’s been in a number -- her other son, Bill Hampton, is very involved in the community and he works a lot with the children. He sets up incredibly programs with the children and he runs -- JJ: Back in Oak Park? MJ: In Maywood and he [00:05:00] does a lot of work in the city and he runs the Fred Hampton Legal Scholarship Fund to help students become lawyers. But he I think put together a lot of the different events, and because he found out through other parents about my mom and different things she was doing, he came to where she was working at the time and invited her to come to some of these events and she thought that was really nice. She thought some of the kids’ parents invited her. She really didn’t know. And it was months later that they figured out together, we’ve pretty much been running in the same circles all these years, and they’re very good friends. They feel more like family. JJ: So did Fred Hampton’s mother know about the Young Lords? MJ: Oh, sure. I think she’s met you a couple times. We didn’t all know each other at the same time. I wasn’t born yet, but you know, my mother and you and Mrs. Hampton [00:06:00] all had different time periods that you were connected to each other, and it just so happened that even years later, without being an activist or protesting, but just doing things for the kids in the neighborhood, that they were brought together and met each other as two people, normal people. JJ: And so how long as their relationship existed? 4 �MJ: Between my mother and Mrs. Hampton, they’ve been friends for now, like, seven or eight years. JJ: Seven or eight years? MJ: Yeah. JJ: So have you gone there yourself? MJ: I have. I haven’t been there lately and I’m probably in trouble for it, but I need to call her pretty much today. (laughs) I’m a little late. But yeah, no, she actually, my mother and she just talked to each other two days ago. JJ: So you’re consistent. MJ: Yeah, they’re friends. They are good friends. She’s a wonderful person. Her husband was a wonderful [00:07:00] person. He passed away. JJ: What’s his name? MJ: I don’t call them by their first names. I call them Mr. and Mrs. Hampton. But he passed away. JJ: (inaudible). MJ: I went to his funeral. It was sad but they both have beautiful, beautiful spirits. JJ: Did you go to his funeral? Okay. MJ: Yeah. I don’t like people saying funerals are beautiful because it seems painful, but he had a beautiful funeral and it was sad to say goodbye to him, to his spirit. JJ: So how is Mrs. Hampton? How is she? What type of person? MJ: She’s very funny. She can be very quiet but she knows exactly what’s going on and she’s just letting other people do their thing. She allows other people to 5 �express themselves, but she does not miss a second of it. She’s very, very quick and very funny and very loving. [00:08:00] Super sweet. JJ: Okay. Well, what do you mean, she lets them speak? MJ: Well, you know, you almost think that she’s not paying any attention and she’s in the other room doing her own thing and she is not missing a beat. She is on it. Someone says something and she gets excited about it. She’s been paying attention the whole time and she’ll tell you exactly what she feels and it’s obvious she’s been paying attention the entire conversation, not just that minute. Very, very smart. JJ: But you said Ginger called her a couple days ago? MJ: Well, she missed her call. She called back, returned a phone call. No, Bill Hampton’s birthday was last week and they just threw him a surprise party. Then there was a different event this week. It was fun stuff. JJ: So you visit also to the house or just call? MJ: I mean, I [00:09:00] did. I haven’t lately because I’ve been busy working, but I’ve missed seeing a lot of people. (laughs) Don’t be mad at me. JJ: No, no, I’m not mad. I was happy to find out that you knew her, Mrs. Hampton. MJ: Oh, yeah. But it was a complete coincidence, if you believe in them. You know, a lot of people don’t believe in coincidences. But it was very special. I think they were meant to be friends. They just had never met before. They have a good friendship. JJ: And each accepts each other without hesitation or whatever? 6 �MJ: Oh, no, as if they’ve known each other forever, almost sisters. They’re very natural and honest with each other. JJ: ’Cause I know your mother’s a little religious. But she doesn’t call it religion. MJ: No, she’s a spiritual person too. She was raised Catholic. But she’s very spiritual. JJ: And is Mrs. Hampton the same way or similar? MJ: Mrs. Hampton, I know she believes. [00:10:00] They talk about God all the time. They talk about life. They talk about love and pain and they’re just girlfriends. They’re just not teenagers, but you know, it’s like they’re teenagers when they’re around each other. They’re just friends. They have a good relationship. JJ: Okay, so their connection is not just Young Lords or Panthers. MJ: No. It’s more surviving that, losing someone you love -- JJ: Surviving that? MJ: In the movement. You know, there are real people involved in this. This is not just about political heads or people with motives. There are real families that survive it. They lose people or -- I don’t know the word for that. It’s not a negotiation that they get to participate in, but they have to feel all of. You know, Mrs. Hampton lost her son. That’s not [00:11:00] a public thing for her. That’s real personal. Being the wife of someone involved in this and the mother of their child, watching someone’s child -- not legally married, but in our family when you are in a committed relationship, you are basically each other’s husband and wife. You’re each other’s partner. But having a child with that person and watching your child, you know, grow up and have different questions and having to figure 7 �out -- you know, you have your own memories of living through it and then you have to figure out how to help your child get through something normal that they can’t have. You know, these are not things that are part-time and they don’t last for a certain month that there’s a campaign or a certain year that there’s a campaign. This is the everyday forever and the rest of our lives, living through. [00:12:00] It becomes a part of you. It’s something that you grow from. It becomes something you make it through. JJ: What do you know of the death of Fred Hampton? What do you know about that? What happened? MJ: I don’t really know it through newspapers and media. I know it through family stories, like it was someone close to our family, this happened to them. And I know it as -- JJ: Family stories. Who told you? MJ: Both my mother and my father. JJ: Oh. MJ: But my mother had an incredible amount of respect for Fred Hampton. She knew him before she ever met you. She went to school. He spoke at the school she went to several times. JJ: At Roosevelt. MJ: At Roosevelt. JJ: He spoke a lot at Roosevelt, yeah. MJ: And she had a tremendous amount of respect for him. [00:13:00] He was incredibly intelligent and he was in no way violent. He was in no way -- 8 �JJ: Well, he spoke of armed struggle and revolution. MJ: He did speak of those things, but he was more about education and sharing education with other people and not just seeing whose back he can climb up to get there himself, but for everybody to rise up, for everybody to be able to elevate to a new level together. He wanted to be a lawyer. He didn’t wanna be a gangster. He wasn’t a gangster. He wanted to teach everybody around. He wanted everybody to want to learn. He loved learning. He was very respectful. He didn’t come from the street life. He came from the country life. He came from a family life. You know, you came from a family life. You came from a religious home. You’re not people that were out there hustling, trying [00:14:00] to get over and see how much you could get. There’s such a different mentality now of “Screw the person next to me. Whatever I can get. We have to worry about us. We can’t think of anybody else.” And that’s not what either one of you came from or spread. That wasn’t your message. There was no agenda of personal propriety. But no, he was an intellect who wanted to share that wealth. That was the wealth that he wanted to share with other people and that’s what I mean about not violent. You know, he wasn’t out there trying to be the hardest thug on the corner. He was out there trying to spread this information, this knowledge, and that was a very scary threat to government, I guess, to certain government. There’s different [00:15:00] levels of government. There’s city government, state government, national government. And he was murdered for it because he was too loud. He was talking too loud. Too many people were able to hear his message and I believe they, in terms of government -- the government in that 9 �time period. I’m not saying all government. I’m saying that particular regime of government -- did not want people to stay thinking. They didn’t want them to start noticing how things could be different or better or that everybody had a voice. They wanted to have the voice that everybody followed and he was talking too loud for them. So, I mean, in my own words, they assassinated him and that’s still a very special word, a very big word. They killed this man who was about education and fairness, who everybody could relate to and [00:16:00] looked up to, that they maybe could be like that too. “Wow, we could do something for ourselves instead of everything being the same and out of our hands. We could have some sort of power ourselves and be responsible and active ourselves.” That was the opposite of what this particular government regime was interested in and they killed this man. It’s very personal. Assassination is just a big word. That’s a personal thing. They took this man from people ’cause they didn’t agree with him. JJ: Was there any other, like, repression that you were familiar with at that time? Like, even the Young Lords or the Panthers? You know what I mean by repression, right? MJ: I’m not sure what you- JJ: Like trying to stop the movement, trying to repress it, trying to stop it. MJ: I think they were -- JJ: [00:17:00] Were there any, you know, plans to try to do that? Or did they do that? MJ: I think there were just a few moments at the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement where -- 10 �JJ: I mean, that you experienced, I mean. MJ: That I experienced? I was born after the movement was disembodied. JJ: Let me ask you this. When did you first hear about the Young Lords? MJ: I’m sure I heard about it from being four years old or younger, being in the house and hearing about it all the time. But the first time I was aware of it was probably after I asked my mom why we didn’t have any family. It was just the two of us. And part of her telling stories about my family, she also was telling stories about the Young Lords. So I learned at the same time. So from about seven, eight, nine [00:18:00] years old, that’s when I started hearing about the Young Lords. JJ: So how did you feel about that? I mean, you know, what did you hear and how did you feel about it? MJ: I was so proud. I was so tiny and so empowered. (laughs) This itty-bitty little eight-year-old walking around like, “Wow,” you know? This is pretty amazing. First of all, it was very sad to know that people were treated horribly. It was heartbreaking to know that people were not all treated with the same amount of respect, and how could you look at somebody struggling this way and not go and help them? You don’t teach your kids to be mean like that. You teach your kids to be polite and to help people out. So a child is full of kindness and caring for the person in front of them, and to hear that there is people in the [00:19:00] world that are being treated horribly, disrespected constantly, and being not treated as an equal but treated, like, dismissive -- JJ: Who was not being treated as an equal? MJ: Well, I was taught about the whole Civil Rights Movement. 11 �JJ: Okay, it was the Civil Rights Movement and then it was, like, our movement there afterwards, the Panthers and the Young Lords. MJ: But I was taught about the whole history of it. Why was there ever Young Lords or Black Panthers? It’s because of the Civil Rights Movement. Why was there ever a Civil Rights Movement? Because of all this history of pent-up aggression building and building until it bursts. This oppression is overwhelming until there’s got to be a crack in it at some point. I was [layered?] in history, talked about all of it. JJ: Well, who was [the narrator?]? Your mom? MJ: Well, she did teach me about it. She was the first introduction to it because [00:20:00] at eight years old, you’re in second grade. You know, I’m talking about watching movies on TV and not understanding what’s going on and she’s like, “Well, this is related to this part of the country,” or “This part of history.” She was very topical with it, very objective. You know, she would only answer the question I asked. She wouldn’t paint a whole picture for me. It was like, “I don’t understand what that sentence is, Mom. What did she mean?” Or “What did he mean?” And it’s like, “Oh, well, why don’t you go get the encyclopedia? In the 1800s, this is what they used to do.” So it would start a conversation and in second grade, you’re not talking about history. You’re talking about addition and cursive and spelling tests. So we just started those conversations. But that’s how it is all connected and that’s how I was introduced to the Young Lords. It started a doorway of, “Well, why would that happen?” “Because this was happening.” “Well, why did that happen?” “And this bigger thing was 12 �happening.” And so [00:21:00] I don’t remember the original question you asked me, but how I heard about the Young Lords was around seven or eight years old. There was a layering to it. There is something that happened to create this situation, these circumstances that Young Lords was born from, why it was happening. There was a lot going on. JJ: And you said you felt some pride in that? MJ: I was very proud. Once I understood that people would ever be treated that way, then it was like, well, somebody has to do something about it. That’s just the natural thing. When you get in trouble in school, it’s like somebody’s responsible. Aren’t you going to tell the teacher to help? You don’t just let somebody sit there and bleed, you know? Somebody has to help. Somebody has to do something. And so even as a child, you have the mentality of, “Well, what happened next? Didn’t somebody do anything?” And it was like, “Well, yes. In our area, you know, people in this area were the ones that were bleeding and [00:22:00] they got tired of watching their parents bleed and they would be hurt, be stifled by all their efforts. They’re trying just to make a home for their family and everything they’re doing keeps being undone or undercut and their children got tired of watching it. They got tired of being pushed around and watching their parents being knocked over and they stood up and spoke back and said, we have rights and we deserve respect and this is what we need and you cannot ignore our voices.” And in this area, that was the Young Lords. That was happening all over the country, but the thing that is so significant about the Young Lords is it didn’t start as an organized program or an organization. It started as a street 13 �gang and it is still to this point in history the only street gang that turned into a political organization. It did not manhandle its way into papers [00:23:00] and thug out the neighborhood or steal from people. It was for the people and it didn’t start off in a classroom. It started in the streets, protecting their own homes, and what I’m aware of, that’s the only group that has started out as a street gang and become a political organization. JJ: So protecting their own homes, was that an issue that they were, you know, attacking? MJ: I mean, from what I’m told. JJ: Yeah, from your understanding. MJ: From what I understand. JJ: Well, what were the main issues? MJ: People were getting -- JJ: It had to do with Puerto Ricans ’cause it had to do with Puerto Rico. MJ: Well, that whole area was mainly -- even though there were different ethnic backgrounds, it was mainly Puerto Rican at the time. That was the Puerto Rican neighborhood of the city and it happened to be lakefront property as well and it was more valuable monetarily to people [00:24:00] in power at that time, whether it was corporate or government. And so they were coming in and telling people, “It’s time to move.” JJ: They were telling people to move? MJ: They were raising people’s rents from 80 dollars to 400 in a month or 120 dollars to 800 dollars the next month. Well, you can’t pay? You gotta go. This is how I 14 �was told. As I was told, there were times as well that people were being manhandled directly out of their homes. Someone would just come in and kick all of their things out onto the ground and say, “You don’t live here anymore. Go. You guys can move over.” JJ: [The share?], basically, [’cause it was the candles?] (inaudible). MJ: But that’s gotta be quite an experience to know you’re doing everything you can to pay your bills and you’re paying them and you come home from work one day and someone just told you, “You moved today, in case you didn’t know.” [00:25:00] And you can’t do anything about it. There’s nobody to go to. JJ: But even while you were growing up, you’re saying the neighborhood was still changing, no? MJ: When I was growing up? JJ: Yeah. Or you didn’t notice? I mean, you weren’t living there anymore, but I mean, you went back there ’cause the neighborhood is completely changed, right? MJ: It has completely changed. They kept the shape of it, but they changed everything in between. I guess when I was growing up, it did change. It was much more human before. You could just walk down the street and know somebody and everybody was happy to just wave and say hello, and now it’s just a tourist spot and the people who live there are not very welcoming. (laughs) But mostly it’s a tourist area. And [00:26:00] no, before it was, like, going to visit your cousin’s house. JJ: So do you remember before? 15 �MJ: Yeah. JJ: Okay. MJ: You knew everybody on the block and you just got off the bus or came off the train, and walking to the person’s house you’re going to, you see five different people you know. You stop and you have a conversation, like a neighborhood. Like home. And you don’t know anybody there now. They don’t do that with each other. JJ: Okay. So that made you feel proud in everything. You had some proud moments. What about some painful moments when they talked about the Young Lords? With you, since your father was involved in it. Did you ever have any painful moments? MJ: Painful moments, I think that we all did. JJ: Did anybody talk [00:27:00] negative about the Young Lords? MJ: Sure. I mean, I have bumped into people and I tend not to introduce myself first if I’m in an area where people still talk about the Young Lords, not because I’m not proud, because I’d rather get an honest reaction to what they think. I am always absorbing information and I love to get a lot of different perspectives and I don’t take it personal because that was their experience, so I wanna hear it. JJ: What are some of the negative things that you heard? MJ: (laughs) I remember walking into a building once and I was with someone who could not wait to introduce me and I was like, “Shh. Just say hello. Give this person a chance to get up in their chair.” And this person was very polite and shook my hand and I said, “I’m Melisa,” and he told me his name. And the 16 �person I was with said, “Oh, do you remember that guy? You know the Young Lords. Do you remember that guy, Cha-Cha?” “Oh my God, that thug. He used to --” [00:28:00] I mean, I was laughing ’cause he’s sitting there, he’s like, “He used to just make so much trouble around here. He was such a headache and I can’t believe --” And I guess the person I was with gave him a look because all the sudden, he stopped talking and he looked at me, and then I was introduced as Cha-Cha’s daughter and he just went completely pale and he was like, “I’m so sorry.” I said, “Why would you be? Maybe he was mean to you. (laughs) Maybe you guys didn’t like each other. That’s your experience and I’m not taking anything away from that.” And he was like, “No, but I’m so sorry,” and I said, “That was your experience. That’s your history. But I happen to like the guy so I’m okay with it. So don’t worry about it.” And he just couldn’t catch his breath for a long time. I felt bad. But I don’t introduce myself first, and it’s not to set anybody up. I just wanna know what they really think, what their real memories were. I wasn’t older at that time period, so I like to know what people went through. JJ: Actually there’s a similar experience that my mother [00:29:00] had with somebody from the church. So you know, that’s kind of a pretty good -- because it was like 50-50 real controversial. MJ: It wasn’t controversial. I’ve bumped into people that just said, like, I was royalty, like you were royalty, and “Oh my God, you’re his daughter.” And that experience is much more common than the other. But, like, I didn’t do anything. You know, I’m glad that you had a positive experience. And they’re like, “No, no, this was so 17 �important. He did this and he did this.” I’ve had people treat me wonderfully because of how much it meant to them and I’ve had people be very nasty because they don’t agree with the politics and I personally -JJ: I know you’re joking but it must hurt. MJ: No, it doesn’t hurt because I like to see how people think. I like to see through other people’s eyes. JJ: That’s now, but when you were growing up. MJ: No. JJ: [00:30:00] Never? MJ: Because I was a child and there was more of a filter on them. I was prepared for it, but they had more of a filter because they were looking at a child, and I mean, you shouldn’t attack a child. But when they were honest about what they said, I appreciated it. I want to know all of the story. I don’t wanna know just the things I like or I agree with. And I need to understand. That’s how I’ve learned about it, by being open about it and not expecting someone to agree with something that I think. That’s not gonna work. JJ: I’m gonna kind of wrap it up a little bit, but I just wanted to -- MJ: Am I a talker? (laughs) JJ: No, no, no. No, I was just trying to -- MJ: I am, it’s all right. JJ: -- just because of the schedule. MJ: Okay. No, I have had painful moments, though. JJ: You had painful moments? 18 �MJ: I didn’t lose my father like Angie’s kids did or like Fred Hampton [00:31:00] Junior did, but I still lost my father, having a father in my home. My brothers and sisters still lost having a father while they were growing up. And we’ve had the opportunity to still get to know you, which they didn’t, but we still lost the possession of, “That’s my dad. He just belongs to me and everybody else doesn’t get a piece of him. He’s just ours.” We didn’t get that opportunity. And maybe that had something to do with it. When my mother and I left when I was four and a half during the height of your substance abuse, very shortly after, you disappeared. [00:32:00] You were just gone and nobody knew where you were and I think some people even blamed my mom. Like, if you hadn’t left him, he wouldn’t have just disappeared, you know? What did you do? Nobody can find him. No one even knows where he is. And that went on for a little while, and then a couple years passed and then -- JJ: So that went on for a few years. MJ: It went on for a little while. JJ: Like, five years, something like that. MJ: A little while. A couple years later, people started trying to prepare themselves that you just were never coming back, and so they started saying, you know, “I don’t wanna say the thing that you’re not supposed to say, but I think he’s dead.” And they would try not to say it around me but I heard them talking about it and I knew it wasn’t true. And more time passed. Then it finally got to being five years, you were gone and nobody knew where you were. Everybody [00:33:00] had accepted that you were just dead. 19 �JJ: You’re talking about family members? MJ: Family members were at the point -- five years after my mother and I left, five years almost to the day, everybody for at least the last six months had been trying to figure out how do we tell Melisa that her father is dead? Because she walks around here like -- she’s just so happy and she’s gonna talk to him one day, and we have to figure out how to tell her. And they were whispering about it over and over and I know that I went up to them one day. I was nine years old at the time. And I put my hand on Angie’s hand and I put my other hand on my mom’s hand and I said, “Don’t worry, he’s not dead. I know he’s not dead. You guys don’t have to worry about how to talk to me about it.” And they just couldn’t believe that I even knew what they were talking about, but I seriously said, “I can [00:34:00] feel him. I know he’s okay. He’s just not ready to be with us right now. But don’t worry.” And Angie seriously was like -- they never talked about it again, and within a month -- I’m gonna tell you -- that particular month I prayed for two things, and never in my life, I have never prayed to ask for something back. I pray to thank God for things. I don’t pray to ask for things in return. But that month, I prayed for two things, and one of them was just for my dad to let everybody know he was okay. Even if he’s not ready to come back, can you just please -- they’re starting to really worry. Can you just let him know or have him let everybody know that he’s okay? And then I prayed for something else. And that particular month, not even a week later, my mom got a call from Angie and said, “You will not believe. He’s alive. He’s gonna be here on Friday. He wanted to know if you would bring Melisa because he really wants to see her.” 20 �[00:35:00] And they just couldn’t believe. And I told my mom, I said, “I’m not supposed to tell you what I talked to God about because that’s between us, but I knew he was going to --” And maybe that sounds mystical and spooky or whatever, but those are the only two things in my life that I ever asked for, and that month, they both came true. Not that I’m saying I had any effect on that, but I’m saying the timeframe, when I was four and a half and we left you, soon after, you left, and the whole family went through an experience where they grieved your loss. They really believed you were gone. Everybody was certain of it because by that point, five years had passed. They tried for years to just deal with the fact that you were probably underground or something or maybe just doing drugs and not in a good place. And they finally got to the point where they accepted that you were gone and they really went through a hard time trying to figure out how to tell your kids that we would never see you again. But [00:36:00] your mother -- my grandmother -- and I knew that you were alive because we both could feel you and we talked about it. Everybody else was really broken, trying to figure out how to help us deal with it ’cause they thought we were in denial. And lo and behold, you showed up in Chicago (laughs) within the same month and you were okay and you had changed your life in a big way and you were in a good place. And everybody was just shocked. They really thought you were gone. And that was not an easy time. It was sad. But I knew that you were okay. I just knew that I didn’t know when I would ever talk to you again. I didn’t know. At that time, I had no picture of your face in my mind. I just remembered loving you and you loving me. But I could not remember your face. And then 21 �everybody around me is so sad, thinking you’re gone. That was hard to watch everybody I loved so sad. JJ: So do you remember where -- MJ: [00:37:00] I don’t remember when you left the city but I know that you moved to Michigan. By the time you came back, you were living in Michigan and you came back just to see us. JJ: Right. I was trying to get myself together. MJ: You did. You did a very good job. JJ: I was going a little downhill by that time and I didn’t have the [will?] or money or anything like that (inaudible). And my perfectionism, I had to make sure everything’s perfect. MJ: You are, and I missed a lot of times spending time with you because you were afraid you didn’t have anything to give me and I didn’t want anything but you. And that took a few years for you to accept that. JJ: I keep that in mind now. MJ: All right, good. (laughter) That’s good. You don’t need to give me anything. No. But we missed more time later. JJ: What did you want? What did you want to tell your father? What was the most important thing that you wanted people to know? Not just [00:38:00] your father. Maybe the world or -- about you. MJ: About me? That’s a loaded question. You have layers to that. 22 �JJ: Okay, (inaudible). I mean, what’s the main thing that you want people to know about you? This is an oral history (inaudible) but I [shouldn’t be so formal?] after what you just said. MJ: (laughter) No. I don’t know that there’s anything I need the world to know about me. JJ: Or me, maybe I don’t -- ’cause I was underground. I’m just trying to go with [that?]. MJ: I think people don’t know that you are hilarious unless they know you. They don’t know that you’re hilarious. You have an incredible sense of humor and you are always cracking jokes at moments that everybody thinks you’re gonna be serious, just come out of nowhere and everybody’s cracking up because it’s a surprise. JJ: But I was talking about you. MJ: [00:39:00] I know. JJ: Okay. MJ: I’m just saying I don’t think anybody knows -- and I’m not sure if you’re ready for anybody to know -- that you’re very sensitive. JJ: What do you mean? MJ: (laughs) You’re very sensitive. You’re very loving. You love your children very much. You may not always know how to share that with them or they don’t know how to receive it from you, but I don’t think there’s a way to measure how much we mean to you, and it’s obvious. It’s just there’s other things that go with it, other emotions that go with it. But you are very sensitive and things hit you. 23 �People are a little rough with you. People are used to you being hardcore and determined and focused, and you’re human. You’re very caring. About me? I don’t really think that -- [00:40:00] maybe we have not discussed fully, you know, all of my opinions. We don’t need to have all my opinions. But all the things we have talked about, I’m very passionate about. They mean a lot to me. They’re the majority of the rest of what makes up me. You know, my mother and father and the rest of my family are the core of me and all of the things we talked about are very much the rest of me. They mean a lot to me. It seems real basic and yet it’s lost on our culture now to treat people with care and respect and look out for each other, not to cover for each other when you’re doing something you shouldn’t be doing. Look out that you are all doing well, that you are healthy, that your needs are met, that you’re not alone in this world, that we’re each other’s, you know, keeper. It’s real simple. It’s in all the religions. [00:41:00] It’s not one religious belief. It’s how you treat each other, and I don’t think that any of these issues would be real if we had that, if that was happening, if people were treating each other equally or respectfully. There may never have been a Civil Rights Movement. What would we talk about? I don’t know. JJ: So you feel like the Young Lords were like a civil rights movement. MJ: Yeah. JJ: ’Cause some people don’t look at -- I mean, like when we were talking about, they still think it’s a gang or whatever. MJ: You’re taking care of basic needs. JJ: To you, why do you look at it like a civil rights movement or a movement? 24 �MJ: What I know of what they actually accomplished, what they were involved in, what people were participating in, it’s taking care of basic needs in an entire community that should have been leveled. Everybody [00:42:00] everywhere should have these basic things. You should be able to have clean water and food to eat and healthcare and education and immunizations, and civil rights is the basic line of saying we all have these basic human rights and they’re fair for everybody, and if somebody slips, we just have to remind them, “No, no, no, you might have crossed the line with somebody. Come back. This is where your mistake was made.” But it’s for everybody. They’re real simple. It’s not complicated. It’s not like trigonometry or something. It’s real basic human needs and rights and respect, and when people slip up, they get so lost in their personal greed and hunger for power, they are willing to destroy anything in their path, and sometimes it’s entire cultures. And [00:43:00] that’s not acceptable. Everybody should be enraged by that or at least passionate enough to say something. It should matter. It’s real simple. I don’t know how else to -- JJ: That’s good. I know that your father was attacking Mayor Daley a lot because of the displacement of the Puerto Rican community and he was Irish and you have a little Irish -- MJ: I’m half-Irish, yes. JJ: You’re half-Irish. How did you feel about that? You know, we’re attacking -- MJ: I don’t take it as a cultural attack. I take it as two men who have very clear opinions and they do not agree with each other. (laughter) Point blank. And 25 �they’re in different positions and they both speak until they’re heard. Both of them. So there’s different repercussions to that, though. JJ: And it’s never about the Irish. It’s about -- MJ: [00:44:00] No, I never -- JJ: -- the policy. MJ: I don’t think that has anything to do with that, no. JJ: Because I’m just joking. It’s about the wrong policies of the mayor. I never had an attack personally on him. But it’s an attack on his policies, basically. We just felt they were corrupt and incorrect and we didn’t agree with that. Any final thoughts? Any final thoughts? MJ: Educate yourselves. (laughs) Don’t take somebody’s word for it because you’ve known them for a long time or because they’re someplace in the world that you wish you could be. Educate yourself. You know, if you hear something that’s different from anything you’ve ever heard before, look around. Get different perspectives. Don’t just open a textbook because they all come from the same publishing company. Read different sources. Talk to different people and be open to different perceptions. Everybody has a different place they’re standing from. They [00:45:00] get a different view of what’s happening even in the same moment. So learn. Just learn. That’s real important. Otherwise you’re gonna let somebody else decide your destiny. JJ: Thank you. END OF VIDEO FILE 26 �27 � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/1cd08aeb94045f6ef044cfd8712af775.mp4 bff0c6395edef45230efab1f9ce9e558 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Young Lords in Lincoln Park Collection Subject The topic of the resource Young Lords (Organization) Puerto Ricans--United States Civil Rights--United States--History Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Personal narratives Social justice Community activists--Illinois--Chicago Description An account of the resource Collection of oral history interviews and digitized materials documenting the history of the Young Lords Organization in Lincoln Park, Chicago. Interviews were conducted by Young Lords' founder, José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez, and documents were digitized from Mr. Jiménez' archives. The Young Lords in Lincoln Park collection grows out of the ongoing struggle for fair housing, self-determination, and human rights that was launched by Mr. José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez, founder of the Young Lords Movement. This project is dedicated to documenting the history of the displacement of Puerto Ricans, Mejicanos, other Latinos, and the poor from Lincoln Park, as well as the history of the Young Lords nationwide. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Jiménez, José, 1948- Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/491">Young Lords in Lincoln Park collection (RHC-65)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-25 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng spa Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-65 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 2012-2017 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Título Spanish language Title entry Melisa Jiménez vídeo entrevista y biografía, entrevista 1 Sujetos Spanish language Subject terms Young Lords (Organización) Puertorriqueños--Estados Unidos Derechos civiles--Estados Unidos--Historia Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Puertorriqueños--Relatos personales Justicia social Activistas comunitarios--Illinois--Chicago Source <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/491">Young Lords in Lincoln Park (RHC-65)</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-65_Jimenez_Melisa_1 Title A name given to the resource Melisa Jiménez video interview and transcript, interview 1 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Jiménez, Melisa Description An account of the resource Melisa Jiménez is the youngest daughter of Mr. José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez. Like his other children she was not able to grow up with Mr. Jiménez. But she has always maintained a close relationship with him, even though they live miles away from each other. Ms. Jiménez’s other siblings are Jackie, Jodie, Sonia, and Alex. Ms. Jiménez lives not far from Mrs. Iberia Hampton, Fred Hampton’s mother, and they have maintained a close personal relationship for many years. Ms. Jiménez was born in the Lincoln Park neighborhood hospital, via the use of the La Maze childbirth method. Her father reminds her that he was the first to hold her. Ms. Jiménez lived in Lincoln Park for the first years of her life until the rent became unbearable for her mother. Only a couple of months after she was born, her father was incarcerated for a year, awaiting trial because his bond was too far out of range for his income. He later explained to her that he was doing, “volunteer work, supporting the Puerto Rican Freedom fighters.” When Mr. Jiménez won the case, Ms. Jiménez was living in Logan Square and they were once again united. This time Jackie, the oldest of Mr. Jiménez’s daughters from another relationship, moved in with them briefly. Teenage Jackie had a young boyfriend who was extremely polite, but very persistent. So Jackie’s mother, frustrated, dropped her off for Mr. Jiménez “to take responsibility and to take care of her.” He gladly agreed. And It was a way for Melisa and Jackie to get to know each other. Each sibling plays a role and Ms. Jiménez has played the role of sibling unifier in a world of divorce and separations. She graduated from Oak Park River Forest High School in 1998 and attended some college. She loves photography and is an accomplished artist. Some of her jobs have included child care, marketing research and mortgage broker sales. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jiménez, José, 1948- Subject The topic of the resource Young Lords (Organization) Puerto Ricans--United States Civil Rights--United States--History Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Personal narratives Social justice Community activists--Illinois--Chicago Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2012-07-15 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/446554776fc9ec5d991921873cb28c80.pdf 31bed162ba5db06c903c3326fe5530f7 PDF Text Text Young Lords In Lincoln Park Interviewee: Melisa Jiménez Interviewers: José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez Location: Grand Valley State University Special Collections Date: 7/15/2012 Biography and Description Melisa Jiménez is the youngest daughter of Mr. José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez. Like his other children she was not able to grow up with Mr. Jiménez. But she has always maintained a close relationship with him, even though they live miles away from each other. Ms. Jiménez’s other siblings are Jackie, Jodie, Sonia, and Alex. Ms. Jiménez lives not far from Mrs. Iberia Hampton, Fred Hampton’s mother, and they have maintained a close personal relationship for many years. Ms. Jiménez was born in the Lincoln Park neighborhood hospital, via the use of the La Maze childbirth method. Her father reminds her that he was the first to hold her. Ms. Jiménez lived in Lincoln Park for the first years of her life until the rent became unbearable for her mother. Only a couple of months after she was born, her father was incarcerated for a year, awaiting trial because his bond was too far out of range for his income. He later explained to her that he was doing, “volunteer work, supporting the Puerto Rican Freedom fighters.” When Mr. Jiménez won the case, Ms. Jiménez was living in Logan Square and they were once again united. This time Jackie, the oldest of Mr. Jiménez’s daughters from another relationship, moved in with them briefly. Teenage Jackie had a young boyfriend who was extremely polite, but very persistent. So Jackie’s mother, frustrated, dropped her off for Mr. Jiménez “to take responsibility and to take care of her.” He gladly agreed. And It was a way for Melisa and Jackie to get to know each other. Each sibling plays a role and Ms. Jiménez has played the role of sibling unifier in a world of divorce and separations. �She graduated from Oak Park River Forest High School in 1998 and attended some college. She loves photography and is an accomplished artist. Some of her jobs have included child care, marketing research and mortgage broker sales. �Transcript JOSE JIMENEZ: [00:00:00] Okay, we were talking about the substance abuse and the neighborhoods being filled with drugs and all that as part of sociology. MELISA JIMENEZ: It’s my personal opinion that that is why my generation lost fathers in the household because you have soldiers who came back traumatized from war. Whether they’re physically okay or not, they were not able to be part of the family the way that families were used to having the man of the house. You have people who were very hard-working who became a part of the Civil Rights Movement and were extremely passionate and had their souls crushed, watching everything around them be destroyed. You know, the movement starts with this anger and it turns into this excitement and this purpose, and then you watch people who [00:01:00] finally understand you be destroyed and killed or discredited. JJ: And so people were talking about that among that group of people, your family, that you call the extended family? Around Angie and -- MJ: I still feel -- and I wasn’t even born then -- I feel it as if it was part of my history, part of a memory I’ve had, and it’s the feeling of it. It’s not the times and dates and, oh, so-and-so did this. It’s something that still affects my generation. I’m getting older now so it may not affect the people who are a little bit younger than me, but it crushes your spirit to think that you can finally have a voice that’s the American dream. Everybody has the right to their own freedom of speech and freedom of opinion, and if you do, you might be destroyed by it. You know, that’s 1 �not really freedom. That’s a trap. And to be able to believe in something [00:02:00] and then have it torn apart is not something that affects one person. It affects everybody. Everybody feels it. JJ: What do you mean, torn apart? Do you believe in something that is torn apart? What do you mean? MJ: To have people, you know, like Malcolm X or Martin Luther King or Fred Hampton or the Reverend -- JJ: Bruce Johnson? MJ: -- Bruce Johnson. People who love their people, but not because it’s a cause. Because they really love people, and they have felt this and they’ve lived through it and they’re finding a way to talk to other people -- JJ: Now, you’re only reading about these people, right? MJ: I’m not reading about just these people. I’m knowing the people that they affected. I grew up with the people that they affected. I just happened to be born in the middle of this, and everybody I know was personally touched, knew these people individually, and -- JJ: I mean, did you know anybody that knew Fred Hampton? MJ: I do. I mean, [00:03:00] you worked with Fred Hampton. You know, you as ChaCha Jiménez, then Fred Hampton created along with the Brown Berets the Rainbow Coalition. JJ: Along with the Young Patriots. MJ: The Young Patriots. JJ: Yeah. That’s all right. 2 �MJ: I know them as -- JJ: Okay, no, no, the Brown Berets were on it too. MJ: I mean, and later in my life, my mother, after she retired, she still did community work but she does it with children. You know, she doesn’t do it -- JJ: Didn’t you know Fred Hampton’s mother? MJ: Yes, that’s what I’m saying. She was doing community events with the children, my mother was, and at a community event, she happened to bump into this other woman and they had a great conversation and that was it. They were at different community events and they kept bumping into each other and they became friends. JJ: Which other woman? MJ: Just because of who they are, how they are a part of the community, they just got along. Their personalities matched. And it wasn’t until months after that that she found out that was Fred Hampton’s mother, and Mrs. Hampton found out that my mother [00:04:00] used to be involved with you, or married to you. So these two women had already developed a friendship without knowing their connection to the movement because it is a neighborhood thing. It’s just a neighborhood feeling. It’s who you are as a person, to take care of each other, that they were involved in activities that was taking care of the whole community and they kept bumping into each other and they really got along and they really started spending time together. They didn’t pass each other’s resumes to each other. They’re just normal women who have loved through this and lost through this and they had a lot in common. 3 �JJ: So what did she say Fred Hampton’s mother was doing? Iberia Hampton. MJ: Iberia Hampton, Mrs. Hampton, she’s been in a number -- her other son, Bill Hampton, is very involved in the community and he works a lot with the children. He sets up incredibly programs with the children and he runs -- JJ: Back in Oak Park? MJ: In Maywood and he [00:05:00] does a lot of work in the city and he runs the Fred Hampton Legal Scholarship Fund to help students become lawyers. But he I think put together a lot of the different events, and because he found out through other parents about my mom and different things she was doing, he came to where she was working at the time and invited her to come to some of these events and she thought that was really nice. She thought some of the kids’ parents invited her. She really didn’t know. And it was months later that they figured out together, we’ve pretty much been running in the same circles all these years, and they’re very good friends. They feel more like family. JJ: So did Fred Hampton’s mother know about the Young Lords? MJ: Oh, sure. I think she’s met you a couple times. We didn’t all know each other at the same time. I wasn’t born yet, but you know, my mother and you and Mrs. Hampton [00:06:00] all had different time periods that you were connected to each other, and it just so happened that even years later, without being an activist or protesting, but just doing things for the kids in the neighborhood, that they were brought together and met each other as two people, normal people. JJ: And so how long as their relationship existed? 4 �MJ: Between my mother and Mrs. Hampton, they’ve been friends for now, like, seven or eight years. JJ: Seven or eight years? MJ: Yeah. JJ: So have you gone there yourself? MJ: I have. I haven’t been there lately and I’m probably in trouble for it, but I need to call her pretty much today. (laughs) I’m a little late. But yeah, no, she actually, my mother and she just talked to each other two days ago. JJ: So you’re consistent. MJ: Yeah, they’re friends. They are good friends. She’s a wonderful person. Her husband was a wonderful [00:07:00] person. He passed away. JJ: What’s his name? MJ: I don’t call them by their first names. I call them Mr. and Mrs. Hampton. But he passed away. JJ: (inaudible). MJ: I went to his funeral. It was sad but they both have beautiful, beautiful spirits. JJ: Did you go to his funeral? Okay. MJ: Yeah. I don’t like people saying funerals are beautiful because it seems painful, but he had a beautiful funeral and it was sad to say goodbye to him, to his spirit. JJ: So how is Mrs. Hampton? How is she? What type of person? MJ: She’s very funny. She can be very quiet but she knows exactly what’s going on and she’s just letting other people do their thing. She allows other people to 5 �express themselves, but she does not miss a second of it. She’s very, very quick and very funny and very loving. [00:08:00] Super sweet. JJ: Okay. Well, what do you mean, she lets them speak? MJ: Well, you know, you almost think that she’s not paying any attention and she’s in the other room doing her own thing and she is not missing a beat. She is on it. Someone says something and she gets excited about it. She’s been paying attention the whole time and she’ll tell you exactly what she feels and it’s obvious she’s been paying attention the entire conversation, not just that minute. Very, very smart. JJ: But you said Ginger called her a couple days ago? MJ: Well, she missed her call. She called back, returned a phone call. No, Bill Hampton’s birthday was last week and they just threw him a surprise party. Then there was a different event this week. It was fun stuff. JJ: So you visit also to the house or just call? MJ: I mean, I [00:09:00] did. I haven’t lately because I’ve been busy working, but I’ve missed seeing a lot of people. (laughs) Don’t be mad at me. JJ: No, no, I’m not mad. I was happy to find out that you knew her, Mrs. Hampton. MJ: Oh, yeah. But it was a complete coincidence, if you believe in them. You know, a lot of people don’t believe in coincidences. But it was very special. I think they were meant to be friends. They just had never met before. They have a good friendship. JJ: And each accepts each other without hesitation or whatever? 6 �MJ: Oh, no, as if they’ve known each other forever, almost sisters. They’re very natural and honest with each other. JJ: ’Cause I know your mother’s a little religious. But she doesn’t call it religion. MJ: No, she’s a spiritual person too. She was raised Catholic. But she’s very spiritual. JJ: And is Mrs. Hampton the same way or similar? MJ: Mrs. Hampton, I know she believes. [00:10:00] They talk about God all the time. They talk about life. They talk about love and pain and they’re just girlfriends. They’re just not teenagers, but you know, it’s like they’re teenagers when they’re around each other. They’re just friends. They have a good relationship. JJ: Okay, so their connection is not just Young Lords or Panthers. MJ: No. It’s more surviving that, losing someone you love -- JJ: Surviving that? MJ: In the movement. You know, there are real people involved in this. This is not just about political heads or people with motives. There are real families that survive it. They lose people or -- I don’t know the word for that. It’s not a negotiation that they get to participate in, but they have to feel all of. You know, Mrs. Hampton lost her son. That’s not [00:11:00] a public thing for her. That’s real personal. Being the wife of someone involved in this and the mother of their child, watching someone’s child -- not legally married, but in our family when you are in a committed relationship, you are basically each other’s husband and wife. You’re each other’s partner. But having a child with that person and watching your child, you know, grow up and have different questions and having to figure 7 �out -- you know, you have your own memories of living through it and then you have to figure out how to help your child get through something normal that they can’t have. You know, these are not things that are part-time and they don’t last for a certain month that there’s a campaign or a certain year that there’s a campaign. This is the everyday forever and the rest of our lives, living through. [00:12:00] It becomes a part of you. It’s something that you grow from. It becomes something you make it through. JJ: What do you know of the death of Fred Hampton? What do you know about that? What happened? MJ: I don’t really know it through newspapers and media. I know it through family stories, like it was someone close to our family, this happened to them. And I know it as -- JJ: Family stories. Who told you? MJ: Both my mother and my father. JJ: Oh. MJ: But my mother had an incredible amount of respect for Fred Hampton. She knew him before she ever met you. She went to school. He spoke at the school she went to several times. JJ: At Roosevelt. MJ: At Roosevelt. JJ: He spoke a lot at Roosevelt, yeah. MJ: And she had a tremendous amount of respect for him. [00:13:00] He was incredibly intelligent and he was in no way violent. He was in no way -- 8 �JJ: Well, he spoke of armed struggle and revolution. MJ: He did speak of those things, but he was more about education and sharing education with other people and not just seeing whose back he can climb up to get there himself, but for everybody to rise up, for everybody to be able to elevate to a new level together. He wanted to be a lawyer. He didn’t wanna be a gangster. He wasn’t a gangster. He wanted to teach everybody around. He wanted everybody to want to learn. He loved learning. He was very respectful. He didn’t come from the street life. He came from the country life. He came from a family life. You know, you came from a family life. You came from a religious home. You’re not people that were out there hustling, trying [00:14:00] to get over and see how much you could get. There’s such a different mentality now of “Screw the person next to me. Whatever I can get. We have to worry about us. We can’t think of anybody else.” And that’s not what either one of you came from or spread. That wasn’t your message. There was no agenda of personal propriety. But no, he was an intellect who wanted to share that wealth. That was the wealth that he wanted to share with other people and that’s what I mean about not violent. You know, he wasn’t out there trying to be the hardest thug on the corner. He was out there trying to spread this information, this knowledge, and that was a very scary threat to government, I guess, to certain government. There’s different [00:15:00] levels of government. There’s city government, state government, national government. And he was murdered for it because he was too loud. He was talking too loud. Too many people were able to hear his message and I believe they, in terms of government -- the government in that 9 �time period. I’m not saying all government. I’m saying that particular regime of government -- did not want people to stay thinking. They didn’t want them to start noticing how things could be different or better or that everybody had a voice. They wanted to have the voice that everybody followed and he was talking too loud for them. So, I mean, in my own words, they assassinated him and that’s still a very special word, a very big word. They killed this man who was about education and fairness, who everybody could relate to and [00:16:00] looked up to, that they maybe could be like that too. “Wow, we could do something for ourselves instead of everything being the same and out of our hands. We could have some sort of power ourselves and be responsible and active ourselves.” That was the opposite of what this particular government regime was interested in and they killed this man. It’s very personal. Assassination is just a big word. That’s a personal thing. They took this man from people ’cause they didn’t agree with him. JJ: Was there any other, like, repression that you were familiar with at that time? Like, even the Young Lords or the Panthers? You know what I mean by repression, right? MJ: I’m not sure what you- JJ: Like trying to stop the movement, trying to repress it, trying to stop it. MJ: I think they were -- JJ: [00:17:00] Were there any, you know, plans to try to do that? Or did they do that? MJ: I think there were just a few moments at the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement where -- 10 �JJ: I mean, that you experienced, I mean. MJ: That I experienced? I was born after the movement was disembodied. JJ: Let me ask you this. When did you first hear about the Young Lords? MJ: I’m sure I heard about it from being four years old or younger, being in the house and hearing about it all the time. But the first time I was aware of it was probably after I asked my mom why we didn’t have any family. It was just the two of us. And part of her telling stories about my family, she also was telling stories about the Young Lords. So I learned at the same time. So from about seven, eight, nine [00:18:00] years old, that’s when I started hearing about the Young Lords. JJ: So how did you feel about that? I mean, you know, what did you hear and how did you feel about it? MJ: I was so proud. I was so tiny and so empowered. (laughs) This itty-bitty little eight-year-old walking around like, “Wow,” you know? This is pretty amazing. First of all, it was very sad to know that people were treated horribly. It was heartbreaking to know that people were not all treated with the same amount of respect, and how could you look at somebody struggling this way and not go and help them? You don’t teach your kids to be mean like that. You teach your kids to be polite and to help people out. So a child is full of kindness and caring for the person in front of them, and to hear that there is people in the [00:19:00] world that are being treated horribly, disrespected constantly, and being not treated as an equal but treated, like, dismissive -- JJ: Who was not being treated as an equal? MJ: Well, I was taught about the whole Civil Rights Movement. 11 �JJ: Okay, it was the Civil Rights Movement and then it was, like, our movement there afterwards, the Panthers and the Young Lords. MJ: But I was taught about the whole history of it. Why was there ever Young Lords or Black Panthers? It’s because of the Civil Rights Movement. Why was there ever a Civil Rights Movement? Because of all this history of pent-up aggression building and building until it bursts. This oppression is overwhelming until there’s got to be a crack in it at some point. I was [layered?] in history, talked about all of it. JJ: Well, who was [the narrator?]? Your mom? MJ: Well, she did teach me about it. She was the first introduction to it because [00:20:00] at eight years old, you’re in second grade. You know, I’m talking about watching movies on TV and not understanding what’s going on and she’s like, “Well, this is related to this part of the country,” or “This part of history.” She was very topical with it, very objective. You know, she would only answer the question I asked. She wouldn’t paint a whole picture for me. It was like, “I don’t understand what that sentence is, Mom. What did she mean?” Or “What did he mean?” And it’s like, “Oh, well, why don’t you go get the encyclopedia? In the 1800s, this is what they used to do.” So it would start a conversation and in second grade, you’re not talking about history. You’re talking about addition and cursive and spelling tests. So we just started those conversations. But that’s how it is all connected and that’s how I was introduced to the Young Lords. It started a doorway of, “Well, why would that happen?” “Because this was happening.” “Well, why did that happen?” “And this bigger thing was 12 �happening.” And so [00:21:00] I don’t remember the original question you asked me, but how I heard about the Young Lords was around seven or eight years old. There was a layering to it. There is something that happened to create this situation, these circumstances that Young Lords was born from, why it was happening. There was a lot going on. JJ: And you said you felt some pride in that? MJ: I was very proud. Once I understood that people would ever be treated that way, then it was like, well, somebody has to do something about it. That’s just the natural thing. When you get in trouble in school, it’s like somebody’s responsible. Aren’t you going to tell the teacher to help? You don’t just let somebody sit there and bleed, you know? Somebody has to help. Somebody has to do something. And so even as a child, you have the mentality of, “Well, what happened next? Didn’t somebody do anything?” And it was like, “Well, yes. In our area, you know, people in this area were the ones that were bleeding and [00:22:00] they got tired of watching their parents bleed and they would be hurt, be stifled by all their efforts. They’re trying just to make a home for their family and everything they’re doing keeps being undone or undercut and their children got tired of watching it. They got tired of being pushed around and watching their parents being knocked over and they stood up and spoke back and said, we have rights and we deserve respect and this is what we need and you cannot ignore our voices.” And in this area, that was the Young Lords. That was happening all over the country, but the thing that is so significant about the Young Lords is it didn’t start as an organized program or an organization. It started as a street 13 �gang and it is still to this point in history the only street gang that turned into a political organization. It did not manhandle its way into papers [00:23:00] and thug out the neighborhood or steal from people. It was for the people and it didn’t start off in a classroom. It started in the streets, protecting their own homes, and what I’m aware of, that’s the only group that has started out as a street gang and become a political organization. JJ: So protecting their own homes, was that an issue that they were, you know, attacking? MJ: I mean, from what I’m told. JJ: Yeah, from your understanding. MJ: From what I understand. JJ: Well, what were the main issues? MJ: People were getting -- JJ: It had to do with Puerto Ricans ’cause it had to do with Puerto Rico. MJ: Well, that whole area was mainly -- even though there were different ethnic backgrounds, it was mainly Puerto Rican at the time. That was the Puerto Rican neighborhood of the city and it happened to be lakefront property as well and it was more valuable monetarily to people [00:24:00] in power at that time, whether it was corporate or government. And so they were coming in and telling people, “It’s time to move.” JJ: They were telling people to move? MJ: They were raising people’s rents from 80 dollars to 400 in a month or 120 dollars to 800 dollars the next month. Well, you can’t pay? You gotta go. This is how I 14 �was told. As I was told, there were times as well that people were being manhandled directly out of their homes. Someone would just come in and kick all of their things out onto the ground and say, “You don’t live here anymore. Go. You guys can move over.” JJ: [The share?], basically, [’cause it was the candles?] (inaudible). MJ: But that’s gotta be quite an experience to know you’re doing everything you can to pay your bills and you’re paying them and you come home from work one day and someone just told you, “You moved today, in case you didn’t know.” [00:25:00] And you can’t do anything about it. There’s nobody to go to. JJ: But even while you were growing up, you’re saying the neighborhood was still changing, no? MJ: When I was growing up? JJ: Yeah. Or you didn’t notice? I mean, you weren’t living there anymore, but I mean, you went back there ’cause the neighborhood is completely changed, right? MJ: It has completely changed. They kept the shape of it, but they changed everything in between. I guess when I was growing up, it did change. It was much more human before. You could just walk down the street and know somebody and everybody was happy to just wave and say hello, and now it’s just a tourist spot and the people who live there are not very welcoming. (laughs) But mostly it’s a tourist area. And [00:26:00] no, before it was, like, going to visit your cousin’s house. JJ: So do you remember before? 15 �MJ: Yeah. JJ: Okay. MJ: You knew everybody on the block and you just got off the bus or came off the train, and walking to the person’s house you’re going to, you see five different people you know. You stop and you have a conversation, like a neighborhood. Like home. And you don’t know anybody there now. They don’t do that with each other. JJ: Okay. So that made you feel proud in everything. You had some proud moments. What about some painful moments when they talked about the Young Lords? With you, since your father was involved in it. Did you ever have any painful moments? MJ: Painful moments, I think that we all did. JJ: Did anybody talk [00:27:00] negative about the Young Lords? MJ: Sure. I mean, I have bumped into people and I tend not to introduce myself first if I’m in an area where people still talk about the Young Lords, not because I’m not proud, because I’d rather get an honest reaction to what they think. I am always absorbing information and I love to get a lot of different perspectives and I don’t take it personal because that was their experience, so I wanna hear it. JJ: What are some of the negative things that you heard? MJ: (laughs) I remember walking into a building once and I was with someone who could not wait to introduce me and I was like, “Shh. Just say hello. Give this person a chance to get up in their chair.” And this person was very polite and shook my hand and I said, “I’m Melisa,” and he told me his name. And the 16 �person I was with said, “Oh, do you remember that guy? You know the Young Lords. Do you remember that guy, Cha-Cha?” “Oh my God, that thug. He used to --” [00:28:00] I mean, I was laughing ’cause he’s sitting there, he’s like, “He used to just make so much trouble around here. He was such a headache and I can’t believe --” And I guess the person I was with gave him a look because all the sudden, he stopped talking and he looked at me, and then I was introduced as Cha-Cha’s daughter and he just went completely pale and he was like, “I’m so sorry.” I said, “Why would you be? Maybe he was mean to you. (laughs) Maybe you guys didn’t like each other. That’s your experience and I’m not taking anything away from that.” And he was like, “No, but I’m so sorry,” and I said, “That was your experience. That’s your history. But I happen to like the guy so I’m okay with it. So don’t worry about it.” And he just couldn’t catch his breath for a long time. I felt bad. But I don’t introduce myself first, and it’s not to set anybody up. I just wanna know what they really think, what their real memories were. I wasn’t older at that time period, so I like to know what people went through. JJ: Actually there’s a similar experience that my mother [00:29:00] had with somebody from the church. So you know, that’s kind of a pretty good -- because it was like 50-50 real controversial. MJ: It wasn’t controversial. I’ve bumped into people that just said, like, I was royalty, like you were royalty, and “Oh my God, you’re his daughter.” And that experience is much more common than the other. But, like, I didn’t do anything. You know, I’m glad that you had a positive experience. And they’re like, “No, no, this was so 17 �important. He did this and he did this.” I’ve had people treat me wonderfully because of how much it meant to them and I’ve had people be very nasty because they don’t agree with the politics and I personally -JJ: I know you’re joking but it must hurt. MJ: No, it doesn’t hurt because I like to see how people think. I like to see through other people’s eyes. JJ: That’s now, but when you were growing up. MJ: No. JJ: [00:30:00] Never? MJ: Because I was a child and there was more of a filter on them. I was prepared for it, but they had more of a filter because they were looking at a child, and I mean, you shouldn’t attack a child. But when they were honest about what they said, I appreciated it. I want to know all of the story. I don’t wanna know just the things I like or I agree with. And I need to understand. That’s how I’ve learned about it, by being open about it and not expecting someone to agree with something that I think. That’s not gonna work. JJ: I’m gonna kind of wrap it up a little bit, but I just wanted to -- MJ: Am I a talker? (laughs) JJ: No, no, no. No, I was just trying to -- MJ: I am, it’s all right. JJ: -- just because of the schedule. MJ: Okay. No, I have had painful moments, though. JJ: You had painful moments? 18 �MJ: I didn’t lose my father like Angie’s kids did or like Fred Hampton [00:31:00] Junior did, but I still lost my father, having a father in my home. My brothers and sisters still lost having a father while they were growing up. And we’ve had the opportunity to still get to know you, which they didn’t, but we still lost the possession of, “That’s my dad. He just belongs to me and everybody else doesn’t get a piece of him. He’s just ours.” We didn’t get that opportunity. And maybe that had something to do with it. When my mother and I left when I was four and a half during the height of your substance abuse, very shortly after, you disappeared. [00:32:00] You were just gone and nobody knew where you were and I think some people even blamed my mom. Like, if you hadn’t left him, he wouldn’t have just disappeared, you know? What did you do? Nobody can find him. No one even knows where he is. And that went on for a little while, and then a couple years passed and then -- JJ: So that went on for a few years. MJ: It went on for a little while. JJ: Like, five years, something like that. MJ: A little while. A couple years later, people started trying to prepare themselves that you just were never coming back, and so they started saying, you know, “I don’t wanna say the thing that you’re not supposed to say, but I think he’s dead.” And they would try not to say it around me but I heard them talking about it and I knew it wasn’t true. And more time passed. Then it finally got to being five years, you were gone and nobody knew where you were. Everybody [00:33:00] had accepted that you were just dead. 19 �JJ: You’re talking about family members? MJ: Family members were at the point -- five years after my mother and I left, five years almost to the day, everybody for at least the last six months had been trying to figure out how do we tell Melisa that her father is dead? Because she walks around here like -- she’s just so happy and she’s gonna talk to him one day, and we have to figure out how to tell her. And they were whispering about it over and over and I know that I went up to them one day. I was nine years old at the time. And I put my hand on Angie’s hand and I put my other hand on my mom’s hand and I said, “Don’t worry, he’s not dead. I know he’s not dead. You guys don’t have to worry about how to talk to me about it.” And they just couldn’t believe that I even knew what they were talking about, but I seriously said, “I can [00:34:00] feel him. I know he’s okay. He’s just not ready to be with us right now. But don’t worry.” And Angie seriously was like -- they never talked about it again, and within a month -- I’m gonna tell you -- that particular month I prayed for two things, and never in my life, I have never prayed to ask for something back. I pray to thank God for things. I don’t pray to ask for things in return. But that month, I prayed for two things, and one of them was just for my dad to let everybody know he was okay. Even if he’s not ready to come back, can you just please -- they’re starting to really worry. Can you just let him know or have him let everybody know that he’s okay? And then I prayed for something else. And that particular month, not even a week later, my mom got a call from Angie and said, “You will not believe. He’s alive. He’s gonna be here on Friday. He wanted to know if you would bring Melisa because he really wants to see her.” 20 �[00:35:00] And they just couldn’t believe. And I told my mom, I said, “I’m not supposed to tell you what I talked to God about because that’s between us, but I knew he was going to --” And maybe that sounds mystical and spooky or whatever, but those are the only two things in my life that I ever asked for, and that month, they both came true. Not that I’m saying I had any effect on that, but I’m saying the timeframe, when I was four and a half and we left you, soon after, you left, and the whole family went through an experience where they grieved your loss. They really believed you were gone. Everybody was certain of it because by that point, five years had passed. They tried for years to just deal with the fact that you were probably underground or something or maybe just doing drugs and not in a good place. And they finally got to the point where they accepted that you were gone and they really went through a hard time trying to figure out how to tell your kids that we would never see you again. But [00:36:00] your mother -- my grandmother -- and I knew that you were alive because we both could feel you and we talked about it. Everybody else was really broken, trying to figure out how to help us deal with it ’cause they thought we were in denial. And lo and behold, you showed up in Chicago (laughs) within the same month and you were okay and you had changed your life in a big way and you were in a good place. And everybody was just shocked. They really thought you were gone. And that was not an easy time. It was sad. But I knew that you were okay. I just knew that I didn’t know when I would ever talk to you again. I didn’t know. At that time, I had no picture of your face in my mind. I just remembered loving you and you loving me. But I could not remember your face. And then 21 �everybody around me is so sad, thinking you’re gone. That was hard to watch everybody I loved so sad. JJ: So do you remember where -- MJ: [00:37:00] I don’t remember when you left the city but I know that you moved to Michigan. By the time you came back, you were living in Michigan and you came back just to see us. JJ: Right. I was trying to get myself together. MJ: You did. You did a very good job. JJ: I was going a little downhill by that time and I didn’t have the [will?] or money or anything like that (inaudible). And my perfectionism, I had to make sure everything’s perfect. MJ: You are, and I missed a lot of times spending time with you because you were afraid you didn’t have anything to give me and I didn’t want anything but you. And that took a few years for you to accept that. JJ: I keep that in mind now. MJ: All right, good. (laughter) That’s good. You don’t need to give me anything. No. But we missed more time later. JJ: What did you want? What did you want to tell your father? What was the most important thing that you wanted people to know? Not just [00:38:00] your father. Maybe the world or -- about you. MJ: About me? That’s a loaded question. You have layers to that. 22 �JJ: Okay, (inaudible). I mean, what’s the main thing that you want people to know about you? This is an oral history (inaudible) but I [shouldn’t be so formal?] after what you just said. MJ: (laughter) No. I don’t know that there’s anything I need the world to know about me. JJ: Or me, maybe I don’t -- ’cause I was underground. I’m just trying to go with [that?]. MJ: I think people don’t know that you are hilarious unless they know you. They don’t know that you’re hilarious. You have an incredible sense of humor and you are always cracking jokes at moments that everybody thinks you’re gonna be serious, just come out of nowhere and everybody’s cracking up because it’s a surprise. JJ: But I was talking about you. MJ: [00:39:00] I know. JJ: Okay. MJ: I’m just saying I don’t think anybody knows -- and I’m not sure if you’re ready for anybody to know -- that you’re very sensitive. JJ: What do you mean? MJ: (laughs) You’re very sensitive. You’re very loving. You love your children very much. You may not always know how to share that with them or they don’t know how to receive it from you, but I don’t think there’s a way to measure how much we mean to you, and it’s obvious. It’s just there’s other things that go with it, other emotions that go with it. But you are very sensitive and things hit you. 23 �People are a little rough with you. People are used to you being hardcore and determined and focused, and you’re human. You’re very caring. About me? I don’t really think that -- [00:40:00] maybe we have not discussed fully, you know, all of my opinions. We don’t need to have all my opinions. But all the things we have talked about, I’m very passionate about. They mean a lot to me. They’re the majority of the rest of what makes up me. You know, my mother and father and the rest of my family are the core of me and all of the things we talked about are very much the rest of me. They mean a lot to me. It seems real basic and yet it’s lost on our culture now to treat people with care and respect and look out for each other, not to cover for each other when you’re doing something you shouldn’t be doing. Look out that you are all doing well, that you are healthy, that your needs are met, that you’re not alone in this world, that we’re each other’s, you know, keeper. It’s real simple. It’s in all the religions. [00:41:00] It’s not one religious belief. It’s how you treat each other, and I don’t think that any of these issues would be real if we had that, if that was happening, if people were treating each other equally or respectfully. There may never have been a Civil Rights Movement. What would we talk about? I don’t know. JJ: So you feel like the Young Lords were like a civil rights movement. MJ: Yeah. JJ: ’Cause some people don’t look at -- I mean, like when we were talking about, they still think it’s a gang or whatever. MJ: You’re taking care of basic needs. JJ: To you, why do you look at it like a civil rights movement or a movement? 24 �MJ: What I know of what they actually accomplished, what they were involved in, what people were participating in, it’s taking care of basic needs in an entire community that should have been leveled. Everybody [00:42:00] everywhere should have these basic things. You should be able to have clean water and food to eat and healthcare and education and immunizations, and civil rights is the basic line of saying we all have these basic human rights and they’re fair for everybody, and if somebody slips, we just have to remind them, “No, no, no, you might have crossed the line with somebody. Come back. This is where your mistake was made.” But it’s for everybody. They’re real simple. It’s not complicated. It’s not like trigonometry or something. It’s real basic human needs and rights and respect, and when people slip up, they get so lost in their personal greed and hunger for power, they are willing to destroy anything in their path, and sometimes it’s entire cultures. And [00:43:00] that’s not acceptable. Everybody should be enraged by that or at least passionate enough to say something. It should matter. It’s real simple. I don’t know how else to -- JJ: That’s good. I know that your father was attacking Mayor Daley a lot because of the displacement of the Puerto Rican community and he was Irish and you have a little Irish -- MJ: I’m half-Irish, yes. JJ: You’re half-Irish. How did you feel about that? You know, we’re attacking -- MJ: I don’t take it as a cultural attack. I take it as two men who have very clear opinions and they do not agree with each other. (laughter) Point blank. And 25 �they’re in different positions and they both speak until they’re heard. Both of them. So there’s different repercussions to that, though. JJ: And it’s never about the Irish. It’s about -- MJ: [00:44:00] No, I never -- JJ: -- the policy. MJ: I don’t think that has anything to do with that, no. JJ: Because I’m just joking. It’s about the wrong policies of the mayor. I never had an attack personally on him. But it’s an attack on his policies, basically. We just felt they were corrupt and incorrect and we didn’t agree with that. Any final thoughts? Any final thoughts? MJ: Educate yourselves. (laughs) Don’t take somebody’s word for it because you’ve known them for a long time or because they’re someplace in the world that you wish you could be. Educate yourself. You know, if you hear something that’s different from anything you’ve ever heard before, look around. Get different perspectives. Don’t just open a textbook because they all come from the same publishing company. Read different sources. Talk to different people and be open to different perceptions. Everybody has a different place they’re standing from. They [00:45:00] get a different view of what’s happening even in the same moment. So learn. Just learn. That’s real important. Otherwise you’re gonna let somebody else decide your destiny. JJ: Thank you. END OF VIDEO FILE 26 �27 � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7bbcf72cd601369e2df52710367f8510.mp4 56592d6e98c121620fc07c59c69d51d9 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Young Lords in Lincoln Park Collection Subject The topic of the resource Young Lords (Organization) Puerto Ricans--United States Civil Rights--United States--History Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Personal narratives Social justice Community activists--Illinois--Chicago Description An account of the resource Collection of oral history interviews and digitized materials documenting the history of the Young Lords Organization in Lincoln Park, Chicago. Interviews were conducted by Young Lords' founder, José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez, and documents were digitized from Mr. Jiménez' archives. The Young Lords in Lincoln Park collection grows out of the ongoing struggle for fair housing, self-determination, and human rights that was launched by Mr. José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez, founder of the Young Lords Movement. This project is dedicated to documenting the history of the displacement of Puerto Ricans, Mejicanos, other Latinos, and the poor from Lincoln Park, as well as the history of the Young Lords nationwide. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Jiménez, José, 1948- Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/491">Young Lords in Lincoln Park collection (RHC-65)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-25 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng spa Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-65 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 2012-2017 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Título Spanish language Title entry Melisa Jiménez vídeo entrevista y biografía, entrevista 2 Sujetos Spanish language Subject terms Young Lords (Organización) Puertorriqueños--Estados Unidos Derechos civiles--Estados Unidos--Historia Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Puertorriqueños--Relatos personales Justicia social Activistas comunitarios--Illinois--Chicago Source <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/491">Young Lords in Lincoln Park (RHC-65)</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-65_Jimenez_Melisa_2 Title A name given to the resource Melisa Jiménez video interview and transcript, interview 2 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Jiménez, Melisa Description An account of the resource Melisa Jiménez is the youngest daughter of Mr. José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez. Like his other children she was not able to grow up with Mr. Jiménez. But she has always maintained a close relationship with him, even though they live miles away from each other. Ms. Jiménez’s other siblings are Jackie, Jodie, Sonia, and Alex. Ms. Jiménez lives not far from Mrs. Iberia Hampton, Fred Hampton’s mother, and they have maintained a close personal relationship for many years. Ms. Jiménez was born in the Lincoln Park neighborhood hospital, via the use of the La Maze childbirth method. Her father reminds her that he was the first to hold her. Ms. Jiménez lived in Lincoln Park for the first years of her life until the rent became unbearable for her mother. Only a couple of months after she was born, her father was incarcerated for a year, awaiting trial because his bond was too far out of range for his income. He later explained to her that he was doing, “volunteer work, supporting the Puerto Rican Freedom fighters.” When Mr. Jiménez won the case, Ms. Jiménez was living in Logan Square and they were once again united. This time Jackie, the oldest of Mr. Jiménez’s daughters from another relationship, moved in with them briefly. Teenage Jackie had a young boyfriend who was extremely polite, but very persistent. So Jackie’s mother, frustrated, dropped her off for Mr. Jiménez “to take responsibility and to take care of her.” He gladly agreed. And It was a way for Melisa and Jackie to get to know each other. Each sibling plays a role and Ms. Jiménez has played the role of sibling unifier in a world of divorce and separations. She graduated from Oak Park River Forest High School in 1998 and attended some college. She loves photography and is an accomplished artist. Some of her jobs have included child care, marketing research and mortgage broker sales. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jiménez, José, 1948- Subject The topic of the resource Young Lords (Organization) Puerto Ricans--United States Civil Rights--United States--History Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Personal narratives Social justice Community activists--Illinois--Chicago Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2012-07-15 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/01f8227de044af221e52123e72863b4f.mp4 d71eadefc4a3977e1193a35bb8e32330 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/72c5dcf2ba45f15ce91c3b6e93a4511c.pdf d6bea77bc61611b978e69e3f519510c9 PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans History Project Greg Melonas (40:43) (:11) Early Life • (:21) Full name is Gregory J. Melonas. He was born at Harrison and Morgan, in Chicago. He was born November 20th, 1920. • (2:02) He doesn’t remember much before he went to school. • (2:15) His father was a singer, a “Good Time Charlie,” and he sang gospel songs at church. He worked for the 7-UP Company, in the factory. • (3:33) His mother worked at a shoe factory across the street from their apartment. • (3:56) His father also worked in Greek coffee houses along Houston Street. Greek coffee is very thick and bitter. On weekends his father player the zither, along with a drummer and a clarinetist. Sometimes he would bring in a belly dancer, which his mother did not approve of, but it brought money in. • (5:39) Greg went to Avondale Elementary for 3rd to 6th grade. • (6:17) He played Hide and Seek and peg and stick in elementary school. Peg and stick involved bouncing a sharpened broomstick, but he doesn’t remember the specifics. • (7:45) Sometimes they played stickball, but only rarely. They had a stickball club which other people, inaccurately, called a gang. • (8:34) He played football in high school, but stopped after he got beaten up. He was in school plays, and was once in the Christmas play. • (9:36) He graduated in 1938 or 1939, he doesn’t recall. He followed politics at the time, mostly because he was interested in studying it. • (10:32) He lived through the Great Depression, and it was rather rough. On Fridays his mother took them to the mission for dinner. The mission had good quality food. During the Depression, his father lost his job, but his mother kept her job. • (12:21) He heard about Pearl Harbor while he was in the service. He was at a movie theatre, and they announced it at the theatre. He knew where Pearl Harbor was, but many people did not. (13:49) Enlistment/WWII • (13:49) He joined the military by first joining the National Guard at the age of sixteen, while he was in high school. He attended meetings once a week, on Monday nights. �During these meetings he learned military discipline, marching, and medical training. • (16:26) He was called into the Army after Pearl Harbor. They were initially told it would be for one year, but it was later changed to “the duration.” • (17:26) He was a drill instructor in the Army at first, and thinks he was a good one. For a short time he was in the medical unit with the National Guard, and a drill instructor in the Army as well. • (18:18) He had three discharges, one from Michigan, one from Illinois, and he doesn’t recall the third. These discharged were before he was even in the Army. • (18:42) He was not given any choice as to his role in the Army. • (19:28) After being a drill instructor he became a surgical tech in the operating room. He served overseas, not domestically. • (20:19) He went to Europe, primarily in Czechoslovakia. • (20:35) He went to Europe by ship. They had good weather the entire trip, but everyone was seasick anyway. It was very hard to eat on the ship when everyone was seasick. • (21:33) They started in Fécamp, in northern France. They were in the process of moving towards Czechoslovakia. • (22:00) He earned three battle stars, but that was in Korea. He was in the reserves after WWII, and was called out to Korea. • (22:50) He worked in a field hospital in Czechoslovakia. The field hospitals were in tents similar to the one on M*A*S*H. He was in the 1437th Division Bridge Company. • (24:00) The experience was very hectic, but he made it out all right. • (24:24) He saw several USO programs. He saw Bob Hope three times, and Fred Astaire, and Ginger Rogers. It was very exciting. • (25:15) He didn’t sleep much, and the food was inconsistent in quality. • (26:34) He arrived in Europe after D-Day. (27:00) Post WWII/Korean War • (27:00) When the war ended he was helping to move things in Czechoslovakia. There was a parade in New York City, but that was finished by the time he came back. He got home on October 5th, 1945. • (28:10) He was not sent to the Pacific theatre. • (28:43) He was a member of the National Guard after WWII. • (29:07) He was in the only WWII unit called back to Korea. Two companies, the 37th and the 28th were called back, because they were medical companies. �• (30:16) He started in Pusan, Korea. They went up to the 38th parallel and were then pushed back. • (31:10) In Korea he served in field hospitals and regular hospitals. He started out in a brick and mortar hospital, working with a gas company. • (32:28) In the field hospital, he was in charge of cleaning and acquiring supplies. He was also in charge of the operating room. • (33:27) He was elevated to Master Sergeant while in Korea. (33:49) Post-War • (33:49) He came back from Korea, and went to work for Montgomery Ward in the early fifties. • (34:51) He worked at Montgomery Ward for about fifteen years, as the head of the Furniture and Appliance department. • (35:32) He then went to work for Michigan Life Insurance, and then to Metropolitan Life. • (36:00) He married in 1942, while he was in the service. • (36:18) He had one son, his son owns a KFC franchise in Cheboygan. His wife passed on some time ago. • (37:22) He lived on his own, until coming to the Veteran’s Home. He has lived there for three years, and likes it. • (38:31) He has two grandchildren, and one grandson. He is estranged from his son. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context MelonasG Title A name given to the resource Melonas, Greg (Interview outline and video), 2008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Melonas, Greg Description An account of the resource Greg Melonas was born in Chicago in 1920. He joined the National Guard in 1936, and was called into the Army after Pearl Harbor. He was deployed to France after D-Day, and served mostly in Czechoslovakia. He was trained as a medic in the National Guard, and served as a medic after being a drill instructor early on. After WWII he was called back into the service to go to Korea, also as a medic. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Collins Sr., Charles E. (Interviewer) Collins, Carol (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Veterans United States. Army World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Video recordings Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2008-09-29 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/000686c1a4518afea52f25061fd76d26.m4v 701f631b1b4ceac78fcaae1579a4ff91 https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/8cada4415fb46689a1637cfcfaac7503.pdf cab3f9a3634550eac2caa2337d84d22d PDF Text Text Grand Valley State University Veterans’ History Project Peter Meloro Vietnam War 1 hour 26 minutes 11 seconds (00:00:24) Early Life -Born on April 2, 1948, in Brooklyn, New York -Grew up there -Father was an Italian immigrant and worked in a paper factory -Had a younger sister -Graduated from high school in 1965 -Went to college for one year -Had to leave because his grades weren’t high enough -Worked at bank in New York City for six months (00:01:45) Enlisting in the Army & Awareness of Vietnam War -Decided to enlist in the Army in 1967 -Knew that if he enlisted he could get a better chance of picking his job -Read the news about the Vietnam War -Knew it was dangerous -When he enlisted he was asked his preference of assignment -Wanted a job in computing, but got assigned to clerical work (00:03:06) Basic Training -Sent to Fort Gordon, Georgia, for basic training -Got one weekend leave to Augusta and it was clear that Northerners weren’t welcome -Spent most of his time on base anyway -Spent a lot of time doing physical training -Received rifle training -He’d never fired a gun in his life -Learned how to fire and maintain a rifle -Received gas training -Note: Sent into chamber filled with tear gas and exposed to it along with gas mask training -Strong emphasis on discipline -Learned that he was no longer an individual and had to work as a unit -He could be a little sarcastic, but he had no trouble making friends with other recruits -Had some difficulty adjusting to life in the Army -Remembers the shock of getting his head shaved -Strange sense of losing his freedom -Had to adjust or face the consequences -Lasted eight weeks (00:07:32) Clerical Training -Sent to Fort Jackson, South Carolina, for his clerical training -Lasted six (or eight) weeks -Consisted of typing classes, administrative classes, and more physical training -New experience to do formal typing, but it wasn’t difficult -Trained with men from all over the United States -Mostly high school graduates, but there were some college graduates -Learned how to fill out a variety of forms �-Got one pass on the weekend and got a leave during Christmas -Went to Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, for more clerical training -Trained there for two or three weeks -Learned about Army financing and accounting (00:11:55) Stationed in West Germany Pt. 1 -Received an overseas assignment for West Germany -Had orders to report to Fort Dix, New Jersey, for deployment -Placed on kitchen patrol duty for two days until his orders were finalized -Flew to Frankfurt, Germany -Pulled kitchen patrol duty there for a few days until he had orders for a unit -Assigned to an artillery battery in Ober Ulm, Germany -Unit was in the field on maneuvers and he wanted to join them -There was no spot for him, so he did kitchen patrol duty for three weeks -The base at Ober Ulm was a newer base and most likely built after World War II -He was attached to the motor pool to serve as its clerk -Kept log books for vehicles of the artillery batteries -Ordered parts for vehicles -There was quite a bit of work, especially because the log books were in terrible shape -Had to clean up the motor pool due to a Command Maintenance Management Inspection -Get the paperwork in order -Had some help from mechanics, but he did most of the work on his own -Reported to the sergeant of the motor pool -Career soldier, about 40 years old -Peter got along with him -Had a lot of contact with the drivers -Had barracks with three to four men per room -Started in a four-man room then eventually got into a two-man room (00:21:45) Cold War Tension -Never thought the Soviet Union would attack -Had nuclear shells for the howitzers -Didn’t seem feasible for two nuclear superpowers to engage in willful self-destruction (00:22:41) Stationed in West Germany Pt. 2 -Stationed in Germany from March 1968 to June 1969 -The German people weren’t very receptive -Probably walked past former German soldiers -Remembers a German family avoiding him and another soldier -There was an element of tension; unfriendly, but civil -Unit moved to Augsburg -Bigger city and more interesting -Visited Munich during Oktoberfest and other parts of Germany -Assumed that he was going to stay in Germany for the duration of his enlistment -His original battery commander went to Vietnam, and the replacement came from Vietnam -Slated for promotion to sergeant, but there wasn’t an opening, so he didn’t get the promotion (00:30:23) Deployment to Vietnam -His name came up for deployment to Vietnam in July 1969 -Allowed time to go home and visit his family before deployment -Flew from New York City to Fort Lewis, Washington -Arrived a few days late -Received a week of training (rifle training with M16, jungle training, animals to expect) �-Flew on a chartered commercial flight to Vietnam -Stopped in Japan (00:34:05) Arrival in Vietnam -Landed at Cam Ranh Bay -Oppressive heat and the overwhelming smell of burning feces and trash -Taken to a processing center and told to wait for orders (00:35:28) Assignment to 101st Airborne Division -Originally had orders to join the 101st Administration Company in Bien Hoa -Placed on a C-130 and flew up to Bien Hoa -Saw the 101st Airborne Division flag and thought it was a mistake -He was now in an infantry division -Assigned to C Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 506th Infantry Regiment -Assumed that being in an airborne division mean being a paratrooper -Learned that it had changed to air assault (dropping off troops with helicopters) -Had a brief orientation at Bien Hoa when he joined the 101st -Rifle training, jungle training, and what to expect in Vietnam (00:38:39) Joining C Company -Sent to Camp Evans to join C Company -Joined them in mid-July 1969 -Most of the company was in the field when he arrived -The soldier he was replacing gave him a thorough rundown of what to do (00:40:30) Stationed at Camp Evans Pt.1 -Started with morning report, administrative tasks -Leave orders -Assignment orders -Roster for the men wounded or killed in action -Able to monitor radio traffic and hear the fighting in the field -Didn’t always know where C Company was operating -Platoons were spread out in the Lowlands conducting patrols -The company had some enemy activity, but nothing too intense (00:44:02) Captain Vazquez-Rodriguez (Commander of C Company) -Never met a better leader than Captain Vazquez-Rodriguez -He was competent, focused, and had combat experience from the Korean War -Commanded respect -Wanted to make sure his men survived the war -Convinced that the North Vietnamese knew of, and feared, Captain Vazquez-Rodriguez -Had some contact with him -One time he accidentally sent back Vazquez’s mail -He didn’t understand Hispanic naming conventions for surnames -All Vazquez had to do was glare at him and Peter never did that again (00:48:10) Stationed at Camp Evans Pt. 2 -Worked with a few supply sergeants -One of them was incompetent, but he got along with the rest of them -In charge of getting supplies to units in the field -Didn’t have much contact with men unless they stayed at Camp Evans for an extended time (00:50:53) Battle of Firebase Ripcord -He left Vietnam on July 9, 1970, shortly after the battle began -Remembers when C Company got hit on Hill 902 on July 1st and 2nd -Heard about it and monitored the radio traffic from the company �-Knew it was a bad situation -Went to the helipad at Camp Evans to see the wounded coming in (00:52:34) Stationed at Camp Evans Pt. 3 -Got up in the morning and did his daily tasks -Leaves, coming and going of troops, emergency notifications from the Red Cross -Typed up letters for the men that had been killed-in-action -Got up early and did as much during the day as possible -Capable of getting work done in a normal shift most days -Very good conditions compared to the jungle, but it was still primitive living -Used outhouses, and had gravity-fed showers -Had a mess hall that served hot food -Had a Non-commissioned Officers Club, but he felt the field soldiers deserved it more than him (00:55:21) Race Relations & Drug Use -Didn’t notice any racial tensions in C Company -Had a Hispanic commanding officer and a black sergeant -Knew of racial tension in other units -Knew there was some marijuana use, but not too prevalent -Remembers one soldier tried to go into the field with a belt of marijuana -He was stopped from going into the field -Captain Vazquez-Rodriguez didn’t tolerate drug use -Too dangerous for men to be intoxicated in the field (00:57:53) Other Duties at Camp Evans -Pulled bunker duty briefly after he arrived at Camp Evans -Stopped doing that after he became the company clerk (00:58:09) Changing Personnel in C Company -Captain Hewitt took over C Company in June 1970 -Never had much contact with him -Brought in a man from the field to replace him when it came time to leave -Had a PhD (00:59:38) Contact with Home -Did a Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) call home once -Using CB radios to relay a signal to get his parents on the phone -Complicated and difficult to coordinate -Wrote letters home a lot -Mothers always asked if he was safe and he told her he was -Mother knew he was lying, because she saw news that Camp Evans had been attacked (01:01:08) Enemy Contact -Relatively safe from rockets and mortars -Mortar attacks became predictable -As long as you avoided a direct hit, you were fine -Took cover in a bunker and waited for the bombardment to pass -Remembers being forced to dive into a sewage ditch once during an attack -Enemy fire was fairly random -Took minor casualties at Camp Evans -Always had enough time to take cover -Bombardments never lasted long enough to cause significant damage -North Vietnamese sappers probed the perimeter, but never mounted a full assault (01:03:27) Contact with Civilians -Had civilians working on the base �-Didn’t work near the infantry company quarters -Worked as cleaners (01:03:54) Travel in Vietnam -Went to Camp Eagle for work on one occasion -Visited the USS Sanctuary (a hospital ship) to deal with paperwork for a wounded soldier -Soldier had been mortally wounded and died on the ship -Peter had to go to the ship to fill out some paperwork for the soldier -Villages were forbidden -If you were caught in a village, you got a court-martial (01:05:00) R&R -He took his R&R in Sydney, Australia -Always wanted to see Australia -Heard good things about the Australians -Went to some clubs and met some Australian women, never had to pay for a drink -Visited in early 1970 (01:06:16) USO Shows -There was some USO Shows at Camp Evans -Entertainers from Taiwan and the Philippines came to put on shows -He selected some men to go to Camp Eagle to see Bob Hope’s Christmas 1969 show -Only picked men from the field to go to that show (01:07:20) Discipline Issues -Knew a soldier that was going to receive a court-martial for being AWOL for three months -Arrested in Saigon dealing on the black market -Sent back to Camp Evans to wait for his trial -Peter was in charge of assigning him to the mess hall for kitchen duty -Threatened to kill Peter if he tried to make him work again -Next day, Peter threatened to shoot him if he didn’t go -Had another soldier huffing gas to go crazy so he’d be sent back home -Peter tried to counsel him and make him stop, but he never did -Wound up pointing a rifle at military police -Peter talked him down and stopped him from shooting the police -He was arrested and Peter never saw him again (01:11:08) End of Tour & End of Enlistment -The end of his tour in Vietnam coincided with the end of his enlistment -He wasn’t offered a reenlistment because the 1st sergeant knew Peter wanted out -Didn’t want to try and pressure him into reenlisting -Went to Da Nang, then to Cam Ranh Bay to wait for a flight to the United States -Flew home on another chartered commercial flight -Stopped at Manila, Guam, and Hawaii -He and the other soldiers went to the airport bar in Hawaii -Calm and polite, but people still left the bar to get away from them -The flight home was quiet -Only cheered when they left Vietnamese airspace -Thinks a lot of men took the time to reflect on their time in country -Landed at Fort Lewis, Washington -Out-processed there -Given a physical examination, new uniform, and a steak dinner -Talked to finance officer about final payment -Noticed he was getting extra month of pay, but didn’t question it �-Protesters were outside the base screaming and spitting at the returning soldiers -Kept away from the soldiers to prevent violence (01:17:45) Coming Home & Life after the War -Didn’t deal with any harassment on the flight from Seattle to New York -Family met him at the airport and his mother had over extended family to welcome him home -It was jarring after recently losing so many friends at Hill 902 -Took a few weeks off to readjust to civilian life -Got a job at a butcher shop -In October 1970 he got a job as a customer service representative with Consolidated Edison, Inc. -Utility company serving New York City -Worked for them for 43 years -Paid for him to go back to college and the GI Bill also helped pay for college -Got a bachelor degree and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree -Graduated in 3 ½ years -Uncle got him his job at Con Edison (01:22:17) Ripcord Association Reunions -Didn’t talk about his time in Vietnam after he came home -Avoided the topic when it came up -Got involved with the Ripcord Association in 2006 -Learned about the Ripcord Association Reunions -Heard that Vazquez-Rodriguez was attending the next reunion -Lee Widjeskog, a fellow veteran from 2nd Battalion, encouraged him to go -When he got to the reunion, C Company survivors embraced him and made him feel welcomed -Got to see Vazquez-Rodriguez again (01:25:15) Reflections on Service -Trained him how to work as part of a team -Taught him how to be understanding and accepting of different people -Taught him that it was sometimes necessary to rely on others for help -Helped him in his business career after the war � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Veterans History Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. History Department Description An account of the resource The Library of Congress established the Veterans History Project in 2001 to collect memories, accounts, and documents of U.S. war veterans from World War II and the Korean War, Vietnam War, and conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, and to preserve these stories for future generations. The GVSU History Department interviews are part of this work-in-progress, and may contain videos and audio recordings, transcripts and interview outlines, and related documents and photographs. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1914- Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Subject The topic of the resource Afghan War, 2001--Personal narratives, American Iran Hostage Crisis, 1979-1981--Personal narratives, American Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American Michigan--History, Military Oral history Persian Gulf War, 1991--Personal narratives, American United States--History, Military United States. Air Force United States. Army United States. Navy Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James Boring, Frank Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-27 Language A language of the resource eng Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project interviews (RHC-27)</a> Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context MeloroP1957V Title A name given to the resource Meloro, Peter A (Interview outline and video), 2016 Description An account of the resource Peter Meloro was born on April 2, 1948, in Brooklyn, New York. He enlisted in the Army in 1967 and received his basic training at Fort Gordon, Georgia. He went to Fort Jackson, South Carolina, then to Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana, for his clerical training. He was stationed West Germany with an artillery unit from March 1968 to June 1969. Peter received orders for a deployment to Vietnam and was sent over in July 1969. He joined C Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 506th Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division as a company clerk. He worked at Camp Evans doing paperwork for the company and also monitored radio traffic when the company was in the field. He left Vietnam on July 9, 1970, and was discharged at Fort Lewis, Washington. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Meloro, Peter Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Smither, James (Interviewer) Subject The topic of the resource Oral history Veterans History Project (U.S.) United States--History, Military Veterans Video recordings Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American United States. Army Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="http://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/455">Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2016-10-08 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource application/pdf video/mp4 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d3ec9359a3b1ec0ccd074546ee0a0b95.jpg a7fefe8119739b8ac06d2bf49ea170d9 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Faces of Grand Valley Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource University Communications Description An account of the resource A non-comprehensive collection of photographs of Grand Valley faculty, staff, administrators, board members, friends, and alumni. Photos collected by University Communications for use in promotion and information sharing about Grand Valley with the wider community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960s - 1990s Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived GV012-03. University Communications. Vita Files Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copryight Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University College administrators College teachers Colleges and universities -- Faculty Michigan Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV012-03 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context MeloyCarl_Photo01 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Communications Title A name given to the resource Meloy, Carl Description An account of the resource Carl Meloy, Chemistry Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University – History College teachers Universities and colleges – Faculty Michigan Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Communications. Vita Files, 1968-2016 (GV012-03) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/96b9e63d4c8c935768b5496eab0743ae.jpg 2e4a01a86fc0116f11e5f5e60a457d90 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Faces of Grand Valley Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource University Communications Description An account of the resource A non-comprehensive collection of photographs of Grand Valley faculty, staff, administrators, board members, friends, and alumni. Photos collected by University Communications for use in promotion and information sharing about Grand Valley with the wider community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960s - 1990s Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived GV012-03. University Communications. Vita Files Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copryight Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University College administrators College teachers Colleges and universities -- Faculty Michigan Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV012-03 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context MeloyCarl_Photo02 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Communications Title A name given to the resource Meloy, Carl Description An account of the resource Carl Meloy, Chemistry Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University – History College teachers Universities and colleges – Faculty Michigan Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Communications. Vita Files, 1968-2016 (GV012-03) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e816aa94c1861972ffad4a9e6b4feb8c.jpg ff89aba1702f70ae947c6bc592c1bef8 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Faces of Grand Valley Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource University Communications Description An account of the resource A non-comprehensive collection of photographs of Grand Valley faculty, staff, administrators, board members, friends, and alumni. Photos collected by University Communications for use in promotion and information sharing about Grand Valley with the wider community. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960s - 1990s Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived GV012-03. University Communications. Vita Files Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copryight Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University College administrators College teachers Colleges and universities -- Faculty Michigan Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV012-03 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context MeloyCarl_Photo03 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. University Communications Title A name given to the resource Meloy, Carl Description An account of the resource Carl Meloy, Chemistry Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University – History College teachers Universities and colleges – Faculty Michigan Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived University Communications. Vita Files, 1968-2016 (GV012-03) Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9b5c9f9507c2bd2e0253710ff94cc78f.pdf 26c6ff759e2f5a5f2611870324c24b4e PDF Text Text Young Lords In Lincoln Park Interviewee: Melvin Lewis Interviewers: José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez Location: Grand Valley State University Special Collections Date: 8/26/2012 Biography and Description Melvin Lewis was born in Chicago but today lives in Fayetteville, North Carolina. His parents live in Maywood, Illinois. This is the same town where Fred Hampton of the Black Panther Party (BPP) grew up. It is also where, at Maywood’s City Hall, there is a recreation center with a swimming pool named after the slain leader of Chicago’s BPP. There is also a street named “Fred Hampton Way” and a bust of Chairman Fred Hampton. Mr. Lewis is a Chicago Black Panther and freelance writer, a master gardener and certified beekeeper. His recent articles include “Out Loud and Into Print” in the May/June 2012 issue of City View (NC). He writes on music and his publications include features on “Hootie and the Blow Fish,” and singer and song writer “Rene Marie in Pluck!” He has written and broadcast twelve vignettes about civil rights for FM Radio stations 107.7 and 91.9 FM and conducted interviews on horticulture, history and art. Mr. Lewis has also won the Significant Illinois Poet Award and is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is currently assisting with the Chicago Black Panther History Project. Their motto is, “ We will tell our story, in our own words; Illinois Panthers speak for themselves.” �Transcript JOSE JIMENEZ: So, okay, if you can give me your name, date of birth, and where you were born? MELVIN EUGENE LEWIS: My name is Melvin [Eugene?] Lewis. I was born in Chicago, Illinois, September 17, 1954. JJ: 1954? ML: In Cook County. And I grew up in Chic-- JJ: Oh, you mean at the hospital? ML: Now, they call it University of Illinois Hospital, but then they used to call it Illinois Research. I have two older brothers. One was born in Selma, Alabama, in Dallas County. And my middle brother was born also in Chicago, but he was born in Cook County Hospital. JJ: Okay, but you weren't born in Cook County Hospital? ML: No, I was born in University of Illinois. Which is now called University of Illinois Hospital. Yeah. Yeah. JJ: And what's your parents name? ML: My father, who's deceased, is [Clifton?] Lewis Senior. I have an older brother that's Clifton Lewis Junior. And my [00:01:00] mother is [Pearl?] Lewis, and they were born in Alabama. My father was born on a farm. His father and all them, since probably when we came in this country, they were farmers. So my grandfather, his name was [William?] Lewis, he was a tenant farmer, which means he rented the land. He didn't own the land and he wasn't a sharecropper. 1 �So he rented the land and he paid a fee. And then, like many farmers, he had other jobs, so he was a barber on Saturdays and I'm told that he hauled wood or he cut wood. And so when you're not farming or the, you know, it's the seasons, you're between seasons and pulling crops. He would cut wood and bring it to the city (inaudible) and sell wood. JJ: So what's a sharecropper? ML: A sharecropper is someone that actually has less money and they share the crop with the owner, which is not as financially good ’cause most sharecroppers never get out of debt ’cause you [00:02:00] don't have the money for the feed, so each year you're continuously going to their bank. It's like credit cards now. You got 28 percent interest. You don't get out of debt. It takes you a whole lot. So the sharecropper, a lot of times if it was a big farmer, they even had them go to get the seeds from them and go to their store, and many farmers had very little education. They knew how to farm, but they may not -- depending upon their educational skills, and then they may not know how to be good with contracts and math. So people tried to avoid being sharecroppers ’cause sharecroppers kept you where, like, you were always dealing with a company store. But if you a tenant farmer, it's like rent. Okay, I rent the land, you charge me x dollars for the year and I probably have a house on there, which also probably comes with that. [00:03:00] And then I pay you that per month or per year. But it's not a good relationship because you can't pass it on. And so something that was [in?] geography, Doctor [James Blout?] talked about how, you know, when you rent the land, you're not necessarily much of a conservationist as if you own it 2 �because if you own it, you're gonna pass it down to your children or try to keep it in the family. So my parents moved from Alabama to Chicago after World War Two because the future wasn't very bright in Dallas County. Dallas County is where they had the Pettus Bridge, where they had the marches with John Lewis and hundreds of people got beat up because they were protesting segregation. So my parents went to an all-Blacks high school. There was two separate schools. One system for Blacks and one for whites and I never knew [00:04:00] what happened to Native Americans. I have to find that out. In the South where if Native Americans -- what school system they went to because in many cases they weren't enough to have three. So they left. Many people left after World War Two. The veterans who went to the war, when they came back, they may come back and pick up their family, and they went to metropolitan area. So my uncles, my maternal grandmother's brothers, came to Chicago. So one worked JJ: Were they veterans, or...? ML: Yeah, they were veterans. And one went to the meat packing, which was unionized, so you got you had a livable wage, and the other one worked at the -- JJ: Oh, you mean the meat pa-- in the back of The Yards? ML: Back of The Yards, over by what used to be -- JJ: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) My father worked there [in town?]. ML: Yeah. Used to be... What do they call this place on 43rd and Halsted? The International -- Not McCormick Place. It was... [00:05:00] JJ: Yeah, I remember. 3 �ML: Yeah, there’s a big place in -- JJ: I remember meat packing’s where my father worked. ML: Yeah. And they had this big place where they had the cattle and all that. There was a whole industry over there, so my dad worked over there. JJ: In the Stock Yards. ML: Stock Yards. Yeah. And they had a show place, like a arena, which part was for the cattle, but also was entertainment over there. And then one of my uncles worked as a longshoreman, like, I guess around where Navy Pier or wherever the ships came in. JJ: But your father wasn't a veteran though? ML: No, my father wasn’t a veteran. My father was too young for that. My father was born in ’31, so he would have been 14 in ’45. And like many people his generation, he didn't finish high school. He dropped out ’cause he could get a job. So, in the summers, he would come to Chicago and work with his uncles, [00:06:00] and then he decided to drop out and get a job. And then he got married, and then my mother came to Chicago. But I got a story about the marriage. My father and his uncle by birth, that's his mother's brother, were leaving in 1947 from Chicago to Alabama. So they took a bus from Chicago down to Birmingham, and it was raining. And so, in the North, the bus is not segregated. In the South, they are. So once they get to Birmingham, they arrived on a Friday, and he's supposed to get married on Saturday afternoon because it's not -- like, now, we think first in, first out. You know, whoever's the first, if the bus is overloaded and they'd put the next people away. They made all 4 �the Black people wait. So my father was supposed to get married on a Saturday, and this is before cell phones and phones at home, and telegraphs were [00:07:00] rare. My uncle and my father didn't get on the bus until Saturday evening. They didn't get to the town that they were in till Sunday morning. So my mother was expectin’ to get married on Saturday. So she's in her dress and her mother's there, and, you know, in those days, people got married at home. And so my father showed up Sunday morning. So his uncle and his uncle's sister, my father's aunt, who was also small town, was married to my mother's uncle. They went to her parents' house and told them what happened. So they got married on a Sunday instead of a Saturday. And subsequent to that, my father never caught public transportation to the South again. Because, you know, you think about, you're getting married, you plan to get married, and my mother talked about she was crying because she felt like my father stood her up. And then her mother was trying to comfort her and her father started drinking and got drunk. You know, then people whispering, [00:08:00] “He stood up, he stood up.” JJ: But it was a segregation thing. ML: Yeah, yeah. So they finally told everybody to go home, you know. Then the next day they got everybody back together and they got married on the Sunday. JJ: Your siblings, your brothers and sisters? ML: I have -- JJ: And what are their names? ML: -- two brothers. I have brother, Clifton Junior. He lives four blocks from here. 5 �We're in Maywood today. He lives in Broadview. And I have a brother named [Jearl?], and he lives out west. JJ: What are they doing? What type of work? ML: Clifton drives a train in train yards. And my brother, Jearl, he's a pilot. He's a commercial pilot, so he flies from Detroit, Atlanta, to Asia. So he flies a big 747. So he got his flight training in the military. He's good with math and science, so he has a degree. And then he went to pilots training, which is like getting a master's degree because you go for, like, [00:09:00] a year, depending upon which planes you're learning. So he, you know, started off with one and go up. He was a major in the military, and then he was -- JJ: He was a major? ML: Yeah. So he was a captain with the airlines. So he left. He left after so many years. He didn't do 20. He did like, I guess, about eight or something like that because he wanted to go with the commercial. So he's a pilot. Yeah. And I have a son, who's a college student now. And his name is [Gahiji Lewis?]. Yeah. JJ: What do you do? ML: I'm a freelance writer, and I write about popular culture, about horticulture. My latest two articles, one of them's on the internet, it's called “The Greening of the Sand Hills”, and it's about [00:10:00] the green movement in southeastern North Carolina. And also, I write short stories and poetry. So there's a book, this is a book called The Black Panther Party Reconsidered. JJ: You wanna lift that up? Yeah. Okay. 6 �ML: Black Panther Party Reconsidered, and I have a long poem in there. JJ: Who wrote that? ML: The editor of this book is Doctor Charles Jones, and I wrote a poem in it called “Once I was a Panther,” which was a reprint from an earlier magazine that was in Indiana. This magazine, I had a poem in there. So they reprint the poem from here into his book, and so that's chapter three. JJ: That’s called the “Black American Literature Forum?” ML: Yeah. Correct. Yeah. Now, they call it “African American Review.” And I write short stories. One of my short stories, this is the book on short stories, this book has short stories from all over the diaspora. JJ: So that’s your book? ML: I have chapter in there. JJ: (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) chapter in it? Okay. ML: So I have a chapter, and my short story in there is called “La Línea Negra”, which means the black line. So, like, if [00:11:00] you're having a baby, if you're a woman of color, and when your abdomen starts growing, that's what the medical term is, la línea negra. So if they had to do a C-section. So I don't know why I thought of that. And then if you're a light lady, then they call it la línea blanca. So wherever they gonna have the line if they had to do a C-section when you’re pregnant, or embarazada. JJ: So you speak a little Spanish. ML: Yeah, you know -- JJ: Where did you get that at? 7 �ML: Well, a couple of things. My father, when we were kids, when you got big enough, when you got like 12, 14, he took you to work with him at Christmas time and at summertime to start teaching you how to earn money. So he worked on the North Side. He worked on Chicago and Damen approximately. And so it was very international. You could hear people speaking Russian, Polish, German. [00:12:00] So my father picked up Spanish from work because when you work with people, you pick up what you hear around you. You know, some guy said, (Spanish) or (Spanish) or whatever. JJ: (Spanish), yeah. Yeah. ML: Or cuidado, you know, like, “Watch out.” So you pick those things up. JJ: Because Chicago and Damen was a Spanish area, Puerto Rican area? ML: It was everything, you know. Yeah. JJ: But there were Spanish people working with him? ML: Yeah. So he worked with some Panamanian guys. JJ: Oh, Panamanian. Okay. ML: And then I went to school at Von Steuben on the North Side. And so Von Stueben had people -- JJ: Where's Van [sic] Stueben? ML: Von Steuben's on, I think, 20, Kimball. Kimball on the North Side is the same thing as Homan. So you can say Homan and between Foster and Lawrence. So it's in the 1500 block. And, when I went to school, it was predominantly Jewish. And so [00:13:00] they had a program called permissive transfers. So if you went to a school in Chicago, or your home high school was overcrowded, you 8 �could transfer to a less crowded school, which actually was a slick way for Chicago to get around with the question of integration and building high schools for the population density. So my home school would have been John Marshall, which is on Kedzie, I guess, and Adams, right? And so I chose to go over there because other people were in my neighborhood, when they switched, were supposed to get a better education. But I never realized that I was going to be on the public transportation like an hour and a half each way. So in my memory, I have memorized the Chicago subway system because for four years, every day, I would leave home maybe, say, 6:30 to get to a class at 8:30, eight o'clock. You know, and if it snowed, then you had to get up much earlier like your parents ’cause you gotta be on time. So we caught the subway -- [00:14:00] JJ: But this is a high school or a grammar -- ML: High school? This is a high school. JJ: You caught the subway? ML: I caught the subway. It’s always multiple ways to go, but I would either catch -get on the subway in Chicago at Pulaski on the line that goes down the Eisenhower Expressway. It's changed colors, but it’s still the train to the same... And you take it to either Jackson or Washington at the transfer point. And then you take the line going up north and you get off either Belmont or Fullerton, and then you take the Ravenswood train all the way down to, actually, the end of the line, almost like if you're going to Northeastern University. And then you walk to school or you can catch the bus. It's two blocks. So that was a program called permissive transfer and that's one of the reasons I -- 9 �JJ: Triathlon. (laughs) ML: Huh? JJ: Triathlon. ML: Yeah. Or [00:15:00] you could get the Jackson bus or some bus from where you were to Homan, and then you take the Homan bus 50 blocks, and that's a long time, you know. So we learned different ways. Depends upon the mood and time of day. You know, in the morning, you trying to get to school quickly. And so you learn the subway system because you can't fall asleep, then you might miss your train, then you're late for school. And that's a whole culture being on the subway every day. JJ: That’s a long day then. (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) ML: It's a long day, yeah. And if you've got eight o'clock class, you might leave at 6:30 because if you leave at 7:00, traffic is heavy. It's just like going to work with you're a parent or adult. So you learn it. And Chicago has always had a system where students get a bus pass or something. You pay for a bus pass so it's a reduced fare. But you learn the system and you learn the culture, like you don't go to sleep on the L, on the [00:16:00] bus if you can, you know. JJ: Why are you saying that? ML: Because somebody’ll roll you. Somebody will rob you. And you don't show any wealth, you know? You got to keep your (inaudible) away. So recently I brought my son here and we went over on public transportation University of Chicago and to the Museum of Science. Museum of Science is around the lake, and you can walk from Museum of Science to University of Chicago. So I was trying to teach 10 �him something. He put his headphones on. I said, “You can't do that.” JJ: You’re trying to not teach him, school him. (laughs) ML: School him, because what happens is you get rolled. Can you put that on pause for a second? JJ: Sure. (break in audio) ML: Yeah, my son grew up in North Carolina. I live in North Carolina. I live in the [small market?] Fayetteville, North Carolina. So my son isn’t a city person. He put his headphones on, like for his iPod and listening to music. I said, “You can't do that and walk down the street.” He says, “Why?” I said, “Because you've got to be able to hear [00:17:00] the L, so you know if you've got to run faster to the L. And you got to be able to hear somebody behind you. If they're walking, you can hear their heels, and you got to be able to hear what they're saying. So you got to know, be able to sense threats and non-threats in the environment. And also if you have your headphones and you got an iPod that's open.” My son is small. He's like 5’5”, and he's maybe 130 pounds. So, you know, some guys would say, “Hey, we can take an iPod. iPod a hundred and some dollars. And we take that from you because you're small, you know.” So I was trying to tell him, you can't do this. You have to, you have to learn how to survive in the city. Whether you're in Chicago or New York, the rules are the same. You got to pay attention to your environment. You can't act weak. You got to be able to know when you got to exert force and don't talk. You got to be able, we used to say, “Don't sell wolf cookies.” Because a guy that's talk -- Wolf cookies is when you 11 �talk and you tell somebody, “I'm gonna punch you in your mouth.” That guy might hit you [00:18:00] while you talkin’, you know. (laughter) So they say, if you're not -JJ: Before you finish your sentence, you’ll get hit. ML: That's right. So if you gonna do something, hit him, but you make sure you hit him and knock him down and knock him out, and then he'll leave you alone. But don't sell wolf cookies because if you sell wolf cookies, or you're talking trash, somebody else might hit you in the back of the head with a two by four. So, you know, the issue of urban culture is one of understanding force, and when to use force and when to use respect. Because you gotta be respectful for other people, but you also gotta know you gotta set some boundaries where people don't violate your space and you don't violate theirs. And so if you can do that, you halfway can get along, but you also can't let people punk you out because if they punk you out once, they always gon’ punk you out. So you have to know how to hold your own. So it's just like playing basketball. In basketball, guys come in and they throw elbows and they push. [00:19:00] Well that's part of the game. But there's a limit to it, and if they go beyond that limit, then, you know, that's how you see in sports games that people violate the rules. Like when United States was playing, I think, Argentina and [Carmello?], the guy plays for New York he shot and guy from Argentina came back and gave him a elbow after the shot. Well, that's not part of the game. That was being vicious. So then the other guys say, we got to fight because you can't let somebody do that. Right? So that's what I was trying to teach my son is that you have to understand that, 12 �one, there are predators out here, and you don't want to be the one that they appear to be weak. So there always going to be somebody bigger than you, faster than you. Well, a lot of times they are not going to want to mess with you if they know that you're willing to exert amount of force to defend yourself or protect yourself. JJ: (inaudible) your son’s name? ML: My son's name is Gahiji. It's an African name. JJ: Oh yeah. (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) ML: And his [00:20:00] name is in a lot of Eastern languages. It's in Arabic. It's in Swahili. It's a Bantu, which means Bantu languages or trade languages. They're like languages that were created for one guy is from what is now called Saudi Arabia and somebody else is from Tanzania. They create a language, generally at a port, where everybody can talk. So Swahili has Arabic in it, it has African languages in it. So Swahili’s spoken, I think, in about 15 countries from all over the eastern Africa, where you can say from Tanzania, Mozambique, the Congo, Oman, some Kenya, places on the coast where people come together. So just like Miami. When you go to Miami, you can speak three languages in two miles, you know. You got [00:21:00] Little Haiti and you can speak French or Creole, whichever you learned in school or learned in the community. You can go to Little Havana and speak Spanish and you can speak English, and you can hear Caribbean accents where there’s Caribbean. British speaking English, you know, from Jamaica or Barbados or Bahamas. And you can hear Spanish from different countries, and you can hear generally Haitian, Creole, or could be 13 �Martinique, too. So it's just, you know, people speak the languages in which their parents and grandparents spoke. So my son's name is Gahiji, and I wanted to give him an African name because that's part of his heritage and also to make him aware. One of the legacies of TV in this country is that everything has been Eurocentric where it doesn't really represent a lot of Latinos and African Americans and Asians truly. So you have what we used to call like the Charlie [00:22:00] Chan-ish movies, you know, like, okay, only this one guy is smart, you know. What about all these other guys around here that's Asian? Or, unfortunately, a lot of times in movies in this country, the Hispanic roles were the maid. The lady was always the maid. The lady who was in West Side Story. She probably played maid 50 times. Or Hattie McDaniel, who was a singer. JJ: You’re not thinking about Rita Moreno? ML: Yeah. JJ: She plays a maid? ML: Yeah. Yeah. And Hattie McDaniel played the maid. She used to say, “Well, I'd rather play a maid and be rich and have a maid.” But, you know, it's a question sometimes it's dignity. So one of the things that we really didn't like is the Tarzan movies. Where Tarzan is one guy, he's there, he's Superman. He's smarter than everybody else, and he's running through the jungle, so make the Africans look stupid. And, you know, Tarzan, Jane, [00:23:00] and Boy, you know. It's like, okay. So, you know, that was almost like a slicker way of Birth of a Nation. It's really a racist and imperialist movie. So, you know, we gave him an African name because that's part of his heritage, and that way he’d always know some of 14 �that. So my son's been to Africa. And the reason we took him to Africa -JJ: What’s his mother’s name? ML: His mother name is [Patricia Blackwell?]. And we took him to Zimbabwe because, at that point, Mugabe was president, and we wanted to see Zimbabwe and see what they did. We also saw that Zimbabwe was underdeveloped in some ways. There's two things. One is, it’s one thing to be a guerrilla and another one to be administrator. So you might be a good guerrilla and a good fighter. That does not mean that transcribes or translates to being a good statesman. Right? So kicking out the [00:24:00] British and the white settlers was one struggle, but then how do you form society? And in some ways, Zimbabwe has lost a lot of potential where, how do you organize the farms? How do you organize the transport? How do you keep the roads straight? That's a big issue. That's very complicated. And they were able to have a national flag, but a lot of the wealth in society was not organized properly. And it's a struggle where someone comes from someplace and takes the land from the indigenous people, and they might have it for 100 years, but they never paid for it. And then when one group of people have it, and you've got millions of people who are landless or peasants, and they’re peasants because somebody else has consolidated the land, how do you spread that wealth out? And how do you do that and then keep society going? [00:25:00] How do you keep the farm going, keeping the export and import going, keeping the taxes going? And that didn't go very well in Zimbabwe, but we saw that. And then he also went to Tanzania, and there was a guy named Julius Nyerere who talked about African socialism. And 15 �it's a hard thing to keep all this stuff straight, you know, where you -- One thing he did do extremely well was he decided that we're in Africa, we should speak in African language. Why should we speak English? English is the British language. My grandmother, his grandmother, may not have spoke English well. And so why couldn't you have plays and stories in his grandmother's language? So they decided as a nation to make Swahili the national language. That wasn't very many people's national language, but you gotta choose one. So they made Swahili, and he was [an educator?] and he translated Shakespeare into Swahili. So for commerce or for government, [00:26:00] you had to learn Swahili. So eventually, I took a course in Swahili. So we showed him that. So that way, in his mind, he'll never have the image of, like, the whole Tarzan. Africa is not the South. It's a whole different situation. I mean, whether you talk about South Africa and apartheid and Southern segregation, different situation. So he's also been to South Africa. JJ: What are the differences? ML: The differences are quite different. One is, let's say in South Africa, you had an armed state to 1994, and you had an African majority, but you had a minority that had all the guns and, through the guns and investments, controlled society. And also, [00:27:00] you can devastate a culture because you make it where that culture is not important. So, like, say the question of language. I recently saw a musician named Hugh Masekela, who toured all over the world. He plays the trumpet. He lived in the United States a long time. And he's talked about, you know, a time where his parents like jazz and people all over the world like jazz, 16 �everybody plays jazz. They put their input in it. There's jazz from Argentina, there's jazz from New York, there's jazz from Copenhagen, there’s jazz in South Africa. So everybody hears their own rhythm, and they look at the system, and they put in, so it's a little influence. But he talked about how his parents liked to hear jazz, you know. And so the title of a lot of jazz songs from the United States, of course, are in English, but the music, they listen to the music, and he talked about when they didn't speak English. So people have always spoke [00:28:00] their indigenous or their national languages without speaking the language of, quote, the imperialists or the people who are trying to take over. So in South Africa, even to this day, we have townships that have extreme poverty where people built on hills or mountains. So the word Soweto means Southwest Township. It's a result of bringing people to the city and they had to work in the mines. So for people who are in the metropolitan area, it may take you an hour to get to downtown Johannesburg from Soweto because that's how it's built. So at one point they were trying to make the cities just white and the Blacks and the Coloureds, and that's a whole different thing we're talking about, Coloureds. Where they lived on the surrounding. JJ: Surrounding the city? ML: Surround the city, and you go in to work during the day and then you come back out. JJ: The periphery (inaudible) ML: Right. [00:29:00] Yeah. I don't know if it's the same, the impression that I get, that some urban areas, they want to make it very expensive and very exclusive. 17 �And then the workers just come in, do the work, then they go back out. JJ: Exactly. So in Chicago, that is being done where the poor -- ML: Right. JJ: -- live in the periphery. ML: Right. JJ: They used to live in the central city. ML: Right, they used to live in the center, and it's a reversal. JJ: I'm not saying it's the same, but it's similar to -- ML: Yes, it's similar. And so when you, when you talk to Hugh Masekela and, I mean, a lot of these musicians are like very, very open. They'll talk to you and... Hugh Masekela, I saw him playing. He was playing with a guy from Baltimore who also grew up in Harlem. And they went to school together and somebody got him and some more people together. One of the other students, peers, decided do an album [while there?]. So this guy was from Baltimore, and he was over playing with Hugh Masekela. And Hugh Masekela, I mean, he doesn't carry a entourage, [00:30:00] a manager, bodyguard. So I'm there working as a journalist and he's eating dinner. People stop and interrupt him. And I had this guy from Baltimore because I met him earlier. I said, “You know, he needs somebody, a road manager or something, to tell people, you know, he's trying to eat dinner.” He just stops and talks to ’em, shakes their hand. (laughter) He says, “He's always been like that.” Where a lot of people would say, you know, “I'm trying to eat dinner. I can't talk to you now.” But he's very gracious. But in talking to him and listening to their stories, they'll tell you how, let's say if you were in Chicago, you lived in 18 �Lincoln Park, and they decided, you can't be in Lincoln Park anymore. So they came and bulldozed where Hugh Masekela lived, and they had to go out to some township. Well, I met people in South Africa all over there, and in South Africa they had this thing called Coloureds, which Coloureds means that either you're Indian or you're mixed race. And whenever you put men and women together, somebody gonna like each other. All right? So their concept of [00:31:00] Coloured is your father could be, or mother could be, from Asia. And South Africa has a substantial Asian population. So places like Durban, it has a huge Indian population from India. Where Imma say India because India, one time, was bigger where Pakistan wasn’t separated and all that. So, and Gandhi came there. And Gandhi was an attorney and he was all dressed up, and he had a first-class ticket, and they kicked him off the train. That radicalized him because he was an attorney, and like, hey, I paid my fare. No, you can't get in there even though you speak good British English and you’re an attorney, you know. They kicked him off. So South Africa, all throughout there, you find people who their parents had fertile land and they were taken off. They were removed, and they never get the land back. And so back to Zimbabwe, that's a question of what happens when a community has been [00:32:00] stripped of the land which they had for generations. So they become landless, and in many cases, they become impoverished because land isn’t something that you can create. So South Africa is very different. One, like many people at home, most South Africans spoke another language. They didn't speak English at home. So English was a language for school or for business. So their parents might speak Zulu or Xhosa 19 �or Ndebele. Like President Mandela speaks a lot of languages, but his family's language at home was Xhosa. So they do it, actually, with a [key?]. They had (clicks tongue) Xhosa. And so, yeah, he learned a lot of languages, but that might be the language that your grandmother hollers at you or tell you that dinner’s ready, you know. So there’s a question, because it makes it where they had to decide when they [00:33:00] came to power, when the majority came to power, they have, now, 11 national languages. Where in Tanzania, they said they're going to have one national language, which was Kiswahili, and English was a second language, and then they had regional languages. And as a government, how do you publish reports or stories or textbooks in 11 languages? That's very hard and expensive. And so the legacy of colonialism is awesome. And then people start thinking that their language isn't important because the textbook is in English. So why should I, you know, my language isn't important and nobody writes hardly in my -- So there's a big struggle about national language in South Africa, and then all over the world, because, you know, the impact of the British or even, let's say if you're a mechanic and the instructions are all in English, so you got to learn English to repair this motor because the instructions there as opposed [00:34:00] to instructions in Zulu or Xhosa or Ndebele or something like that. JJ: So that's why you named your son -- ML: Gahiji. JJ: Okay. Well, I mean, that's not the only reason. ML: That’s not the only one. 20 �JJ: You were definitely into studying about your culture. ML: Yeah. I have a degree in African-American studies and political science from University of Illinois. I graduated from there. I was born in Chicago. I am a firstgeneration college student and graduate. So my father and mother didn't graduate from high school. My mother got a GED from, which was now we call it Crane Junior College, which now would be Malcolm X Community College. And my father dropped out, and he never went back. And so going to college was a big thing for my parents, you know. It's a big push because my grandparents, [00:35:00] I would think from talking to them, they spent most of their life working. So probably when you're 10 or 12, you start working on the farm full time. And so you drop out of school maybe in fifth, sixth grade. I don't know. Which means that the issue of higher education, even graduating from high school, for many people up to World War Two or until the ’60s, was a big deal. You know, you graduated from high school. Wow, you might be the first one. So I have an uncle that graduated from high school, went to the military, used his G.I. Bill to go to university. And he was the first one in the family. And I know my family's been in this country 200 years had ever gone to college. And he went to University of Illinois Medical Center, and he was a pharmacist. And he had a pharmacy on the South Side. And a lot of people used the G.I. Bill. G.I. Bill is a bill where you go to the army and part of your salary is saved so that you can go to college, [00:36:00] and you get money when you go to college. You might be able to go four years or something like that. Depends how many years you spent in the military also. So a lot of people used that to advance, whether it's a trade or it's a 21 �university education. So my father didn't have that. So for his kids to go to college, it was a big deal. They want you to go to college to do better. And also many of the plants in Chicago weren't unionized. So the trade union movement in Chicago, if you got with some of the unions, like the carpenters union, the plumbers unions, the electricians union, you had a livable wage, and your children could go to school. You could buy a house. You could live in a safe neighborhood. That's where everybody wants. And the non-union plant -JJ: Safety. Everybody wants safety? ML: Everybody wants safety. Everybody wants to know that if their mother, their girlfriend, or their kids are walking home, nobody's going to shoot at them, nobody's going to steal their purse. [00:37:00] You don't want to see drugs dealing on the corner by your grandmother's house, you know. They don't want to be terrorized. And they also don't want police abuse because the police in Chicago have a big history of being terrorists. Where I've been stopped all over this country, and the policemen will act like gang bangers and throw people up against the wall and search you and harass people and have trumped up charges, make stuff, because even if you win, you lose because you spend so much energy fighting them. So that's a considerable amount of energy where you have to spend thousands of dollars to defend yourself. Well, that money could be going towards good, but they have a in-house attorney. And so, politically, they can keep funding that law department and you're using other monies just to defend yourself. [00:38:00] So that's the police. My experience with the Chicago police has not been good. And it was really interesting when I 22 �went to Cuba and I found police that were humane. I'm like, wow, you know, please play baseball with us. They didn't, you know, try to plant dope on me or... One time the Chicago police took me because I was selling Panther papers in the subway of Chicago, which I wasn't supposed to do. That was against the Panther rules. You know, they said, don't do stuff that’ll get you arrested. JJ: You were a member of the Panthers? ML: I was a member. I was a member of Illinois chapter, Black Panther Party. I was community work, and I sold Panther papers in school and after school, and I sold them on the subway, and the police put me in the berry. So that's part of my point. And we're gonna pause now for a second. (break in audio) ML: I think I started associating with the Panthers, it was like a logical thing. [00:39:00] Paul Coates, who is a publisher, who's a Panther leader in Baltimore, has a book called... He wrote an essay in that. He talks about, he's a librarian by training, he says it was logical. He was a marine. He came back and things weren't better. I mean, he had been overseas fighting or in the service. And so some of the defining acts for me was, I remember when Martin Luther King was assassinated, you know, 1968. And we lived on West Side on Van Buren and Springfield. And people was like, a lot of stuff was burning up. And there was apartment buildings burning up because a lot of cases, businesses on the first floor, and apartment buildings on the top. And my father said, “Man, people are burning up their own neighborhood.” A lot of cases was, it’s never been rebuilt. But there's anger. 23 �JJ: What year was this? ML: This is 1968. You know, and you’s like, well, how do you --- JJ: This is after Martin Luther King? What...? [00:40:00] ML: When he got assassinated in April. JJ: (inaudible) So you're talking about the riots? ML: Right, the riot. And the question is, are you hurting or helping yourself? You know, there's anger, but if you burn up your own community, what do you prove? And also, then there's no place to shop. So when I went to college in ’72, we had a professor named Doctor Beverly, and he made us -- he didn't make us. We took a class called interview techniques. He had us go to the senior citizens homes and the senior citizens homes, you know, he taught us how to talk to people who were 70 or 80 years old, how to dress. You don't put a microphone in their face the first time, but he said -- So I interviewed the lady who was here in the 19-teens, and she talked about after the veterans came back from World War One some of these guys were swimming, and Lake Michigan used to have this imaginary line that [00:41:00] if you were Black, you didn't suppose to cross the line. Right? So then, evidently, somebody's supposed to swim across this line and people brick this Black guy who was a veteran and killed him. Right? Or killed this Black guy. I’m not sure if he was a veteran but he was Black guy. So that started a race riot and people were killed. But she said that what happened is they stopped bringing food in the Black community. And in 1919, the Black community in Chicago was much smaller. Right? Because Chicago is a port city, so people migrated here. Chicago is a city that -- Cities are built. People 24 �just aren’t there forever. Like, you know, even 150 years ago, New York wouldn’t be here. So the Black community, in those days, may have only gone to Racine or something like that. And then on the South Side, maybe to 43rd Street or something. So she said they stopped bringing food in the community. And then we also listened to some tapes from [00:42:00] our professor’s elders, he was from Texas, and listening to his uncles and stuff about what happened in Texas, certain things, you know. So you start learning about power. You know, what’s power? Power isn’t just the vote. Power is economics and control of your environment, and I remembered that. And then my other thing that’s defining, that my brothers used to go to Alabama to the farm to be with the grandparents because that’s very traditional that people would send the kids in the summertime, when they’re small and the parents are trying to work and get established, with the aunts of the grandparents or something. And they would keep them and plus they’d like keeping the kids. And I said, “Well, why didn’t I go to the South, mom, like my big brother?” And my mother said, “’Cause of Emmett Till.” And I didn’t know who Emmett Till was ’cause I was a kid. Right? And then she says, “Other thing, you were born in Chicago, so you don’t know how to act like [00:43:00] around white people.” JJ: Who was Emmett Till? ML: Emmett Till was a 14-year-old African American male, whose father was a veteran and got killed in the war, who went to Mississippi in the ’50s. He had [a lisp?]. He stuttered. Okay? And so a technique that many people do when they stutter, they learned how to kind of whistle. Like one of my uncles had a 25 �pronounced speech impediment. So that’s a technique that therapists use. And so it’s told, and I saw some of his relatives when they did a movie, a guy from Louisiana did a movie with the family, that they goaded him. ’Cause he’s the Chicago, he’s the city boy. But people always talk about the contradictions. So if you’re from the country, the city boy comes home, now he’s in your territory, so he’s dumb and you’re smart. Or reverse if you’re in the city, and you’re from the country. Then you gon’ play jokes on that person. All right. So they’re supposed to have goaded him to [00:44:00] say something to this lady who was an adult and married and managed a store, her and her husband owned the store, or relatives, family owned the store, in Mississippi. I think in Money, Mississippi. And he allegedly said something to her, and they think he whistled at her, which, in the 1950s, whistling at a white woman was, like, forbidden. That was a death sentence. So her husband and his brother, or brother-in-law, came to the cabin, which he was living with his grandfather and uncle, and took him. They came with a loaded .45, like 2 o’clock in the morning. They took him, and he’s 14, and he doesn’t know the rules of the South. He knows the city. And in theory, they’re supposed to scare him, and he was supposed to beg. And he didn’t do that. And they beat him, and they killed him, and then they put a chicken fan -[00:45:00] a gin mill fan around his neck and threw him in the river. And they found him several days later, and the sheriff down there tried to bury him immediately, and his mother said no, and came back. Now, there’s is a funeral home owner called A.A. Rayner. A. A. Rayner buried Fred Hampton. He also buried Emmett Till. So in the ’50s, when he came back, his body just stank so 26 �much because it’s been decomposing in the river, that when they opened it up, his mother, like, fainted, and his face was all disconfigured, and you had all this press about that. A.A. Rayner had the funeral there, and they had people all around the block, you know. And so, as a result, many people stopped sending their kids unescorted to the South because they said if that could happen to somebody else’s kid, they didn’t want that happening. So my mother said that wouldn’t happen. So later, [00:46:00] when I got in high school, I got a book on Emmett Till and I’m like, “Oh, so this is what happened.” So that, you know, those are defining acts. And for the parents, that’s a act of survival ’cause they don’t want their kids to get hurt. So that’s what happened there. And then A.A. Rayner, he also was a person that got the Black Panther Party their first lease. He signed the lease for them. JJ: On Madison? ML: On Madison, yeah. So this guy -- JJ: Madison and Western. ML: Madison and Western. The Panther office was 2350 West Madison. And he was funeral homeowner, and at one point he had at least two locations. So he had one on the West Side and one on the South Side. He signed the lease for them. So the Panthers -- because that’s a way, a lot of people do things in support. They may not make a speech, but in a way, that’s a support where this guy is vouching that, you know, every month this rent is going to be paid and utilities [na na na?]. And so [00:47:00] he did that, and I did not know, until I read a second book, that Fred Hampton’s family knew Emett Till’s family ’cause everybody was 27 �out in the western suburbs. They were in [Lisle?], and, you know, people move back and forth. So those are some of the defining acts. I saw Fred Hampton speak. I never met Fred Hampton. He was a brilliant speaker. They used to have rallies down, which now be would called Grant Park. JJ: So what was your impression? You say was a brilliant...? ML: Oh, yeah. Brilliant, articulate, young, vibrant, energetic, charismatic. And many people are trained, or they horn [sic] their skills in various organizations. So some of them do it through the church, some through the NAACP, some through baseball and football, whatever, you know, some through community groups, Black clubs, you know, associations. So he was [00:48:00] very articulate and very, very well read, and women liked him because he had dimples. He was cute, you know. And we went to his funeral. My mother and I, we went to the funeral. No, my mother did not, she was here when Emmett Till died, but she didn’t go to the funeral if I remember, but everybody saw if you look at the regional and Chicago would be the Chicago Defender, but the regional paper’s where I mean. Even Mayor Daley supported the family because this was a travesty. Mayor Daley was the longtime mayor, the senior Mayor Daley in Chicago, Richard M. Daley. Because, I mean, children, a 14-year-old boy is a 14-year-old boy. That’s ha-- JJ: You’re talking Emmett Till? ML: Emmett Till. JJ: Mayor Daley. ML: Where Mayor Daley supported the family. 28 �JJ: Not Fred Hampton? ML: No, not Fred Hampton. JJ: (laughs) ML: So when Emmett Till’s mother came back, he was supportive. I’m not sure all what he did, but [00:49:00] there’s references in terms of a book, and there’s a video about Emmett Till. There’s a movie that from Emmett Till’s mother, [Mabel?] Till, slash because she got married again. They talked about that, you know, that was just like a travesty. How do you kill him? 14-year-old boy. So those are some defining acts. Also, poverty and a little opportunity, a little education, is a dangerous formula because you see the contradictions, and then you start reading and you know they can be better. So just like, H. Rap Brown had a statement in a speech. He said that white people will make more revolutionaries than he ever could. And he said the reason he said that was in Newark, when they had the urban rebellion, the police was so brutal to people, they would just stop and beat up people. And [00:50:00] that changed people because some people are bystanders. So I’ll give you an example. My oldest brother is not a political person, but he was downtown during the Democratic Convention in Chicago in 1968, and he saw that the police was just beating up young people. So you could be walking from work or going someplace to a coffee shop, and, you know, you watching the demonstrations or something, and they were just randomly hit people whether you had long hair, short hair, you were dark, Black, white, whatever. And that radicalizes people. So the experience of going to Von Steuben -- I went to elementary school at Delano 29 �Elementary School which is on Springfield and Adams, Wilcox. And the school was overcrowded so they start building trailers instead of saying, “Well, we need to build a bigger school.” Right? [00:51:00] And you used to see that some cases people stop people’s growth. And then you go on North Side, and you see the school is clean, the neighborhood is clean. You know? Why can’t I live like this? You know, you start questioning that, and you want to change society. You want to change the world. And I think that’s what a lot of that was about. We wanted to change the world. We didn’t want to become the imperialists. We wanted to everybody have a good life. Everybody should have a clean neighborhood. I was on South Side yesterday and where we were, someone had two guards at the door. And someone got shot two blocks down. That’s why the guy -- we didn’t know it. He said that’s why I got it. So nobody (inaudible) craziness coming in here. But, you know, people shouldn’t have to live like that. That’s a genocide in itself where people are constantly getting shot, [00:52:00] you know. And they’re getting shot because somebody throws up a gang sign or somebody bumps into each other or a drug deal or you got my corner and what you call your territory. So some of that is craziness, and it self-perpetuates. So we wanted to change society and have a new world order, and where everybody woulda had equal share of society. And some things have changed. JJ: Who were some of the people that you were working with in the Panthers? ML: Well, it’s the Panthers, but it’s also a long history. So, for example, when you start reading about the Pullman porters, these guys were talking about, you know, “Hey, we should have some dignity as porters,” or the trade unionists all 30 �over the country, whether they were in Wisconsin or Alabama, New York. You know, “Hey, you know, people should get a livable wage. If you have industrial accidents, [00:53:00] you should get compensated, you shouldn’t get fired.” Those are the kind of things that helped build that, and so the question is, what do you want? So, for example, public housing in Chicago. When I grew up, on the West Side, it was all black. So you start saying, okay. So then I went to New York, our cousin in New York. And public housing in New York, everybody has in. I’m like, wow. (laughter) You know, it’s like, you got Latinos, you got Blacks, you got Asians, you got everybody in public housing because public housing. So politically, somebody starting saying, “Well, where would they have?” But also the infrastructure, because public housing in itself is not bad. It’s the maintenance. If you keep up a building you can keep up a 200-year-old building and it looks good. The White House is how many years old? Hundreds of years old. It’s the maintenance. You keep it up. But some of the dynamics of [00:54:00] the elevators and people and young people and, you know, because urine smells bad. JJ: So that’s interesting. So you’re saying that the city, because they were owned by the city, was not keeping up the maintenance. ML: Nope. The projects on the West Side, I almost got killed in the projects on the West Side ’cause the Panthers came and you were assigned to do what we call community work. So I was passing out leaflets in the projects off of Lake Street and in the 20s. So you go down there, you pass out leaflets talking about different programs. And in the 60s, they had this group called the [Mod?] Squad 31 �and they had these big [Mountain Dew?] hat, the Mod hat. And, you know, Malcolm X, in his book, talked about a rule that you’s never supposed to break. When you break the rules, you get in trouble. You’re always supposed to watch the door. All right? Well, in the projects when I was growing up, they didn’t have [00:55:00] fences all the way up to the top. So in some ways, it wasn’t real safe if you had small kids. So people could throw stuff out. So there’s like a chain-link fence that kind of sits out, and I had my back turned to the building. Someone threw a chair seat, the wood part of a chair seat, down. And I guess the wind wasn’t strong enough and it hit right behind me. Fell right behind me. If the wind was a little further or they had got their angle a little further, and if I don’t know what fall went on, but the impact when it hit the ground now, “Boom!” And everybody, “Oooh.” And you look up, everybody goes back in the project building. I might have been a vegetable, you know. But so the question gets to be, does it make sense having people in 13- and 14-story buildings and 10 apartment buildings, 10 apartments on the same floor, and you don’t have good maintenance? [00:56:00] Now, you had the same almost configuration, but it’s not open, all over Chicago. You got 37 stories and people are paying market rate, and it works, but they get good maintenance. So it’s not necessarily just that -JJ: Because, you know, they kicked a bunch of people out of Cabrini-Green. ML: That’s right. JJ: So what do you think about that? Those were low income (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) 32 �ML: Yeah, I think -- JJ: But there was a drug problem (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) ML: No, definitely. I think maybe three flats, so they’re called row houses may work better than creating a vertical village ’cause in some cases, it’s harder to manage. JJ: So you agree with them kicking them out? ML: I don’t agree with drug lords running public housing. JJ: With who? ML: Drug lords. So, like, for example, in Cabrini-Green at some point, you had [00:57:00] some gangs, like -- I’m not going to mention the gang, but some gangs running the projects. And they had it like a military state where they could go from apartment to apartment. They took wholes of floors out, and, you know, if the police come and they’re going to go to 10A they can move everything down to 15B or something. But also poverty on top of poverty is real hard to break, and sometimes people capitalize on that. And the whole drug business can devastate more people than gentrification because, like, on the West Side there are some open-air drug markets off of Pulaski, and you can see the signals and the guys, you know. What’s going on at twelve, two o’clock in the morning. [00:58:00] You got 14-year-olds, you know, it’s business. All you got to do is sit back and watch. So it scares people away because people don’t want to be around that. JJ: So the drug lords should not run the projects. ML: No, they shouldn’t run the project. 33 �JJ: Because they’re affecting the people that live there. ML: Right, right. JJ: But what happens to the people that live there when the projects close down? ML: They get spread out over the community. JJ: How do you feel about that? ML: They get spread out. JJ: How do you feel about them being spread out? ML: Well, I think that’s a reality of not having control, owning the land. So if you don’t own the land, and you’re in this situation, it’s not working, and they tear down this building that has a hundred units in it, they got to go someplace. So they go to Maywood, and they go to Harvey and East Chicago Heights and Joliet and Aurora and all over, which actually is harder to live in because Chicago has tremendously [00:59:00] well-developed infrastructure for subways. In Chicago, you don’t need a car for most places. You can get on the subway or the bus because you’ve got a network that is world-class so you can -- You got six subway lines or something like that. So if you were going to work in Chicago, you could probably get to work in the city on a subway and a bus. But if you live in Joliet, and you’ve got to come to Chicago, you gotta have a car. So it’s a vicious cycle where -- If you have something that doesn’t work, you gotta change it. So I think the idea of public housing was supposed to be temporary after World War Two, where the veterans coming home supposed to go to public housing while they built houses for them, and then it got transformed. JJ: It was a temporary -- 34 �ML: Temporary. So then it got transformed where it was a permanent thing and people, some cases, multiple generations, [01:00:00] and it didn’t work. And I’m going to get an example for urine. Nobody likes to smell a urine. It stinks. And one person urinates in the elevator, and the elevator is used by 200 people a day, unless you’ve got somebody per shift in maintenance is going to clean that elevator if somebody does that, that affects 200 people that use that or 200 families. So you have to have, you know, really good maintenance. And really, I think that the community needs to own it. You know, you can’t have it where somebody else owns it or controls it, where the maintenance people have to be controlled. And they actually need to be superior when you’ve got more young people who use things and may use it in a rougher environment. You know, young kids, when they’re 16 to 18, using their parents stuff, can be rough on it. But when they get 25 or 30 and they own that car, they’re not so rough on the car. But when it’s dad’s car or mom’s car, [01:01:00] they don’t care. So I think that’s an issue of values and usage. JJ: So where did people go after they left Cabrini-Green? ML: Oh, they went out to Melrose, where they call Roseland, and they got scattered. You just disperse it. You not changing the situation. You’re just taking that concentration and you’re scattering it. So, for example, I’ll give you what I know about. You took kids from Chicago and you transplanted them. Well, if they had bad habits in Chicago, they just took the bad habits to Alabama, Mississippi, or Memphis. You know? Or you take kids from New York, and they go back to where their parents were. So in some cases, when people get in trouble, what 35 �you do? You send ’em to grandma ’cause you say, well, better environment. So that’s why the question is, how do we correct the problem as opposed to transplant, transferring the problem? JJ: What do you suggest [01:02:00] [that would?] correct? ML: I would say how do we correct the problem? JJ: How do we correct the drug lord and -- ML: Well, I think one is you -- JJ: And then, you know, getting people away from that and then investing in them (inaudible) somehow? (inaudible) ML: I think you got to get people where, tap their imaginations, where they do things that excite them, that interest them. And also give them an alternative ’cause gangs give you a structure. People like structure. Church is a structure. Gangs is a structure. Political organizations is a structure. You got a hierarchy, you got a culture, you got some camaraderie and some brotherhood and some cohesiveness. Like, we’re going to do this together. We’re going to support each other. So I think that there’s a lot of opportunity in the Green Movement. I think there’s a lot of opportunity where people can have work, livable skills. JJ: In the Green Movement? ML: Green Movement, solar energy, water. I’ll give you the example. Humboldt Park, Garfield Park, Douglas Park, [01:03:00] they’re all beautiful parks. They got lagoons. They got fieldhouses. They got a lot of land. Most of our churches have land, but it’s just grass. So why couldn’t we have community gardens there? Most of our elders know how to garden. They grew up on farms, and 36 �plus it gives them something to do, and then they can transfer those skills to the youth. But if the youth are going to be motivated to do something, they’re not going to sit at home and watch TV ’cause that’s not interesting. We’re social people. We’re pack animals. So people like being around other people. So they gonna hang out with people similar to them. So we’ve got to be able to tap that energy and that imagination ’cause I know people can figure out how to break in anything, but I also know people who can build anything. So the question is how to tap that imagination and do it so it’s good because one of the things I was seeing this rapper named Jay-Z, who’s married to Beyoncé, who’s saying that he was selling drugs, but he realized that there was only gon’ [01:04:00] be two conclusions to that. He was either gonna die ’cause something was gonna wrong because it’s a tough business or he’s gonna go to jail ’cause eventually if you selling drugs somebody either going to tell on you or the police gon’ stop you or something’s gonna happen. So the question is, how do we prevent that? I mean, historically there’s always been drugs. Alcohol is a drug. People have been drinking booze and wine and beer since immoral [sic]. The question is how to make it where -- Maybe we need to look at what’s penalized, but also, it’s a double-edged sword because I don’t think marijuana should be penalized. But then I think heroin is bad and we shouldn’t have -- heroin has devastated Chicago, New York, and all over. JJ: Well, let me rephrase the question. Okay, so [01:05:00] ’cause you were emphasizing drugs and the war, drug lords and all that at Cabrini-Green. ML: Mm-hmm. 37 �JJ: Do you think that the city, their intentions, was it just to get rid of the drug lords or to get rid of that, those people that lived there? ML: Oh, get rid of the people because drugs aren’t just in Cabrini-Green. JJ: Why do you say that? ML: Well, one is land, proximity, you know, real estate people say location, location, location. If you’re a mile of the lake in almost any city, after a while, it gets to be valuable. At one point, it gets, and it’s no longer fashionable. So at one point, Cabrini-Green, the area west of University of Illinois off of Halsted was not preferred area. It was run down. Now, it’s nice. So they want that area back. Just like most areas right around the harbor at one point. It goes in disrepair. It has all run down [01:06:00] warehouses. So the question is getting that area back and putting it to use because it gets to be fashionable ’cause you can’t make land anymore. You never could make land. But people don’t want to be an hour and a half away to go to work when they could be 15 minutes or 20 minutes away from where they work ’cause the jobs are in the core of the city, many of them are. So I think Cabrini-Green and part of the West Side, Imma talk about the West Side in particular, some of it’s been gentrified because of the location and the people who were there were expendable, and they didn’t upkeep it. Everybody’s gotta do upkeep. It doesn’t matter where you are in the world. If you have a stadium, it’s a soccer stadium, football stadium, you gotta upkeep it. You gotta keep it together. I mean, some chairs are gonna be broken. You gotta replace ’em. You gotta do some paint. You gotta fix some bricks and all that. And once that goes down, and I think that was the failure of some of the public 38 �housing and also some [01:07:00] of the -JJ: So they didn’t upkeep the security for one thing. ML: That’s right. JJ: Because I recall when there weren’t drug lords there. ML: Right, right. JJ: So they didn’t upkeep the security. And maybe that was in their -- ML: Best interest. JJ: Could you say that it might have been in their best interest? ML: Oh yeah, because you can -- JJ: To have those drug lords there? ML: Oh, yeah. JJ: Or what do you -- I don’t want to put words in your mouth. (inaudible) P1: ’Cause those buildings weren’t meant to be permanent, and they became permanent. ML: Is that gon’ bleed in? JJ: Yeah. ML: Okay. JJ: (inaudible) P1: It’s a whole ’nother (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) ML: Well, what happens is -- JJ: Did you wanna stop? Or do you want her -- ML: No, I (inaudible) JJ: -- [to come in?]? 39 �ML: The drug lords -- when you’re distracted, when you nod, and all of us are with sin, so I’m not going to say I’m not -- without sin, you may not be dealing with the issue. Right? And I’ve always said there’s very few people in this country to have pilot [01:08:00] license and big boats to bring stuff in from Colombia. So there’s a market. And so, I mean, there’s almost a scene from the Godfather movie that says, “Well, we’re going to keep this in the dark people’s community.” You know? And in other communities, it’s just hidden. It’s in bars and taverns. So maybe people aren’t on the street and giving gang signals and saying, “You want ones, twos, what do you want?” So, I mean, drugs are all over this country. But if you got people that’s doped up, then they’re not a threat. A good example, David Hilliard, who was the chief of staff of the Black Panther Party, talks about in his book that he got a habit, he got a drug habit. He became addicted to drugs, and one policeman came and saw him all doped up. He said, “You know, one point he, this guy was -- we were afraid of him. We were terrified of him. This guy was like really a powerful guy.” But once he got to be a junkie, you know, he wasn’t a threat anymore. So, [01:09:00] David Hilliard, make sure everybody understand, he fought that. ’Cause addiction is a fight. I mean, you know, it’s just like any other thing whether it’s cigarettes or coffee or food. You got to fight it every day. And so he overcame that. But he admits that, you know, it took a lot for him. He had some bad periods. So the question is, how can we prevent people from doing it so we don’t have those results? And then how can we maintain what we have? Because people need housing, and if it’s torn up when it’s 15 stories, it’s going to be torn up when it’s 3 stories ’cause everybody 40 �got to do maintenance. JJ: So tell me more about your work in the Panthers. ML: Okay. I went to Von Steuben High School, and I played basketball. So I was on the basketball team and the cross-country team. And I got interested in politics. So [01:10:00] having had parents that were transplants, that in itself is a political act. When people decide to move -- or it’s economic act. A lotta times economics ’cause people moved because they get a better way of life. And we would go South. So I didn’t realize until like 18, all the dynamics. I knew some of them, but some of them, your parents mask. So we never stopped. You know, and sometimes your parents just gloss it over. Like we would drive from Chicago to Alabama. It’s 14 hours. And the way that your parents do it is, it’s division of labor. So there’s generally a driver and a manager of the children. My father was a driver and my mother was the manager of the children. So on Fridays, or the day before, my dad would be gettin’ the car together. My mother would be gettin’ the food together and packing the clothes. And [01:11:00] on Friday, my dad would come home from work. So he got off, let’s say, at five o’clock. And my dad worked in a machine shop, a non-unionized machine shop. So he got off around 5:00. He would go to bed early, eight, nine o’clock, and we would get up at three or four o’clock, and we’d get on the road ’cause at many times people didn’t have air-conditioned cars. So we’d go in the summertime, generally. And so it’s 14 hours, so if you leave at four o’clock in the morning, you’re getting there at six o’clock in the evening. And until maybe the ’70s, there was segregation in the South, so you can’t stop every place, and eat every place, or even use the 41 �bathroom. So what we had to do was we always took the road on the interstate. And so you take the interstate to Birmingham. JJ: How old were you when you’re describing now? ML: I was up to 16, 18. JJ: And how did you feel about that segregation? [01:12:00] ML: You didn’t like it. You didn’t like it because what you found is that you’re -- JJ: It was a way of life back then (overlapping dialogue; inaudible) ML: It was a life. But see, it was conflict because in Chicago, you learn you got to talk, speak up for yourself. You don’t lower your head ’cause if you lower your head, that means you’re being meek, and you gotta look people in the eye. Otherwise, one, you can’t see what they’re doing, and two, people think that they’re over you. In the South, people become meek, and they lower their head. And some is an act. JJ: Humble. It’s a humble act. ML: It’s a humble act. Yeah. But it’s a act of survival. JJ: Right. It’s an act of survival, also? ML: Yeah. JJ: I mean, we lowered our head it was showing respect for the other person. ML: Yeah. JJ: But here was a different situation. ML: Yeah, if you lower your head in the city, people figure -- JJ: Yeah. You’re being meek. Yeah. ML: You’re being meek and people would get meek. You know, the church talk about 42 �the meek will inherit the earth. Well, in the city, the meek gets kicked in the butt. JJ: Right (inaudible) ML: So you didn’t like it because you saw, like, when you went to the South you saw, really, [01:13:00] a lot of poverty. You know, our parents used to say they ate better in the South because the food came right off the land, but you saw a lot of housing that was really bad. You saw the segregation in the medical facilities. So you saw the schools where... When we’re watching TV as kids, George Wallace was the governor of Alabama, and he says “Segregation today, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever.” Well, the question is, taxes are the same. If you make 10,000 dollars, you fill out your tax forms, you fill out something, or you go to a grocery store and you buy 100 dollars’ worth of groceries, whatever the county and the state taxes, you pay taxes. So why shouldn’t everybody have the same thing? So, you know, you start dealing with that, and you realize it doesn’t have to be this way. And going to Von Steuben, we met students who were Puerto Rican, who were Mexican, who had come from different countries. We met Arabic students. So one of the things that were interesting to us is we met this guy who was [01:14:00] from Egypt. You know, he was a really nice guy, and he was treated like horse manure. We kept saying, “Dad, he just got here. He just got in this country, so why do people dislike him?” We didn’t understand the Arab-Israeli conflict, right? We didn’t really, at that point, initially, understand about Palestinians and being displaced. But we knew that we were in this school, and this guy was a nice guy. He was brown skinned, so in this country, he would be considered a lot of things. You know, ’cause 43 �Arabs, especially on the coast, they’re mixed. Some of ’em look white, some of ’em look Black, some of ’em look brown. In Spanish, they would probably call him moreno. You know? And he was treated bad. And then we had this guy who was Haitian, and he had a French name. Eduardo, I don’t remember his last name. Now he’s a minister on the South Side. We’re like, why are people discriminating against this guy? You know, I mean, he speaks French at home. (laughs) [01:15:00] You know? But we’re here, and we’re supposed to be this really good school. And we also realized that in our situation -JJ: Yeah, who was discriminating? ML: They were discriminating. Yeah. JJ: What do you mean? ML: Well, what happened is you can see who gets assignments and who has access to different things. So, like the importance of holidays. Every culture decides what’s important, and what we realized is like after Martin Luther King was assassinated and they had this big push for the holidays. We remember because we were in a predominantly Jewish (inaudible), the high Jewish holidays, they would be almost official holidays even though they’re not. Most the teachers would be gone, the students would be gone, so the people who weren’t Jewish would be there, and the substitutes wouldn’t really teach. And we like, “Hmm this is interesting. So why don’t we have any holidays for Latinos or for Blacks?” Right? So when they had this big national push for having Martin Luther King’s Day, you know, it got to be interesting. But the defining act for us [01:16:00] in high school was in 1970 when four students were killed at Kent 44 �State, the whole school went out. We all demonstrated in protest. A couple weeks, a couple months later, two students were killed at Jackson State, and the white students didn’t go out. We were, like, really mad. Like hold, wait a second, you need to talk about this. At Kent State you valued that these were students that got killed by the National Guard. Same National Guard, different state, that killed students in Jackson, Mississippi, and you don’t support that. So what’s going on? You know, now people didn’t want to talk about that, but we’s like, “Hey, this is --” I mean, we’re talking about injustice anywhere is wrong, you know. So that was very interesting to us in terms of that broke a lot of alliances because it was it was a very conscious act. Maybe they didn’t know it, and we were all students, but we saw that as betrayal. Yeah. JJ: Sounded like they were a little [01:17:00] political and that sort of -- ML: Yeah, yeah. JJ: Yet, even though they were little political, they still had that prejudice or something? ML: Yeah, because, see, we thought -- JJ: I don’t if that’s the term but... ML: And the issue to us with Kent State was not their color, was the fact that they were students and they were protesting Vietnam War. JJ: Right, they were protesting the Vietnam War. ML: So if you kill people in Kent State, that’s wrong. So the Black students, all the students went out. When Jackson State came, only the Blacks and the Latino students went out. We’re like, “Hey, what’s going on?” You know? And I don’t 45 �remember everybody who was killed in Kent State, but the issue was not about race. We’re all Americans. This was wrong. JJ: Right. ML: You know? JJ: The Vietnam War was wrong. So we were really upset about that. And also the whole emphasis and belief, you know. [01:18:00] Giving your children to people is a very delicate balance. You know? It’s a family issue, but who do you have that teaches your children their values and their language and their skills? I don’t think, if I had to do it again, I would not necessarily go to Von Stueben. The amount of time that I spent on public transportation was awesome, and I’m not sure if that was a supportive environment. I’m not saying that Marshall would have been better. And I don’t know because my brother went to Marshall, and he’s a pilot. So he learned some good skills. But at Marshall, you did have more gangs, there’s more tension. So I don’t know, you know, you made choices. Those are the choices I made, and that’s what I did. And so I’ve learned to make lemonade outta lemons. So, you know, that’s what I did. JJ: What do you mean? What do you mean? ML: Whatever situation you try to build something from it. So, for example, I’m here in my mother’s house and there’s a vacant house next door. I’m gon’ cut all the bushes on her side of the [01:19:00] fence and on the other side of the fence because it’s one community. I could say, “Well, I’m just gon’ cut the bushes on my mother’s side of the fence.” But bushes are bushes. You can’t see into the next yard or they need to be trimmed and maintenance. So I have to maintain, 46 �even though my mother doesn’t live next door, I have to maintain some of that because the house has been in foreclosure probably for five years. And I call every three months, the city. The city cuts the grass and they clean up a little bit. JJ: Next door, you mean? ML: Right. Right. Next door. Otherwise, you would have rats and rodents, and once rats and rodents are there, they’re just going to come in the whole neighborhood. So you gotta do something for everything. JJ: Is there a lot of foreclosures around there? ML: Oh, yeah, a lot of foreclosures ’cause, at one point, in Maywood, they had American Can. That was a big company. JJ: Oh, yeah. ML: People worked there. That closed. And then the question is, can people find jobs to replace that? A lot of times they couldn’t. And then there was some of the auto factories that closed [01:20:00] around here. And also there was a drug problem in Maywood. A friend of mines, two of her sons were killed right ’round the corner. And then one time, one boy was killed ’cause they shot brother A when they were looking for brother B ’cause, you know, that’s what happens with the whole drug business. So Maywood has a problem with foreclosures. They have a problem with drugs, violence, and I assume some of it, lotta drugs is organized, so you have a structure. You know, you have the dealers, and you also have the enforcement. You gotta have control ’cause it’s business. So it’s a difficult thing. In a perfect world, we wouldn’t have this drug situation, but we got it. Now we gotta deal with it. So my concept is try to give young people things to 47 �do that’s constructive, and they can avoid some of that. I mean, are they gon’ get high? Yeah, they still gon’ get high [01:21:00] ’cause people been gettin’ high for eternity. The question is where it does not overcome the community. So, you know, if you can have community programs, literacy programs, athletic programs, industrial programs, learning how to make film, photography, soccer leagues, baseball leagues, you know, all things that people can have a whole 360 degrees environment. Like, for example, when I grew up in Garfield Park, we never went in the park after night. When it was night, if I was coming someplace, even when I was an activist, to this day, I don’t walk through Garfield Park at night. Not by myself. No, that’s no man’s land because what happens is you could be mugged. You know, you could be a tough guy, but tough guy is not anything but four other guys and they got guns and knives. So [01:22:00] I would either walk around the park the long way, or you have to walk on the street above the park where the buses are because if you walk down in the park, the park is dark. So, you know, Garfield Park and Humboldt Park, a lot of them are natural, really nice resources. The question is how to put them to good use. And that’s a struggle. That’s a struggle. Imma say something about Spanish. What I found is that, you know, language opens up doors because also languages, it’s concepts. And the more languages you speak, the more you’re in tune to cultures and environment. So Langston Hughes was a poet. He went to Spain and became good buddies with Nicolás Guillén, [01:23:00] who was the poet laureate of Cuba. But what happened is Langston Hughes’s father was an attorney in Cleveland, and he didn’t like the United States. So he left, like many people. When they don’t like 48 �some place, they leave, especially if they have some opportunity to leave. So his father lived in Mexico City most of his life. So in the summers, Langston Hughes went to Mexico. Now his Spanish wasn’t good. He never said it was good, and Nicolás Guillén said it wasn’t good. But he could function. So he went to Spain in the 1930s, late 1930s, as a reporter that covered war against Franco, the Mexican Republic War in Spain, the Republican cause. A lot of people did all over the world. And that’s where he met Nicolás Guillén. And that opened up some more of the Americas to him because he became a longshoreman so he could travel to war. So he went to Europe and went to Soviet Union and all these places, and he wrote about what he saw. But [01:24:00] inadvertently, because his father lived in Mexico, he got to be functional in Spanish. He never went to school in Spanish. And then he could talk to Nicolás Guillén, and Nicolás Guillén translated some of his poetry from English to Spanish because he had certain rhythms and the Cubans had certain rhythms. So every culture has certain rhythms that are germane to that environment. So I think it’s important that people acquire as many languages as they can, like as many skills. And I took Spanish, actually, in college, and it helped. But what I saw ’cause some of my neighbors on the West Side were from Belize, and so their mothers would speak to the family in Spanish, especially when the mothers wanted to holler at them or didn’t want them to know what they were saying. They would speak to the aunts in Spanish. And then when I was in high school, we saw people who were Africans American who were bilingual. So okay. And then I started meeting people in [01:25:00] college whose first language was Spanish and then English 49 �was a second language. (break in audio) JJ: So we’re talkin’ about language. ML: When I got to University of Illinois, the Black Panther Party had a cadre. All right? And so they tell you which professors were progressive and who you should take. So some of the ones they mentioned were Doctor Blout, James Blout, who was a geographer. And then there was Doctor Peter Knauss. He was the political science department, and other people. And so Peter Knauss, he wrote a book called Daley, Chicago: One Party State. And the university didn’t initially give him tenure and the students was like, rebel, they were striking and all this. JJ: Because of the book? ML: Oh yeah, because he was saying that Chicago was like a dictatorship. JJ: Okay. And who was this? ML: Peter Knauss. He’s dead now. He died of AIDS. But he was very progressive. And then he wrote about Ben Bella in Algeria. And so he was like -- JJ: So he [01:26:00] said Chicago was a dictatorship under Daley? ML: Yeah, under Daley. He wrote it out and he, you know, he’s a scholar, so he wrote it all out and he said that Daley, the way he ran it, he could be a dictator in any country ’cause he had a system. And he wrote about Ben Bella in Algeria. And James Blout wrote about agriculture and economics. So he’s the one that really taught us about land use. You know, he was saying, “You gotta look at how farmers look at stuff.” And then he wrote stuff about where was capitalism 50 �developed. And he talked about different port cities all over the country. So he expanded our horizon, and he was a good scholar. Both of ’em were good men. JJ: But the party was saying these are certain people you should -- ML: Yeah, yeah, you should take because -- JJ: Did they have a listing of people or...? ML: Yeah, it was like a informal thing, but they would tell you who... I mean, whatever your major was, you gotta take these courses, but you also want to take these professors ’cause [01:27:00] these professors helped broaden your experience. And what the party did was made you read. You had to read everybody. So we read Che Guevara. We read Pablo Freire, the Brazilian, about literacy. We read Amílcar Cabral, West African. We read about Mozambique. We read Engels and Marx. We read Hegel. We read Russian philosophers. We read Chinese philosophers. We read about the South. And so they expanded because they said that, you know, to understand Chicago, you gotta understand the world ’cause all that comes together. Right? So I met [DeBlout?], we got to be friends. And that’s where I learned about Don [Viso?] Campos. JJ: Don Pedro Campos? ML: Don Pedro Campos. And he was the head of the nationalist movement. You know? And I didn’t know anything. [01:28:00] I didn’t learn that in school. And they started to say, well, you should come to these meetings and come to this. And you learn about the history of Puerto Rico and you learn more about the history of Dominican Republic and Haiti and stuff. As an anecdote, this is a true story. At one point, Hollywood decided they were going to make a movie about 51 �the Haitian Revolution, and they were going to have Anthony Quinn work, be the character for the leader of Haitian Revolution. The leaders of the Haitian Revolution, some of ’em was Toussaint Louverture and Dessalines. Okay. All these were former men who were enslaved. Anthony Quinn’s a good actor, but he doesn’t look like that. (laughter) So you could find somebody else that looked like him, but they were gonna have them, you know, and that. And people say, “Oh, no, no, no, no, you can’t do that.” You know, when they write the history, when there’s movies about Puerto Rico, there’s actors that should represent that history. So you don’t need to have somebody that probably doesn’t speak Spanish and does not [01:29:00] portray that character. I mean, I understand about The Old man and the Sea, you know, even though there’s Hemingway wrote that novel, and there’s two different people played that guy. I don’t know ’cause that’s fiction. But Toussaint Louverture was a African man, and Anthony Quinn was an Irish, Mexican-American. And he’s a great actor. And he’s played a lot of roles, but he shouldn’t have played that one. The NAACP, a lot of people said, “Oh, no. Hell no. We’re not gon’ do that.” So that stopped that. Because what happens is you start getting historically inaccurate figures. So DeBlout wrote a lot of good stuff in terms about, not just this country, but about the world and expanded ’cause you had to say, okay, so what does this mean about the port cities of the world. You know? And Knauss wrote about Ben Bella and about Algeria and what’s the successes and the failures? ’Cause everybody has successes and failures. And [01:30:00] so I joined the organization called Puerto Rican Solidarity Committee, PRSC. So I started going to different meetings and 52 �learning different people, and they had a place on the north side called New World Resource Center. And [Cindy?] was there and a lot of good people. I don’t remember everybody’s names now. And you learn about information. And then I went to Puerto Rico. First time, I went on a tour for a couple weeks, and it was interesting. It was interesting seeing similarities, difference. A lot of things in Puerto Rico are totally not like United States. I mean, one, the national language is Spanish. Now, the United States can try all they want to, but you’re talkin’ about basically you had to cut people’s heart out for them to stop speaking Spanish because that is the national language. It’s like my mother, if I went to Germany, she’s still going to speak [01:31:00] English ’cause that’s her first language, and that’s how she thinks, and that’s how she cooks and all that. That’s intrinsic. And Puerto Rico is different. It’s not the United States. I mean, you can see Puerto Rican communities here, which is an extension, but it has a different beat, a culture, a different national identity. And I think that’s one of the things that, when you come to United States... Many of the Puerto Ricans told me, you know, “In Puerto Rico, I’m Puerto Rican. In the United States, I get to be this, that, and the other, all these subcategories.” You know? And they didn’t like that. Or, “I get to be exotic.” You know, in Puerto Rico, I’m just Puerto Rican.” Okay? I went to Utado and Vieques and Cabo Rojo, and we went to the Grito de Lares. JJ: (inaudible) ML: We went to Old San Juan. In Spanish, they call it San Juan. They don’t call it Old San Juan, that’s a English thing. And when we went to Vieques, that was 53 �really interesting because Vieques is different from the other island. Every island is different, but the whole military presence is awesome. I mean, it’s like, you can see it. It’s like this huge U.S. Marine or Navy base, which is now is not over, but when you have something, some cases, that is just like having anything that’s polluted. It takes a long time to clean it up, you know, and the military presence. And also, a lot of times, young soldiers aren’t necessarily good for the environment. You know? I mean, they’re rough, they destroy a lot of stuff. So that was interesting and also realizing you’re so (Spanish) [01:32:55 - 1:33:10]. So it was difficult, you know, understanding everything. And sometimes you miss stuff, you miss subtleties because your Spanish isn’t deep. But also, some things are reverse where some public universities are the elite, and the private are the secondary. You know, the whole thing the University of Puerto Rico. And you saw, like, the waterfront areas of Puerto Rico. Some of those are in real need of repair. You know? They’ve been in disrepair for a hundred years. But also the culture. So it was very interesting seeing Puerto Rico. And then also, when I went back [01:34:00] the second and third time, I was on my own, and I would catch the bus. And sometimes, I would get lost because I couldn’t understand the bus driver because my Spanish wasn’t good enough where, you know, I go ask the bus driver for directions and he would speak, and he was speaking clear Spanish. I couldn’t understand. I was like, “What did he say? You speak so fast.” You know? I went to the grocery store, and I had to get (Spanish). And I would get confused when I went to get a [key made?], you know, and they’re like, “This guy doesn’t speak good Spanish. Where are you 54 �from?” So it was good, but it showed me some differences, and I understood also another level of white migration because my parents moved from the South because they wanted a better life. And so you saw public housing and San Juan, you saw drugs in San Juan, you saw a fast pace in San Juan, but you also saw a lotta beauty, a lot of beauty, a lotta culture, lotta pride, lotta emphasis on Taíno [01:35:00] culture. So one time I got lost, and I walked all over to San Juan because I didn’t want to ask the bus driver for directions anymore, but I could figure my way how to get back. So it took me an hour, hour and a half to walk, but it was okay. And then I went to Cuba. And the first time I went five and a half weeks, and I didn’t wanna come back. If they had let me stay, I would have stayed. You know, I was like, “Yeah.” And it was interesting and very different. I didn’t see the racial tensions. I met a lot of people, and I was able to move around by myself. And I met Black Cubans, white Cubans. I met Cubans. I went to block parties. People dancing is dancing. People all over the world like to dance and they like to drink rum and party and eat well, you know. So all that’s, if you can -- everybody functions at that same level. I met a lot of foreign students who were in Cuba taking classes, medical school, engineering school, or whatever [01:36:00] school. So then you learned that you had to really work on your Spanish because then Spanish is their language for which they’re communicating because they may come from El Salvador, but they might also come from Guinea-Bissau. So that was a good experience, and... Yeah. Sometimes you wonder, what would Cuba be like and Puerto Rico be like if they were associated with United States? Cuba, a lot of times they had to get stuff 55 �from Venezuela, Argentina to get to Cuba. They’ll buy flooring towel because they can’t buy it from Miami. And they had to spend so much money on national defense. What would it be like if they didn’t have to spend that? JJ: When was the first time you heard about the Young Lords? ML: I heard about the Young Lords because the Young Lords and their association with the Black Panther Party. [01:37:00] Chicago is a segregated housing stock, but people moved back and forth. And also young people, like in our school, there was a woman who lived on the South Side was totally bilingual. So she was African American, but she basically hung out with the Latino students because she spoke Spanish. Her daddy was a Spanish professor at Northeastern. So we assumed that her mother was Latino. We never met her mother ’cause, you know. We met her dad because her dad was a big-time professor. And she went to the University of Puerto Rico for college. Right? So the Panther paper, and I wrote for the Panther paper, the Panther paper encouraged chapters to send stuff, and they had a creative page. I used to submit poetry to the Panther paper, and they would have articles about different parts of the country. And so Young Lords and the Panthers and Rising Up Angry, Young Patriots, I’d use them [01:38:00] in combination. Had a association, a alliance, a union, a fellowship. So that’s where I heard about them, because I always read the Panther paper. And people model successful programs after each other. So the idea of the Panthers programs with the breakfast program, to me, extended from the long history of people taking control of an environment. So when you looked at Cuba, they had a literacy program. 56 �When you looked at Mozambique and Angola and Guinea-Bissau, when they kicked the Portuguese out, then they tried to set up somethin’. So you gotta set up schools. You gotta set up food distribution. So when the Panthers came up with the breakfast program, that made sense because there was a need. And in the programs about sickle cell anemia or free health clinics ’cause there’s a need. Or even on the North Side, they talked about black lung. [01:39:00] Lotta coal miners have issues with their lungs because of the smoke. And if you’re a coal miner, you’re a coal miner, whether you from Appalachia or you from Alabama, you know. You’ve been in those mines all those years and you’ve got black lung. That’s affecting your health. So I think the Panther programs were modeling after that because there’s a rich history of that. And that’s why going back to Pablo Friere, he was Brazilian, but they talked about how to learn, how to teach people learn, and why to learn, and what does education mean. Because, some point, kids are turned off. Like, I took French in school and I didn’t think it was important ’cause I figured I would never go to France. Now I’m gonna think like, “God, I wish I had taken French more seriously.” Because our life experiences was Chicago to Alabama. Me going to Montreal or Haiti or France was just not in the view, you know. But maybe it would be in my son’s view. And then, too, is interesting in popular culture. In Shaft, they talk about the Young Lords. (laughs) JJ: In where? [01:40:00] ML: There’s a movie, Richard Roundtree, Shaft. JJ: Oh, I didn’t know they talked about -- 57 �ML: Yeah, there’s a whole thing about, you know, “What’s going on? Is it the Panthers? Is it the Young Lords?” Because the Young Lords in New York and Chicago was a significant movement. So what we saw was that the Panthers have a structure. Every organization has a structure, and we borrow from that, about how to organize. And the breakfast program, we all learned from. So I worked on the breakfast program on the West Side, like at the Better Boys Foundation, and I would do it on days that school was out or somethin’ like that. And I think what happens is, you know, we just start learning ’cause what happens is the public schools in Chicago didn’t teach us about Latin America. I mean, they didn’t teach us about Africa or the South. It was just this kinda sterile version of the history of the world. And then you start picking it up because, let’s say, [01:41:00] I met people in the Puerto Rican Socialist Party. And this lady named [America Santini?], or [Mecca?] Santini. JJ: (inaudible) ML: Yeah. And then you start picking up stuff about Puerto Rico and its history and what happened in 54 and people who were in prison for 40 years because they had an operation in Congress. They were rebelling. And what does that mean? You know, what does that mean the history of the world? Why do people do that? You know, ’cause that’s not the first time in the world people have done stuff. They did stuff because they’re saying, “We don’t agree with what’s going on. And we don’t want to be--” And also, like, Mecca told me about on Don Pedro Albizu Campos. I didn’t know about him. I didn’t learn about that in school. And so then you start reading about him, and sometimes it sinks in later. 58 �You know, you go back and you say, yeah. You look at him and you look at his family or you look at [Antonio Maceo?] or [Amiro?] [01:42:00] Zapata. JJ: Emiliano Zapata. Yeah. ML: Yeah. And you start looking at why are these people in struggle? What’s the history of the world, and how it all interconnected, right? And so that probably helped get my interest into going to Puerto Rico. And I’m trying to think, had I gone to Cuba? I went to Cuba in ’77, and in between ’77 and ’83, my second trip I had gone to Puerto Rico. JJ: Final thoughts? ML: My final thoughts is that it’s one world. Like in a onion, we got layers of it. And the more that we try to cooperate and understand each other, the better it is. And each day, if you can try to do some good acts to make the world better, and to sustain it. And to be honest, and look at [01:43:00] the world as it is, not how you imagine it is. And take it from there. And enjoy the sunshine. (laughter) JJ: Yeah. ’Cause it’s raining. Yeah. END OF VIDEO FILE 59 � https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/3a0164dc47be0b9ccefef2e7953fc7bb.mp4 7a25a7a1b31dd639dac4bb19b4f2f988 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Young Lords in Lincoln Park Collection Subject The topic of the resource Young Lords (Organization) Puerto Ricans--United States Civil Rights--United States--History Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Personal narratives Social justice Community activists--Illinois--Chicago Description An account of the resource Collection of oral history interviews and digitized materials documenting the history of the Young Lords Organization in Lincoln Park, Chicago. Interviews were conducted by Young Lords' founder, José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez, and documents were digitized from Mr. Jiménez' archives. The Young Lords in Lincoln Park collection grows out of the ongoing struggle for fair housing, self-determination, and human rights that was launched by Mr. José “Cha-Cha” Jiménez, founder of the Young Lords Movement. This project is dedicated to documenting the history of the displacement of Puerto Ricans, Mejicanos, other Latinos, and the poor from Lincoln Park, as well as the history of the Young Lords nationwide. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Jiménez, José, 1948- Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/491">Young Lords in Lincoln Park collection (RHC-65)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-04-25 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Language A language of the resource eng spa Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-65 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 2012-2017 Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Título Spanish language Title entry Melvin Lewis vídeo entrevista y biografía Sujetos Spanish language Subject terms Young Lords (Organización) Puertorriqueños--Estados Unidos Derechos civiles--Estados Unidos--Historia Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) Afro-Americanos--Relatos personales Justicia social Activistas comunitarios--Illinois--Chicago Partido Pantera Negra. Illinois Capí­tulo Source <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/491">Young Lords in Lincoln Park (RHC-65)</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-65_Lewis_Melvin Title A name given to the resource Melvin Lewis video interview and transcript Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lewis, Melvin Description An account of the resource Melvin Lewis was born in Chicago but today lives in Fayetteville, North Carolina. His parents live in Maywood, Illinois. This is the same town where Fred Hampton of the Black Panther Party (BPP) grew up. It is also where, at Maywood’s City Hall, there is a recreation center with a swimming pool named after the slain leader of Chicago’s BPP. There is also a street named “Fred Hampton Way” and a bust of Chairman Fred Hampton. Mr. Lewis is a Chicago Black Panther and freelance writer, a master gardener and certified beekeeper. His recent articles include “Out Loud and Into Print” in the May/June 2012 issue of City View (NC). He writes on music and his publications include features on “Hootie and the Blow Fish,” and singer and song writer “Rene Marie in Pluck!” He has written and broadcast twelve vignettes about civil rights for FM Radio stations 107.7 and 91.9 FM and conducted interviews on horticulture, history and art. Mr. Lewis has also won the Significant Illinois Poet Award and is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is currently assisting with the Chicago Black Panther History Project. Their motto is, “ We will tell our story, in our own words; Illinois Panthers speak for themselves.” Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Jiménez, José, 1948- Subject The topic of the resource Young Lords (Organization) Puerto Ricans--United States Civil Rights--United States--History Lincoln Park (Chicago, Ill.) African Americans--Personal narratives Social justice Community activists--Illinois--Chicago Black Panther Party. Illinois Chapter Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource video/mp4 application/pdf Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2012-08-26 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/4bf7426ef165d67a4bf1ff18a8416e0d.jpg d201d9c32d4171a44d569b2ee3763efb Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard Platte Red Arrow Division collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Platte, Richard Description An account of the resource Collection of photographs and a scrapbook pertaining to the 126th Infantry, 32nd (Red Arrow) Division of the U.S. Army. Sgt. Richard "Dick" Platte, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, served in the U.S. Army, 32nd Infantry "Red Arrow" Division, 126th 3rd Battalion, Headquarters Company. The company trained for the war in Europe at Camp Livingston, Louisiana in 1941 and conducted maneuvers near Camp Beauregard. In the spring of 1942 the 32nd Division sailed to the South Pacific and settled in Australia. The 126th Regiment was organized into a combat team and was the first of U.S. forces dispatched to Port Moresby in New Guinea. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941-1945 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Richard Platte Red Arrow Division collection (RHC-99) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army United States. Army. Infantry Division, 32nd United States. Army. Infantry Regiment, 126th World War, 1939-1945 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-99 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Text Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-99_Platte_008_1941 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Unknown Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941 Title A name given to the resource Members of 126th Infantry eating pie, 1941 Description An account of the resource Three members of the Headquarters Company, 126th Infantry, eating pie with milk. Rear is inscribed "we sneaked a piece of pie and a bottle of milk. I look happy - baloney". Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army World War, 1939-1945 United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/635">Richard Platte Red Arrow Division Collection, (RHC-99)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives, 1 Campus Drive, Allendale, MI, 49401 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/d152b9e666495029230dc19042e769c3.jpg ef43194adc1a79bbc61f926dca1f311e Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Richard Platte Red Arrow Division collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Platte, Richard Description An account of the resource Collection of photographs and a scrapbook pertaining to the 126th Infantry, 32nd (Red Arrow) Division of the U.S. Army. Sgt. Richard "Dick" Platte, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, served in the U.S. Army, 32nd Infantry "Red Arrow" Division, 126th 3rd Battalion, Headquarters Company. The company trained for the war in Europe at Camp Livingston, Louisiana in 1941 and conducted maneuvers near Camp Beauregard. In the spring of 1942 the 32nd Division sailed to the South Pacific and settled in Australia. The 126th Regiment was organized into a combat team and was the first of U.S. forces dispatched to Port Moresby in New Guinea. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941-1945 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Richard Platte Red Arrow Division collection (RHC-99) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army United States. Army. Infantry Division, 32nd United States. Army. Infantry Regiment, 126th World War, 1939-1945 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. Special Collections and University Archives Relation A related resource Veterans History Project (U.S.) Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-99 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Still image Text Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-99_Platte_007_1941 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Unknown Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1941 Title A name given to the resource Members of 126th Infantry peeling potatoes, 1941 Description An account of the resource Three members of the Headquarters Company, 126th Infantry, peeling potatoes Camp Livingston, Louisiana. Rear is inscribed "Can you find me? I would enjoy this darling if I were with you." Subject The topic of the resource United States. Army World War, 1939-1945 United States--History, Military Michigan--History, Military Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/635">Richard Platte Red Arrow Division Collection, (RHC-99)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives, 1 Campus Drive, Allendale, MI, 49401 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant World War II https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/b4c724c72545f0939fb3b7c473cee23e.jpg 253640e001aa462083d83677d877073c Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Grand Valley State University Photographs Subject The topic of the resource Aerial photographs Universities and colleges Michigan Grand Rapids (Mich.) Allendale (Mich.) Building Facilities Dormitories Students Events 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s Description An account of the resource People, places, and events of Grand Valley State University from its founding in 1960 as a 4-year college in western Michigan. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource News & Information Services. University Communications Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/41">News &amp; Information Services. University Photographs. (GV012-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-03-03 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-NC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright - Non-Commercial Use Permitted</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV012-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1960s-2000s Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Local Subject Subject headings specific to a particular image collection 1960s Source <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/41">University photographs, GV012-01</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV012-01_UAPhotos_000701 Title A name given to the resource Members of Grand Valley's Board of Control being signed in by Governor Williams Description An account of the resource Members of Grand Valley's Board of Control being signed in by Governor Williams. Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University Michigan Allendale (Mich.) Universities and colleges Events College administrators Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-NC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright - Non-Commercial Use Permitted</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives black and white photo https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/e47c867bd314ccca21e90c2ed5bdfd05.jpg acbcf3a01641c39ba16cec3e2e4b5118 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Grand Valley State University Photographs Subject The topic of the resource Aerial photographs Universities and colleges Michigan Grand Rapids (Mich.) Allendale (Mich.) Building Facilities Dormitories Students Events 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s Description An account of the resource People, places, and events of Grand Valley State University from its founding in 1960 as a 4-year college in western Michigan. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource News & Information Services. University Communications Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/41">News &amp; Information Services. University Photographs. (GV012-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-03-03 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-NC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright - Non-Commercial Use Permitted</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV012-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1960s-2000s Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Local Subject Subject headings specific to a particular image collection Board of Control Board of Trustees 1960s Source <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/41">University photographs, GV012-01</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV012-01_UAPhotos_000068 Title A name given to the resource Members of Grand Valley's first Board of Control Description An account of the resource Members of the first Board of Control: l to r back row-- Edward J. Frey, James Copeland, Dale Stafford, William Kirkpatrick, Icie Macy Hoobler, Kenneth Robinson. l to r front row--Arnold Ott, Grace Kistler, and L. William Seidman, Chair. The nine member board was later reduced to eight, 1960. Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University Michigan Allendale (Mich.) Universities and colleges College administrators Frey, Edward J. Copeland, James Stafford, Dale Kirkpatrick, William Hoobler, Icie Macy Robinson, Kenneth Ott, Arnold Kistler, Grace Seidman, L. William Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-NC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright - Non-Commercial Use Permitted</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives black and white photo https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/dcd7e74a6426d4cc150d00e2b5561df2.jpg cb5c687dba50fb1497817d3fc05c5a2a Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Grand Valley State University Photographs Subject The topic of the resource Aerial photographs Universities and colleges Michigan Grand Rapids (Mich.) Allendale (Mich.) Building Facilities Dormitories Students Events 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s Description An account of the resource People, places, and events of Grand Valley State University from its founding in 1960 as a 4-year college in western Michigan. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource News & Information Services. University Communications Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/41">News &amp; Information Services. University Photographs. (GV012-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-03-03 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-NC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright - Non-Commercial Use Permitted</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV012-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1960s-2000s Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Local Subject Subject headings specific to a particular image collection 1990s Source <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/41">University photographs, GV012-01</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV012-01_UAPhotos_000438 Title A name given to the resource Members of the marching band lead the marching band metal sculpture Description An account of the resource Members of the marching band lead the 21-piece scrap metal sculpture of the University's marching band. The sculpture was created and donated by Stuart Padnos. Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University Michigan Allendale (Mich.) Universities and colleges Students Events Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-NC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright - Non-Commercial Use Permitted</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives black and white photo https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/65c139e90373dad1b511bafddae561c6.jpg d2040781a1fd48f1841454c4c1eb6799 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Grand Valley State University Photographs Subject The topic of the resource Aerial photographs Universities and colleges Michigan Grand Rapids (Mich.) Allendale (Mich.) Building Facilities Dormitories Students Events 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s Description An account of the resource People, places, and events of Grand Valley State University from its founding in 1960 as a 4-year college in western Michigan. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource News & Information Services. University Communications Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/41">News &amp; Information Services. University Photographs. (GV012-01)</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-03-03 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-NC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright - Non-Commercial Use Permitted</a> Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpg Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource image Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV012-01 Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1960s-2000s Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Local Subject Subject headings specific to a particular image collection 1960s Source <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/41">University photographs, GV012-01</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context GV012-01_UAPhotos_000336 Title A name given to the resource Members of the site selection committee Description An account of the resource Members of the site selection committee with map of potential sites for the new college. Subject The topic of the resource Grand Valley State University Michigan Allendale (Mich.) Universities and colleges Facilities Property Language A language of the resource eng Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-NC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright - Non-Commercial Use Permitted</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives black and white photo https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/28715a4fe91511f50587bbd6c91346d2.jpg 0dd24fa3d20a92c850a04bf75ff53325 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Summers in Saugatuck-Douglas Collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Kutsche Office of Local History Description An account of the resource Collection contains images and documents digitized and collected through the project "Stories of Summer," supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant. The collection aims to document the twin lakeshore communities of Saugatuck and Douglas, Michigan, as they transformed through the state's bustling tourism industry and acceptance of minorities. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1910s-2010s Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Various Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a> Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Saugatuck (Mich.) Douglas (Mich.) Michigan, Lake Allegan County (Mich.) Beaches Sand dunes Outdoor recreation Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Saugatuck-Douglas History Center Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Stories of Summer (Common Heritage project) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Text Language A language of the resource English Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2018 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-07_SD-Red-Misc-45 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1965 Title A name given to the resource Membership Drive to Launch Ninth Season Description An account of the resource A page from the weekly Red Barn News, which includes a large article about the Theatre's membership drive. It also discusses the ten-week film festival the theatre was hosting, as well as an article about A Thousand Clowns, the show that opens the ninth season for the theatre. Duplicate of Program-129. Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Saugatuck (Mich.) Douglas (Mich.) Community theater Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Digital file collected by the Kutsche Office of Local History from the Saugatuck Douglas History Center for the Stories of Summer project. Relation A related resource Stories of Summer (project) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/28653d824a2a029312f7e12cd9587eff.jpg edee93e22c3296e9b20d9ac70cfcc2d0 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Summers in Saugatuck-Douglas Collection Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Grand Valley State University. Kutsche Office of Local History Description An account of the resource Collection contains images and documents digitized and collected through the project "Stories of Summer," supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant. The collection aims to document the twin lakeshore communities of Saugatuck and Douglas, Michigan, as they transformed through the state's bustling tourism industry and acceptance of minorities. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1910s-2010s Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Various Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a> Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Saugatuck (Mich.) Douglas (Mich.) Michigan, Lake Allegan County (Mich.) Beaches Sand dunes Outdoor recreation Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Saugatuck-Douglas History Center Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Stories of Summer (Common Heritage project) Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg application/pdf Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Text Language A language of the resource English Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2018 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context DC-07_SD-Red-Misc-55 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1987-07-16 Title A name given to the resource Memorable Musical Performances Description An account of the resource An article from The Commercial Record titled "Memorable Musical Performances in Red Barn Show. It discusses the plot and performances of 1940s Radio Hour. The review is mostly neutral, although Broglio argues that it does not quite meet authentic radio standards. It includes a photograph of Don Bonevich and Brandon Montgomery performing a scene from the show. Subject The topic of the resource Michigan Saugatuck (Mich.) Douglas (Mich.) Community theater Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Digital file collected by the Kutsche Office of Local History from the Saugatuck Douglas History Center for the Stories of Summer project. Relation A related resource Stories of Summer (project) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/">Copyright Undetermined</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/afebd3a8b098a2d5a19c0beb342cc277.jpg 455e531bebc2ef55551a880a42fb04fb Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Douglas R. Gilbert Photographs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R., 1942-2023 Description An account of the resource Photographs scanned from negatives and transparencies from the Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183). Douglas R. Gilbert (b. 1942) is an American photographer from Michigan. He was born in Holland, Michigan and is the son of Russell W. and Carmen (Andree) Gilbert. Gilbert earned a B.A. in social sciences and art at Michigan State University in 1964, an M.S. in photography from the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology in 1972, and a M.S.W. from Salem State College in 1993. He is married to Barbara (McDonald) Gilbert, and has three daughters, Robyn, Rachel, and Anne. Gilbert took a serious interest in photography at the age of fourteen. In 1963 he joined the staff of Look magazine in New York as the second youngest photojournalist in the magazine's history. As a Look photographer from 1964 to 1966, he photographed folk musician Bob Dylan, the Newport Folk Festival, Simon and Garfunkel, the New York City Financial District, the children and facilities at the Manhattan School for Seriously Disturbed Children. From 1967 to 1969, Gilbert did several shoots, including that of folk singer Janis Ian for Life magazine. After moving to Chicago, Illinois in 1969 to attend the Illinois Institute of Technology, Gilbert conducted notable photo shoots of business and political figure Lenore Romney, and pursued more personal and artistic photography, focusing on urban and rural landscapes in Illinois and Michigan. He then joined the faculty of Wheaton College, where he taught from 1972 to 1982. In 1993, Gilbert graduated from Salem State College, Massachusetts, with a Masters in Social Work, and later pursued a second career as a psychotherapist. Douglas Gilbert died in June 2023. Throughout his photography career, he pursued both freelance commercial work as well as artistic work. His art photography is characterized by its classic black-and-white format, and features people, places and objects shot great attention and sensitivity. Gilbert's works are held in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, and the Grand Valley State University Art Galleries, as well as in numerous private and institutional collections. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960-2011 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="%E2%80%9Dhttps%3A//gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783%E2%80%9D">Douglas R. Gilbert Papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Subject The topic of the resource Photographs Photography -- United States Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Image Type The nature or genre of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183_K144-0003 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1970-05-30 Title A name given to the resource Memorial Day Parade, St. Charles, Illinois Description An account of the resource Black and white photograph of a Memorial Day parade in St. Charles, Illinois. In the photograph, the parade is marching down main street with multiple Girl Scout troops leading the way as the crowd looks on. A Texaco gas station sign and the marquee for the Arcada Theatre can be seen in the background. Scanned from the negative. Subject The topic of the resource Saint Charles (Ill.) Memorial Day Parades--Illinois Girl Scouts Girl Scouts--Illinois Texaco, Inc Marquees--Illinois Black-and-white photography Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783">Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1970s Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/7347a4493f850e4e060e8e40de3e6532.jpg b0f99bc7fb29dd0c8a776531fcd105e5 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Douglas R. Gilbert Photographs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R., 1942-2023 Description An account of the resource Photographs scanned from negatives and transparencies from the Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183). Douglas R. Gilbert (b. 1942) is an American photographer from Michigan. He was born in Holland, Michigan and is the son of Russell W. and Carmen (Andree) Gilbert. Gilbert earned a B.A. in social sciences and art at Michigan State University in 1964, an M.S. in photography from the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology in 1972, and a M.S.W. from Salem State College in 1993. He is married to Barbara (McDonald) Gilbert, and has three daughters, Robyn, Rachel, and Anne. Gilbert took a serious interest in photography at the age of fourteen. In 1963 he joined the staff of Look magazine in New York as the second youngest photojournalist in the magazine's history. As a Look photographer from 1964 to 1966, he photographed folk musician Bob Dylan, the Newport Folk Festival, Simon and Garfunkel, the New York City Financial District, the children and facilities at the Manhattan School for Seriously Disturbed Children. From 1967 to 1969, Gilbert did several shoots, including that of folk singer Janis Ian for Life magazine. After moving to Chicago, Illinois in 1969 to attend the Illinois Institute of Technology, Gilbert conducted notable photo shoots of business and political figure Lenore Romney, and pursued more personal and artistic photography, focusing on urban and rural landscapes in Illinois and Michigan. He then joined the faculty of Wheaton College, where he taught from 1972 to 1982. In 1993, Gilbert graduated from Salem State College, Massachusetts, with a Masters in Social Work, and later pursued a second career as a psychotherapist. Douglas Gilbert died in June 2023. Throughout his photography career, he pursued both freelance commercial work as well as artistic work. His art photography is characterized by its classic black-and-white format, and features people, places and objects shot great attention and sensitivity. Gilbert's works are held in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, and the Grand Valley State University Art Galleries, as well as in numerous private and institutional collections. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960-2011 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="%E2%80%9Dhttps%3A//gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783%E2%80%9D">Douglas R. Gilbert Papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Subject The topic of the resource Photographs Photography -- United States Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Image Type The nature or genre of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183_K144-0005 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1970-05-30 Title A name given to the resource Memorial Day Parade, St. Charles, Illinois Description An account of the resource Black and white photograph of a Memorial Day parade in St. Charles, Illinois. In the photograph, the parade is marching down main street with multiple Girl Scout troops leading the way as the crowd looks on. The marquee for the Arcada Theatre can be seen in the background. Scanned from the negative. Subject The topic of the resource Saint Charles (Ill.) Memorial Day Parades--Illinois Girl Scouts Girl Scouts--Illinois Marquees--Illinois Black-and-white photography Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783">Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1970s Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/9e7ef0377f7fb40ec39ca2a114fcb7e1.jpg 95c59096b0f967a0c997523af0ba460f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Douglas R. Gilbert Photographs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R., 1942-2023 Description An account of the resource Photographs scanned from negatives and transparencies from the Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183). Douglas R. Gilbert (b. 1942) is an American photographer from Michigan. He was born in Holland, Michigan and is the son of Russell W. and Carmen (Andree) Gilbert. Gilbert earned a B.A. in social sciences and art at Michigan State University in 1964, an M.S. in photography from the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology in 1972, and a M.S.W. from Salem State College in 1993. He is married to Barbara (McDonald) Gilbert, and has three daughters, Robyn, Rachel, and Anne. Gilbert took a serious interest in photography at the age of fourteen. In 1963 he joined the staff of Look magazine in New York as the second youngest photojournalist in the magazine's history. As a Look photographer from 1964 to 1966, he photographed folk musician Bob Dylan, the Newport Folk Festival, Simon and Garfunkel, the New York City Financial District, the children and facilities at the Manhattan School for Seriously Disturbed Children. From 1967 to 1969, Gilbert did several shoots, including that of folk singer Janis Ian for Life magazine. After moving to Chicago, Illinois in 1969 to attend the Illinois Institute of Technology, Gilbert conducted notable photo shoots of business and political figure Lenore Romney, and pursued more personal and artistic photography, focusing on urban and rural landscapes in Illinois and Michigan. He then joined the faculty of Wheaton College, where he taught from 1972 to 1982. In 1993, Gilbert graduated from Salem State College, Massachusetts, with a Masters in Social Work, and later pursued a second career as a psychotherapist. Douglas Gilbert died in June 2023. Throughout his photography career, he pursued both freelance commercial work as well as artistic work. His art photography is characterized by its classic black-and-white format, and features people, places and objects shot great attention and sensitivity. Gilbert's works are held in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, and the Grand Valley State University Art Galleries, as well as in numerous private and institutional collections. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960-2011 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="%E2%80%9Dhttps%3A//gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783%E2%80%9D">Douglas R. Gilbert Papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Subject The topic of the resource Photographs Photography -- United States Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Image Type The nature or genre of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183_K144-0008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1970-05-30 Title A name given to the resource Memorial Day Parade, St. Charles, Illinois Description An account of the resource Black and white photograph of a Memorial Day parade in St. Charles, Illinois. In the photograph, the parade is marching down main street with multiple Boy Scout troops leading the way as the crowd looks on. In the foreground, two young scouts are seen holding an American flag and a Boy Scout troop flag with the words "St. Charles" written across it. Scanned from the negative. Subject The topic of the resource Saint Charles (Ill.) Memorial Day Parades--Illinois Boy Scouts Boy Scouts--Illinois Black-and-white photography Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783">Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1970s Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/6157b7e6bfaab0bf4ff4fa529da4bce4.jpg 6dd5d08ecbbbcce166785d8ad5a5754e Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Douglas R. Gilbert Photographs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R., 1942-2023 Description An account of the resource Photographs scanned from negatives and transparencies from the Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183). Douglas R. Gilbert (b. 1942) is an American photographer from Michigan. He was born in Holland, Michigan and is the son of Russell W. and Carmen (Andree) Gilbert. Gilbert earned a B.A. in social sciences and art at Michigan State University in 1964, an M.S. in photography from the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology in 1972, and a M.S.W. from Salem State College in 1993. He is married to Barbara (McDonald) Gilbert, and has three daughters, Robyn, Rachel, and Anne. Gilbert took a serious interest in photography at the age of fourteen. In 1963 he joined the staff of Look magazine in New York as the second youngest photojournalist in the magazine's history. As a Look photographer from 1964 to 1966, he photographed folk musician Bob Dylan, the Newport Folk Festival, Simon and Garfunkel, the New York City Financial District, the children and facilities at the Manhattan School for Seriously Disturbed Children. From 1967 to 1969, Gilbert did several shoots, including that of folk singer Janis Ian for Life magazine. After moving to Chicago, Illinois in 1969 to attend the Illinois Institute of Technology, Gilbert conducted notable photo shoots of business and political figure Lenore Romney, and pursued more personal and artistic photography, focusing on urban and rural landscapes in Illinois and Michigan. He then joined the faculty of Wheaton College, where he taught from 1972 to 1982. In 1993, Gilbert graduated from Salem State College, Massachusetts, with a Masters in Social Work, and later pursued a second career as a psychotherapist. Douglas Gilbert died in June 2023. Throughout his photography career, he pursued both freelance commercial work as well as artistic work. His art photography is characterized by its classic black-and-white format, and features people, places and objects shot great attention and sensitivity. Gilbert's works are held in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, and the Grand Valley State University Art Galleries, as well as in numerous private and institutional collections. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960-2011 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="%E2%80%9Dhttps%3A//gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783%E2%80%9D">Douglas R. Gilbert Papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Subject The topic of the resource Photographs Photography -- United States Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Image Type The nature or genre of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183_K143-0025 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1970-05-30 Title A name given to the resource Memorial Day, St. Charles, Illinois Description An account of the resource Black and white photograph of a man in uniform speaking at an outdoor podium as a part of a Memorial Day gathering in St. Charles, Illinois. In the photograph, the serviceman is giving a speech to the surrounding audience from a podium that has the words "Democracy" and "American Legion" posted across it. Scanned from the negative. Subject The topic of the resource Saint Charles (Ill.) Memorial Day Memorial Day addresses Black-and-white photography Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783">Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1970s Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/a172eafc4f06b5098e894f03922fdeb2.jpg 629a8379c098549849fbf1af0279f657 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Douglas R. Gilbert Photographs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R., 1942-2023 Description An account of the resource Photographs scanned from negatives and transparencies from the Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183). Douglas R. Gilbert (b. 1942) is an American photographer from Michigan. He was born in Holland, Michigan and is the son of Russell W. and Carmen (Andree) Gilbert. Gilbert earned a B.A. in social sciences and art at Michigan State University in 1964, an M.S. in photography from the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology in 1972, and a M.S.W. from Salem State College in 1993. He is married to Barbara (McDonald) Gilbert, and has three daughters, Robyn, Rachel, and Anne. Gilbert took a serious interest in photography at the age of fourteen. In 1963 he joined the staff of Look magazine in New York as the second youngest photojournalist in the magazine's history. As a Look photographer from 1964 to 1966, he photographed folk musician Bob Dylan, the Newport Folk Festival, Simon and Garfunkel, the New York City Financial District, the children and facilities at the Manhattan School for Seriously Disturbed Children. From 1967 to 1969, Gilbert did several shoots, including that of folk singer Janis Ian for Life magazine. After moving to Chicago, Illinois in 1969 to attend the Illinois Institute of Technology, Gilbert conducted notable photo shoots of business and political figure Lenore Romney, and pursued more personal and artistic photography, focusing on urban and rural landscapes in Illinois and Michigan. He then joined the faculty of Wheaton College, where he taught from 1972 to 1982. In 1993, Gilbert graduated from Salem State College, Massachusetts, with a Masters in Social Work, and later pursued a second career as a psychotherapist. Douglas Gilbert died in June 2023. Throughout his photography career, he pursued both freelance commercial work as well as artistic work. His art photography is characterized by its classic black-and-white format, and features people, places and objects shot great attention and sensitivity. Gilbert's works are held in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, and the Grand Valley State University Art Galleries, as well as in numerous private and institutional collections. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960-2011 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="%E2%80%9Dhttps%3A//gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783%E2%80%9D">Douglas R. Gilbert Papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Subject The topic of the resource Photographs Photography -- United States Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Image Type The nature or genre of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183_I046-0008 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1968-04-05 Title A name given to the resource Memorial for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Central Park, New York Description An account of the resource Black and white photograph of the memorial rally that took place in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in New York City's Central Park. In the photograph, crowds of people are gathering around the Bethesda Fountain in the Bethesda Terrace area of Central Park and the fountain's "Angel of the Waters" statue can be seen in the background. The photographs taken by Douglas Gilbert on this historic day document New York's reaction to the news of Dr. King's assassination in Memphis, Tennessee, on the previous day. Scanned from the negative. Subject The topic of the resource King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968 Bethesda Fountain (New York, N.Y.) Central Park (New York, N.Y.) New York (N.Y.) Memorials--New York (State)--New York Black-and-white photography Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783">Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1960s Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/07b11c274912ddf3c822477b98575046.jpg 43db4f5abb89885885d54724a553b8c8 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Douglas R. Gilbert Photographs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R., 1942-2023 Description An account of the resource Photographs scanned from negatives and transparencies from the Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183). Douglas R. Gilbert (b. 1942) is an American photographer from Michigan. He was born in Holland, Michigan and is the son of Russell W. and Carmen (Andree) Gilbert. Gilbert earned a B.A. in social sciences and art at Michigan State University in 1964, an M.S. in photography from the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology in 1972, and a M.S.W. from Salem State College in 1993. He is married to Barbara (McDonald) Gilbert, and has three daughters, Robyn, Rachel, and Anne. Gilbert took a serious interest in photography at the age of fourteen. In 1963 he joined the staff of Look magazine in New York as the second youngest photojournalist in the magazine's history. As a Look photographer from 1964 to 1966, he photographed folk musician Bob Dylan, the Newport Folk Festival, Simon and Garfunkel, the New York City Financial District, the children and facilities at the Manhattan School for Seriously Disturbed Children. From 1967 to 1969, Gilbert did several shoots, including that of folk singer Janis Ian for Life magazine. After moving to Chicago, Illinois in 1969 to attend the Illinois Institute of Technology, Gilbert conducted notable photo shoots of business and political figure Lenore Romney, and pursued more personal and artistic photography, focusing on urban and rural landscapes in Illinois and Michigan. He then joined the faculty of Wheaton College, where he taught from 1972 to 1982. In 1993, Gilbert graduated from Salem State College, Massachusetts, with a Masters in Social Work, and later pursued a second career as a psychotherapist. Douglas Gilbert died in June 2023. Throughout his photography career, he pursued both freelance commercial work as well as artistic work. His art photography is characterized by its classic black-and-white format, and features people, places and objects shot great attention and sensitivity. Gilbert's works are held in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, and the Grand Valley State University Art Galleries, as well as in numerous private and institutional collections. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960-2011 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="%E2%80%9Dhttps%3A//gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783%E2%80%9D">Douglas R. Gilbert Papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Subject The topic of the resource Photographs Photography -- United States Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Image Type The nature or genre of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183_I046-0015 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1968-04-05 Title A name given to the resource Memorial for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Central Park, New York Description An account of the resource Black and white photograph of the memorial rally that took place in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in New York City's Central Park. In the photograph, crowds of people are gathered onstage around an unidentified musical performer playing a guitar in the Naumburg Bandshell, an outdoor concert venue sitting along the Central Park Mall area of the park. The photographs taken by Douglas Gilbert on this historic day document New York's reaction to the news of Dr. King's assassination in Memphis, Tennessee, on the previous day. Scanned from the negative. Subject The topic of the resource King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968 Central Park (New York, N.Y.) New York (N.Y.) Memorials--New York (State)--New York Black-and-white photography Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783">Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1960s Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/5edd26164049cb2595a4f8d3f1507a8f.jpg 672f5d3caba58b3b64fe4f149566e13c Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Douglas R. Gilbert Photographs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R., 1942-2023 Description An account of the resource Photographs scanned from negatives and transparencies from the Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183). Douglas R. Gilbert (b. 1942) is an American photographer from Michigan. He was born in Holland, Michigan and is the son of Russell W. and Carmen (Andree) Gilbert. Gilbert earned a B.A. in social sciences and art at Michigan State University in 1964, an M.S. in photography from the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology in 1972, and a M.S.W. from Salem State College in 1993. He is married to Barbara (McDonald) Gilbert, and has three daughters, Robyn, Rachel, and Anne. Gilbert took a serious interest in photography at the age of fourteen. In 1963 he joined the staff of Look magazine in New York as the second youngest photojournalist in the magazine's history. As a Look photographer from 1964 to 1966, he photographed folk musician Bob Dylan, the Newport Folk Festival, Simon and Garfunkel, the New York City Financial District, the children and facilities at the Manhattan School for Seriously Disturbed Children. From 1967 to 1969, Gilbert did several shoots, including that of folk singer Janis Ian for Life magazine. After moving to Chicago, Illinois in 1969 to attend the Illinois Institute of Technology, Gilbert conducted notable photo shoots of business and political figure Lenore Romney, and pursued more personal and artistic photography, focusing on urban and rural landscapes in Illinois and Michigan. He then joined the faculty of Wheaton College, where he taught from 1972 to 1982. In 1993, Gilbert graduated from Salem State College, Massachusetts, with a Masters in Social Work, and later pursued a second career as a psychotherapist. Douglas Gilbert died in June 2023. Throughout his photography career, he pursued both freelance commercial work as well as artistic work. His art photography is characterized by its classic black-and-white format, and features people, places and objects shot great attention and sensitivity. Gilbert's works are held in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, and the Grand Valley State University Art Galleries, as well as in numerous private and institutional collections. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960-2011 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="%E2%80%9Dhttps%3A//gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783%E2%80%9D">Douglas R. Gilbert Papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Subject The topic of the resource Photographs Photography -- United States Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Image Type The nature or genre of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183_I046-0018 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1968-04-05 Title A name given to the resource Memorial for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Central Park, New York Description An account of the resource Black and white photograph of the memorial rally that took place in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in New York City's Central Park. In the photograph, crowds of people are gathered onstage around an unidentified musical performer playing a guitar in the Naumburg Bandshell, an outdoor concert venue sitting along the Central Park Mall area of the park. The photographs taken by Douglas Gilbert on this historic day document New York's reaction to the news of Dr. King's assassination in Memphis, Tennessee, on the previous day. Scanned from the negative. Subject The topic of the resource King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968 Central Park (New York, N.Y.) New York (N.Y.) Memorials--New York (State)--New York Black-and-white photography Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783">Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1960s Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/c86a2467ed90c5240c63478214ecf622.jpg a3d0e9c889884a827c7e65567c0dfbbf Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Douglas R. Gilbert Photographs Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R., 1942-2023 Description An account of the resource Photographs scanned from negatives and transparencies from the Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183). Douglas R. Gilbert (b. 1942) is an American photographer from Michigan. He was born in Holland, Michigan and is the son of Russell W. and Carmen (Andree) Gilbert. Gilbert earned a B.A. in social sciences and art at Michigan State University in 1964, an M.S. in photography from the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology in 1972, and a M.S.W. from Salem State College in 1993. He is married to Barbara (McDonald) Gilbert, and has three daughters, Robyn, Rachel, and Anne. Gilbert took a serious interest in photography at the age of fourteen. In 1963 he joined the staff of Look magazine in New York as the second youngest photojournalist in the magazine's history. As a Look photographer from 1964 to 1966, he photographed folk musician Bob Dylan, the Newport Folk Festival, Simon and Garfunkel, the New York City Financial District, the children and facilities at the Manhattan School for Seriously Disturbed Children. From 1967 to 1969, Gilbert did several shoots, including that of folk singer Janis Ian for Life magazine. After moving to Chicago, Illinois in 1969 to attend the Illinois Institute of Technology, Gilbert conducted notable photo shoots of business and political figure Lenore Romney, and pursued more personal and artistic photography, focusing on urban and rural landscapes in Illinois and Michigan. He then joined the faculty of Wheaton College, where he taught from 1972 to 1982. In 1993, Gilbert graduated from Salem State College, Massachusetts, with a Masters in Social Work, and later pursued a second career as a psychotherapist. Douglas Gilbert died in June 2023. Throughout his photography career, he pursued both freelance commercial work as well as artistic work. His art photography is characterized by its classic black-and-white format, and features people, places and objects shot great attention and sensitivity. Gilbert's works are held in the permanent collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, The Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, and the Grand Valley State University Art Galleries, as well as in numerous private and institutional collections. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1960-2011 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="%E2%80%9Dhttps%3A//gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783%E2%80%9D">Douglas R. Gilbert Papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource In Copyright Subject The topic of the resource Photographs Photography -- United States Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Image Type The nature or genre of the resource image/jpeg Language A language of the resource eng Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context RHC-183_I046-0023 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Gilbert, Douglas R. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1968-04-05 Title A name given to the resource Memorial for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Central Park, New York Description An account of the resource Black and white photograph of the memorial rally that took place in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in New York City's Central Park. In the photograph, a large crowd of people are gathered together in the park to pay their respect to the late Dr. King, to protest his assassination, and to keep his message alive. The photographs taken by Douglas Gilbert on this historic day document New York's reaction to the news of Dr. King's assassination in Memphis, Tennessee, on the previous day. Scanned from the negative. Subject The topic of the resource King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968 Central Park (New York, N.Y.) New York (N.Y.) Memorials--New York (State)--New York Black-and-white photography Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://gvsu.lyrasistechnology.org/repositories/2/resources/783">Douglas R. Gilbert papers (RHC-183)</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">In Copyright</a> Type The nature or genre of the resource Image Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource image/jpeg Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1960s Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives