{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/3/context.json","id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/iiif/1n7xk85r7t/manifest","type":"Manifest","label":{"en":["Frederick Lewis Oral History"]},"logo":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/010/original/Aviary_QPLlogo_192x192.png?1578574261","metadata":[{"label":{"en":["Description"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSummary of Full Interview\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIn part 1 of the interview, Frederick Lewis discusses growing up in the East Bronx in the 1950s, including attending a predominantly white school as part of a busing/desegregation effort after the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. He then describes going to Queens College as a student in the SEEK program starting in 1967, as well as what it was like to be a Black student on campus at that time. He touches on the political climate, having his own show on the college radio station, and playing on the basketball team.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIn part 2 of the interview, Lewis talks about his recent involvement in politics as a candidate and consultant, his relationship with Queens College SEEK staff, and how SEEK influenced his life.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Rights Statement"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eCC BY-NC-SA Contact digitalarchives@queenslibrary.org for research and reproduction requests.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Source Metadata URI"]},"value":{"en":["http://digitalarchives.queenslibrary.org/search/browse/40612"]}},{"label":{"en":["Date"]},"value":{"en":["2020-08-11 (created)","2020-08-18 (created)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Tags"]},"value":{"en":["Queens College Alumni"]}},{"label":{"en":["Type"]},"value":{"en":["Audio"]}},{"label":{"en":["Agent"]},"value":{"en":["Frederick Lewis (Interviewee)","Obden Mondesir (Interviewer)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Source"]},"value":{"en":["Interview conducted as part of the Queens College SEEK History Project."]}},{"label":{"en":["Coverage"]},"value":{"en":["1950s-2020 (temporal)","Queens College and Flushing, Queens, NY; Bronx, NY (spatial)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Language"]},"value":{"en":["English"]}}],"summary":{"en":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSummary of Full Interview\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIn part 1 of the interview, Frederick Lewis discusses growing up in the East Bronx in the 1950s, including attending a predominantly white school as part of a busing/desegregation effort after the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. He then describes going to Queens College as a student in the SEEK program starting in 1967, as well as what it was like to be a Black student on campus at that time. He touches on the political climate, having his own show on the college radio station, and playing on the basketball team.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIn part 2 of the interview, Lewis talks about his recent involvement in politics as a candidate and consultant, his relationship with Queens College SEEK staff, and how SEEK influenced his life.\u003c/p\u003e"]},"requiredStatement":{"label":{"en":["Attribution"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eCC BY-NC-SA Contact digitalarchives@queenslibrary.org for research and reproduction requests.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},"provider":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/aboutus","type":"Agent","label":{"en":["Queens Public Library"]},"homepage":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/","type":"Text","label":{"en":["Queens Public Library"]},"format":"text/html"}],"logo":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/010/original/Aviary_QPLlogo_192x192.png?1578574261","type":"Image"}]}],"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/205/302/small/IMG_0026%281%29.JPG?1691780474","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 1 of 2 - Lewis_Frederic_20200811_PT1.mp3"]},"duration":3289.182,"width":640,"height":360,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/205/302/small/IMG_0026%281%29.JPG?1691780474","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/content/1/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-queenslibrary.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/205/302/original/Lewis_Frederic_20200811_PT1.mp3?1691780396","type":"Audio","format":"audio/mpeg","duration":3289.182,"width":640,"height":360},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["Full Transcript - August 11, 2020 [Transcript]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Google Voice: This call is now being recorded.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=0.0,2.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/2","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: All right. And I'm going to give the date, which today's date is Tuesday, August 11th, 2020. My name is Obden Mondesir. I am collecting this interview for the Queens College Special Collections and Archives. The history of SEEK, which is a program, which has been at CUNY since 1966. And I am with Frederick Lewis:. Mr. Lewis, could you spell your first and last name?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=2.0,39.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/3","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: Frederick, F R E D E R I C K. Lewis, L E W I S.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=39.0,47.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/4","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: And how old are you?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=47.0,51.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/5","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: 70.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=51.0,51.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/6","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: And-- Then I'm going to ask you this question. I'm going to send you the form, but do you agree with the terms and conditions that are outlined within the Queens College informed consent form? And copyright permission that I will share with you over email. This email, the form would just say that, like we'd share this interview so you can decide what happens with this interview and we can't do anything without your permission.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=51.0,91.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/7","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: Okay. That sounds fair to me.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=91.0,94.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/8","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Okay. Yeah. And I'll make sure to send the forms after this phone call. And then...","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=94.0,105.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/9","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: To make a movie, I just need to get about 70% of the royalties.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=105.0,110.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/10","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: All right. That's a deal. That's a con-- I'm down for that. And yeah, let's start from the beginning. Could you tell me the year you were born and where?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=110.0,124.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/11","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: Yeah, 1949 in Bronx, New York.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=124.0,128.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/12","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: And tell me what it was like growing up in the Bronx in the 1950s.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=128.0,139.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/13","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: Interesting, to say the least. You know, I was a part of the beginning of the school busing due to the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education decision. So I was bused to all white schools, but yet coming back to the day that I was considered an Oreo. You know, because I went to white schools. So, it was a very interesting experience for my education. The community was great. The community was truly event. Yeah. Everyone was your mom, and your dad, and your uncle, and your aunt, and your cousin. It was a great experience growing up in the Bronx area that I get.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=139.0,192.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/14","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: And what was the name of the area of the Bronx?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=192.0,195.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/15","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: The East Bronx, Brook Avenue, which is now the side of Claremont Village.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=195.0,209.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/16","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: All right. And I guess, could you describe the neighborhood that you were in from the house to the blocks, and the neighbors.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=209.0,220.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/17","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: Tenement buildings, most of them six stories high. Most of them, family contained. You generally had families living together in different apartments. I would have to believe that the community was 99% African-American at that stage, you might've seen a 0.5% Latino. And then all of the store owners, bar owners, and restaurant owners were all white, you know. Many, many neighborhoods had your church, your funeral parlor, and your liquor stores all together. It was just a unique time because again, people band together to really make a good experience.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=220.0,287.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/18","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Hmm, okay. And is there anyone in particular from the neighborhood that you remember vividly that was apart of your life growing up?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=287.0,299.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/19","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: Yeah, yeah. As a matter of fact, to this day family and I laugh because I was really embraced and protected by what people would think would be some of the most downtrodden and others with real problems. As for example, we had a lady named Maria who was known as the neighborhood drunk. But she used to hold my hand and take me across the street. And she used to always say don't be no fool. And it wasn't until I got older that I asked, what did she mean by that? She was saying, listen, don't do what I do because I don't, you be a fool and do it. But then I had a guy who he had a building as I was super, who had one leg and he had one wooden leg. And he used to take off his wooden leg money and find candy and money for the kids of the community. The guy who owned the cleaners used to show movies every Friday and Saturday night for the kids in the community. It was just a great time. It was a great time. It was a village, it was a village.[Unclear] the drunk, who I used to make sure that all of the kids would be fine. He was the lookout guy, he was security. Really great community upbringing.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=299.0,396.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/20","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: And could you tell me about your parents? What brought them to the Bronx?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=396.0,404.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/21","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: Most in, from Virginia, one from Farmville, one from Richmond, Virginia. I'm not sure how they landed in the Bronx. Other than the fact that it's my belief that family had come before them and it's settled in the Bronx. So it was like, they came and lived with relatives until they were able to get out on their own. And get their own place to live and they remained in the Bronx and they just did it for each family member who wanted to come from Virginia. But the Bronx seemed to have been the place where many people from Virginia came to live.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=404.0,450.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/22","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Okay, okay. Of the population that was in your neighborhood, like how much do you think were, what percentage do you think was from Virginia?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=450.0,465.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/23","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: That I can't tell you. Because I really have never even bothered to visit that. But let me say this. Maybe not so much from Virginia, but from the south. I would say, I would tend to believe that 90% of the people who lived in my particular neighborhood came Southern states.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=465.0,487.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/24","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Understood. And, do you mind saying what your parents did for a living?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=487.0,500.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/25","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: Yeah, my mother was a seamstress, who, so for the neighborhood, for the churches, and even at one point, sewed robes for James Brown. My dad was a handyman. My dad worked in factories. He worked on cars, painted. He was a handyman. He did, you know, a Jack of all trades.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=500.0,539.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/26","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Yeah. And early on in our conversation, you mentioned that, you were a part of the busing that was going on. And could you provide recollections of that? What you like, I mean, you mentioned that you were being called an Oreo and things like that, but could you [unclear] a little more into that experience and what it looked like?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=539.0,566.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/27","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: Well, because you're the same stereotypes that white people have.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=566.0,578.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/28","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: And in true to form, during this period of the schools, we were not accepted at all. We were outcasts, we were niggers, you know, we didn't belong there. But since they had to accept us, you know, we were there, but they didn't make it easy. Many of those in my community, didn't want the buses. Didn't want us going out of our community to white schools to integrate because of all the fears that they had for what they saw happening while they would try to integrate schools in the south and didn't want us to face that kinds of racism, you know, possible violence and all of that. But once we were there, they kind of felt that we were trying to be better than some of the other folks with some of the other kids in the community who didn't get far. It was a damned if you do, a damned if you don't type of situation.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=578.0,658.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/29","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: And I remember, my first year at Queens College, I wrote a paper regarding my upbringing in elementary, junior high, and high school. And it was entitled from Oreo to Chocolate Snap, and basically describe, you know, how I was viewed in the black community and the white community. You know, I used to sit and laugh and thought that was a joke, you know, because I saw alot of stuff there that really opened my eyes to whoa, you know, people man, that ain't no difference. We believe in life. We laugh. Like we cry a lot, you know, like I had to experience, I was the only black kid in the Boy Scout troop and one of the white families invited me to dinner and I was stereotype was white people not only lived well, but they ate well.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=658.0,725.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/30","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: And the residence that I went to, they had a doorman and ushered into the building a whole bit. And I get up to the apartment. It's really a great, really laid well. And when it came time to eat, we had beans and franks. And I said, whoa. And I couldn't wait to get back home to tell my parents. So wait a minute. They eat just like we do, beans and franks. And my dad just looked at me and said, we told you, there's no difference, man. You know, people are people, people do what they have to do to get along. And there are two kinds of people. There's good people and bad people, you know, and that was the deal. And that was what brought me life and still to this day, you know, if you're alright, you're alright, if you're not, you're not, that's simple for me.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=725.0,789.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/31","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: You mentioned I could, I know it may be the connection, but I don't, I didn't hear the name of the school that you attended initially when you bused, what was the name of it?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=789.0,799.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/32","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: P.S.70, I went to P.S.70. That was the first school I was bused to. That was the elementary school. Then I went to Junior High Wade 117 [I.S. 117 Joseph H. Wade]. Didn't know the high school they deal with it.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=799.0,819.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/33","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: What do you recall of your experiences at junior high school?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=819.0,826.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/34","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: At the middle school. Wade 117. Well, by that time, well, again, most of the folks that were with me in elementary school, which is same middle school. So one, you know, relationships are better. Two, you know, it was a little bit of place. I played basketball. I was on the handball team. I was on the newspaper team, you know, I tried to stuff. So, they showed me [unclear] what did that crew, you know, it was a lot better experience. They were a lot more accepting at that point. And we'd gotten to know each other, we had tied ups together. So we were through the hard times together getting to know each other and dealing with other at the elementary school level. So the junior high school a lot better experience.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=826.0,894.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/35","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Right. Are there any teachers that you recall in your educational experience that stand out to you now?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=894.0,903.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/36","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: On what level? Are you talking about elementary, middle school, high school?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=903.0,913.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/37","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Well, we skipped over elementary school. So like in junior high school, is there, were there any teachers that came to mind?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=913.0,920.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/38","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: The first person that comes to my mind was the Principal, Ms. [unclear] I remember it as clear today, you know, when I was there. Because she was really a mentor as well as the Principal. I think she made things easier for the black students in the school. So she went out of her way to try to make sure student activities, that we were all right. Then there's a teacher, a gym teacher who I always thought was a wrestler named [unclear] because he looked just like the guy and he acted just like the guy and real rough, tough, rough guy, but one of the best human beings you ever meet in your life. And he took me under his wing to make sure that I was okay. So those two people come to mind immediately from my junior high school experience.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=920.0,988.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/39","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Okay. And then what was, what high school like, what do you remember of that?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=988.0,998.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/40","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: Those were [unclear] high days. Those were the days that you really started to grow and mature and come into your own. And that's, you know, it was more relaxed. A lot of the neighborhood friends. A cousin of mine, trying to pave the way he was a football player there, who after that became the owner of Essence Magazine, Edward Lewis. But he tried to set the tone for my acceptance there. And it was just really, it was hangout time, it was school time to be very candid with you. I associated with a lot of white students that I knew there because they made sure that we were going to pass all the exams. We had our own little study group, or if you want to call it our own little cheat group. So we all had honor classes because we were never going to fail we were going to make sure. We had the test and all the information beforehand because their parents were going to make sure that these kids pass and nothing will go wrong. And I just happened to be a part of that group. But it was a great learning experience.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=998.0,1093.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/41","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: High school you would have, that would have been in 19--","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=1093.0,1101.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/42","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: In the late 1967. '64 to '67.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=1101.0,1103.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/43","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Yeah. And I guess, do you remember, like, were there any, like, do you remember what's happening in the news, and to that effect, how, do you remember anything that happened in news that was effecting you?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=1103.0,1117.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/44","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: Well, you had the assassination of the president, John F. Kennedy, during that period of time, which, I mean it was mindblowing. It was like the world [unclear] We had the World's Fair, which was a real experience. I had never seen anything like that in my life with, you know, all different countries, different cultures. That was the hemisphere out there. I mean, that was a hell of an experience. And then you had all the rioting and the, you know, the protests, in the north and the south. MLK doing [unclear] killed. So it was a lot going on. You had Malcolm X out there, you had a [unclear] Mohamad, you know, Stokely Carmichael. So there was a lot of stuff going on during those years.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=1117.0,1188.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/45","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Yeah. And, I guess Kennedy would have been assassinated while you're finishing high school.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=1188.0,1199.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/46","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: No, no no. When I was in, this had to be '63 I believe. So I was still in middle school.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=1199.0,1209.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/47","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Oh, yeah yeah.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=1209.0,1221.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/48","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: And I guess if it was still in middle school, like, do you remember, like, that affecting your transition from middle school to high school? Or like what...","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=1221.0,1237.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/49","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: The impact was I think awareness of really what was going on in the country. And there was a profound sadness when it happened. It was an eye opener, when it happened. And I just think, just, I know for me I started paying more attention to current events and looking more history and historical incidents, and it kind of changed my thoughts to the world and what goes on, you know. And how fragile life is.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=1237.0,1288.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/50","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Okay, and-- Then I guess, could you provide the trajectory of you being, going from high school and attending Queens College to SEEK?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=1288.0,1314.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/51","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: I cannot even remember to be honest with you, how I came upon SEEK program. I, to this day, I don't remember how that happened. I know that when I was thinking about college, basically in my junior and senior year, the biggest focus for myself and my family was how are we going to pay for this stuff? You know, [unclear] Nobody else has ever gone to college. You know, I had oldest siblings, all who finished high school, but no one had gone to college and financially that was always an issue. And I think that was the primary issue with me. And again, I don't remember exactly how I was guided and directed to SEEK. I really don't know unless it had something to do with the financial aid forms that we filled out and completed. And that might've been how that happened.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=1314.0,1390.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/52","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Hello?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=1390.0,1390.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/53","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: Yes, I'm here.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=1390.0,1402.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/54","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: Yeah. I did not know anything about SEEK. I didn't apply to SEEK at that point because I knew nothing about it. I think it had to do with filling out financial aid forms that I might've been directed and guided to the SEEK program.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=1402.0,1427.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/55","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Okay. And what made you, so there, the financial aid forms in regards to the SEEK, but what made you decide on Queens College?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=1427.0,1438.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/56","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: I, you know, Queens College may-- the viewed upon is a prestigious city college of all the five boroughs. We always thought of the Flushing area as highfalutin, you know, that you would, that it would be a real gift from an experience that it would be a-- if you graduated Queens College, you'd really be looked upon as someone that did well academically. And it was just, it was Queens College was revered, you know, City College, to be honest with you, [unclear] for, cause it was up in Harlem as a black school. Hunter, in Manhattan. So you know, for me, I didn't want to stay that close to home, even though Queens was still close to home, but that Hunter facility, without having like a big campus and all of that, you know, nobody went to Staten Island and Brooklyn from the Bronx. Queens College was the, I think, the crown jewel of the city colleges.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=1438.0,1533.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/57","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Hmm. Okay. So, Queens College has like very strong reputation, as an academic institution and you decided to apply to it. And, I guess, what did you know of Queens at the time before attending the university? So Queens borough.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=1533.0,1557.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/58","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: We had family out there.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=1557.0,1563.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/59","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Oh okay.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=1563.0,1563.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/60","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: Yeah. We have family out in Queens, in Queens Village. And again, they left the tenement buildings and now community moved out to Queens, had their own house, living well, you know, my older brother who joined the police force, moved out to Queens, you know, so we had family connections in Queens.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=1563.0,1588.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/61","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: And I guess, was Queens kind of like this area where one could own a home more easily?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=1588.0,1598.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/62","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: Yeah. Absolutely. Without a doubt. My uncle Willy was a cab driver, [unclear] A beautiful home out in Queens Village, you know, my brother again, Cambria Heights by the Queens, that area Queens Village, Cambria Heights, you know, became like black enclaves, Jamaica, Jamaica Estates you know, you had the James Browns, the Louis Armstrongs, those people out there in Queens. So Queens had a pretty good name.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=1598.0,1660.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/63","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Okay. So it's, 1967 and you've gotten into Queens College. Correct? Tell me what it was like attending the school? What were your earliest memories?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=1660.0,1686.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/64","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: You know, I think academically the difficulty I had initially going there, we had to take what I considered remediation courses. And, you know, I had a great academic career in high school. So that's kind of, I felt kind of slowed my pace down, but I did understood sequence to make sure that we were college ready and that we were ready for the real campus academics. So we had to take courses to move forward and matriculate and all. But the greatest part of arriving there and arrive in SEEK was you found family again, you found a village again, you found people who look like you because people, [unclear] had the greatest thing, foods, staff, you can shake a stick at. And one of the guys, which was, I didn't, I never even realized he was involved in academics in college.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=1686.0,1778.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/65","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: It was the guy Bill Modeste who I had known before I got to Queens College from playing basketball. And you know, he was truly, a godsend because he just kept me on the straight and narrow. And he really gave me that support then, you know, shyly [unclear] Benson and Townsend [unclear]-- They were, not only were they our counselors and mentors, but they were also posed like older brothers and sisters. They weren't that much older than us. And, you know, and they had shared their experiences with us. And quite a few of the guys had come from, you know, southern colleges, black colleges. And they had, I don't know who put that staff together out there, but they had an awesome staff, absolute, awesome staff, who really cared about us, who really wanted us to succeed. And really pushed us to succeed.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=1778.0,1865.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/66","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Great. And do you remember some of the, I guess, the first instances of like, you know, [unclear] Could you describe what it was like being in the program versus the general population at Queens College?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=1865.0,1884.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/67","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: Night and day. Because we were our own, we had little houses. I think it was 69th Road with, you know, [unclear] were in different houses. We had classes in different houses. We had very few initially, very few classes on the actual campus. When we were going to campus, like even in the lunch room, we all sat together. You know, we added together, we played cards together. We were our own little community. It took us some time to kind of integrate-- and vibe because they weren't accepting at all. They were not used, they might've been used to a handful of people of color on that campus, but a bunch of people of color out there, you know, [unclear] American elect wasn't ready, so that, so we, did what we had to, and little by little, we became assimilated into the campus politics, academics, and activities and all.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=1884.0,1976.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/68","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Okay. And so, you mentioned that it was like night and day being [unclear] in Queens College. And, also like while you are at school, there were like, some serious, protests that were happening. So, what do you recall from that time period?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=1976.0,2004.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/69","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: Well, I was involved in most of the serious protests. I was fortunate though, number one, I had my own [unclear] which kind of got me known on the campus. I started on the basketball team there [unclear] freshmen. So I had a little quote, a little reputation out there, being involved in a lot of stuff. I used the radio program not only for entertainment, but my platform to talk about the things that I saw out there, how many of us felt about being out there. When MLK got assassinated, we had a riot out there. And the white folk actually gathered and ran us off the campus, we had sit-ins at the, I think it was called CMC building. We would let it be known that we were there. We were there to get a good education. We were there to better our lives and those of our families. And we weren't going to be intimidated or pushed out by anybody. And it was that simple. Okay. And we had strong backing mentors who felt strongly about succeeding there. And that's the kind of pride that we had, we were going to succeed. And if it took protesting and if it's because of this office, which we might've done once or twice if it meant going crazy on the campus and then, you know, we did what we had to do, you know, we say we good.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=2004.0,2134.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/70","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Hmm. I do want to continue to ask them about the protest, but could you tell me more what it was like being I guess running a radio show on campus?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=2134.0,2148.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/71","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: It was, it was a, first of all probably historic because they probably never had any black person with a radio show on Queens College campus. Secondly, it almost felt as if we had a ride, we will be in accepted, we were being led in. It also gave me intro and to other areas of getting to know a lot of the other aspects of the campus and what else was going on in the campus besides just what we would do when it's SEEK, you know? And I used it as a platform to tell our stories tell a story of racism and I think it enlightened how community, but there's also, and getting them to understand that we were there. We had arrived. This was the purpose that we were being at Queens College to learn to mature, to grow, you know?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=2148.0,2235.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/72","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: And that was it. That was, that was why we were there, and I used that radio show as a platform to, to do that. And then, you know, those were the days of the Frankie Crocker's and WBLS and Quiet Storm with [unclear] And all of those guys show up. I thought that show was one of those kinds of shows. So, you know, we were able to play some on music instead of having to listen to Led Zeppelin. And then some of those guys were able to listen to Al Green and Teddy Pendergrass and Gladys and, you know, a dance in the cafeteria and things of that nature, you know, so it was a great experience. It really was.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=2235.0,2284.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/73","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: And what do you remember of your fellow students at the time, like I guess first let's start with, are there any particular students that you remember?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=2284.0,2292.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/74","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: Well, of course, all the guys who played basketball with me, for sure. Well, you know you remember those guys what was amazing, there was a handful of black students on campus already when we got there who migrated towards us because now they had other folks who look like them on the campus. One is a matter of fact might be the presiding Queens, oh God, I feel badly, Leslie, Leslie, I gotta get his last name, but he's one of the presiding judges over in Queens Leslie Lee. That was his name, but you know, we had a lot of, you know, you had Phil Luciano there, you know who we used to call Phil. Then he became Felipe, Michael Redmond. We had plenty, plenty of folks that I remember that we just try to come together because we tried to do some progressive things out there, you know, unfortunately was blocked [unclear]. But, yeah, I, I remember quite a few because it was a good experience out there. And we had a camaraderie that was just like [unclear] with your family. Yeah. They became like my second family. I couldn't wait to get the school to see these folks. I couldn't wait. That's how it was.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=2292.0,2407.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/75","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: And we did a lot of things, you know, because SEEK might've been the program that even had its own dorms especially Queens College. So we used to hang out at the dorms three [unclear] 72nd street. I think that Broadway, we had, we did a lot of social things together, you know, which kind of kept that family atmosphere and spirit alive. We, it was a good, it was a really great experience.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=2407.0,2447.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/76","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Wow. So did you live on the dorm over on 72nd?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=2447.0,2452.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/77","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: No, no, no. I wasn't quite ready for that kind of stuff. You know, I had a stable home, up in the Bronx, in the projects, Millbrook houses with mom and dad, my brother and sister who, you know, my siblings. No, it was, it was travel for me every day, every time, you know, but it was, it was cool. It was cool. It was good. It was good, man. It looks forward to it every day and we had some great teachers. That was that was the other side. We had some real top shelf teachers there. Yeah--","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=2452.0,2502.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/78","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: No, no, go ahead, please continue.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=2502.0,2503.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/79","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: I was going to say, you know historic people like C Eric Lincoln who taught religion John Henry Clark, who you know, I con you know, a guy from Africa or Rocky Kojo, you know these were, that were really well renowned in academia, who taught college and know fortunate enough to be in their classes.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=2503.0,2539.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/80","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: And then I met a gentleman in the phys ed department who had to have been about 77 years old when we were there. His name was Robert Salmona, Bob Salmona and he became white guy. He became like a granddaddy to me. He was an original, one of the original basketball coaches there. And I don't know, he took to me, I took to him because I didn't like the coach at all. He was a real jerk. This guy really kept me centered, kept me focused. And when I graduated it was very instrumental in negotiating a contract for me to go play basketball in Europe. I will never forget Bob Salmona-- really one of my life.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=2539.0,2603.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/81","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Do you mind spelling his last name","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=2603.0,2605.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/82","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: I think it was S A L M O N A, Salmona Robert Salmona","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=2605.0,2613.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/83","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Okay. And what did you-- so there is Robert Salmona and-- what did you not like about the other coach?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=2613.0,2622.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/84","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: He was a undercover racist.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=2622.0,2625.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/85","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Hmm.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=2625.0,2631.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/86","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: And again he wasn't, he wasn't used to coaching black players especially black players from a low income, one particular, a black ball player who was a regular Queens College student gaining from a real middle-class household who probably went to school with white folk all his life. He was able to get along with this guy, but my shelf guys, and Lenny I forget Lenny's last name who actually quit the team after a while, a guy Jeff Walker, who quit the team after awhile, cause he just couldn't [unclear], he had absolutely no sensitivity to us. I thought you could talk to us as if we were, kids or you just you're rude dude who just didn't get it until some of us had to tell him what he could kiss and what he could do for us, because he wasn't doing anything for us.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=2631.0,2718.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/87","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: We were making him look good, like in school. Good. No, but he was a real well, you know, during that period of time, most of that visit staff, they were all alive. It was few and far between some of them really wanted us to be athletes there. One female, she was a fabulous lady, Lucille Kyvallos who coached a couple of these young ladies who went on to the WNBA, Althea Gwyn, [unclear] but this lady was, Lucille Kyvallos, was a godsend to me. She also kept me in and focus. And, and when I got problems with my coach and be able to go talk to her, and that was a department within itself, you know, they were kind of isolated from the rest of the campus. So they did whatever they want us to do. No, that was who they were. We're going to tell you that those are the times, you know, where Jim Crow was alive and well in the north, as much as it was in the south, you know, the south was overt up in the north. It was undercover, but it was just as much there. So it was very interesting time, you know--","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=2718.0,2834.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/88","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: While playing basketball, you mentioned that he was like an undercover racist there, at that, like a lot of teammates didn't enjoy the way that he interacted or spoke to you. Are there any examples that you can think of that help illustrate this?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=2834.0,2848.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/89","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: Well, the only, the one illustration I have is we were up in Canada in the tournament up there. And I don't know what he was going through, but he started screaming and yelling at me as if I was a piece of trash. I didn't know what was happening with this guy. And I walked up to court and tell him what he could kiss. And they sent me home from Canada. And a couple of guys after that really saw who he was. And like I said, several guys quit the team. But I think that was the most blatant occurance when he-- I don't know he had some kind of nervous breakdown or something. And I guess I was the subject or the object of his anxiety, and I just let him know very clearly, you know, no that don't work with me. You know I, in the middle of a play, I walked off the court, you know, sat down, you know, a, you know, they met with me afterwards. I let them all know what they could kiss, you know, I've said enough of this and you guys can send me home, man. You know, and that was that, you know, that was that.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=2848.0,2941.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/90","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Okay, and I guess going back towards, to SEEK and the protest. Earlier you mentioned that you were a part of a good number of them. Could you describe how they operated? I think in prior conversations with Dr. Bill Sales said, he mentioned that there was a, I want to call it a branch, but a group of students and teachers that like that made it their attention to like create disruptions, peaceful or non. Do you, does that, do you recall any of that?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=2941.0,2983.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/91","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: No, not at all. I don't remember the Bill Sales being here that long. I'm trying to figure out what years he was there [unclear]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=2983.0,3009.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/92","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Would've been there [unclear]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=3009.0,3012.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/93","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: Okay. That might've been when I was leaving. I don't, yeah, I can't speak to that. I can't speak to that. I really can't. I know that MLK got assassinated, I was involved with a real radical folks. One lady was Florynce Kennedy, Flo Kennedy, who was a lawyer who was very close to Stokely Carmichael and [unclear] Newton [phonetic] and [unclear] Brown [phonetic]. I remember those days of protest, but I don't remember the trail stuff. I really don't. Okay. They do. We were out there.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=3012.0,3071.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/94","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Yeah. So I guess, how would you, like while you were in college, how would you describe the political climate that was happening at Queens College?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=3071.0,3086.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/95","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: I say doing that period of time, most of us students were involved in politics with a small P. I think some of us knew about the movement, but not as much maybe as we should have. People like Flo Kennedy and others came in who knew the big P. Who gave us some guidance and direction and knowledge as to what was going on. But the political climate was really simple. We were in the wrong place. According to them, we were not supposed to be on that [unclear]. And they really, probably the first two years they made it very well known that we were not welcome there. And I think that's what brought us closer together. I think that's why we unified even more to survive, protect one another and to show numbers.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=3086.0,3162.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/96","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: Yeah, no I think that was it, it was a very tense couple of years initially, you know not only on the college campus, but Flushing that area was not ready for a whole lot of people of color, you know? And just as a segue into something else, years later, I moved out there too, right down the block from the college into a condo area right down the block from Queens College and the precinct which was a private block. If you didn't live there, you couldn't even drive in it. And I said whoa, I'm living in somewhere like this? I didn't even know something like this existed, but it was a private block. If you didn't live there, you couldn't come in the block. You know? I remember growing up when the sanitation would come, truck would come maybe once a week, they will park, you know, like diagonal and they will block traffic on both sides. You couldn't come in and get out. When I lived in this private block, they would come down there every day and they would park alongside the curb because they knew they better not block any area where there's Jewish population. It was really strange, but that's how that area was during the time that I was there in college also. But you didn't even know that it extended that far, but that was actually-- that was a Jewish enclave and they wanted to keep it like that. And it was that stuff.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=3162.0,3286.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302/transcript/48814/annotation/97","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Okay. I'm going to--","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205302#t=3286.0,3289.182"}]}]},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 2 of 2 - Lewis_Frederic_2020818_PT2.mp3"]},"duration":1598.903,"width":640,"height":360,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/205/301/small/IMG_0026%281%29.JPG?1691780520","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/content/2/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-queenslibrary.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/205/301/original/Lewis_Frederic_2020818_PT2.mp3?1691780395","type":"Audio","format":"audio/mpeg","duration":1598.903,"width":640,"height":360},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["Full Transcript - August 18, 2020 [Transcript]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Okay. Yeah. I'm looking at [unclear] I see the door.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=1.0,22.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/2","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: The door! That's [unclear] the door. That's it. That's it, it takes up half the block there. That's it. That's the restaurant.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=22.0,32.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/3","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Oh, wow.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=32.0,34.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/4","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: Yeah. And it's the next corner is new Jerusalem. Calvin Right [phonetic]. He was a major pastor in Staten Island and came to Queens, but he was so major in Staten Island they named a street after him. Yeah. You know, they don't do that anymore for people who are still alive.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=34.0,55.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/5","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Ah, okay. That's interesting.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=55.0,57.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/6","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: Oh yes, history there.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=57.0,62.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/7","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Yeah. I'm going to get the date real quick. So we have it but today is August 18, 2020. I'm with Fred Lewis and we're continuing to interview on the history of SEEK. When we last spoke, the last few things you talked about was your entry into politics. [crosstalk] You ran for council in 2009?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=62.0,97.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/8","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: Right. Rockaway, Rosedale, take a piece of Cambria Heights. [crosstalk] There was a lot of politics involved because at that point it was supposed to be an open seat and I was probably going to be the odd one favorite, but the good mayor Bloomberg was able to talk people into extending their term limits for mayor and the council members. So rather than it being an open seat, the incumbent was able to run again and of course he was very much the favorite and did what needed to be done to be elected again. And I worked for him because not only did he win a seat back, he has gone on to become the state Senator. So it was a good move for him that they extended the seat one more time.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=97.0,180.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/9","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Okay.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=180.0,183.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/10","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: That's some real politics you might want to look at. Term limits were extended for another term by Bloomberg. It had never been done ever in history.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=183.0,200.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/11","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: And it looks like -- I mean, correct me if I'm wrong cause I'm just looking at the NYC voter guide -- but there was also Marquez Claxton, Michael Duncan, Jacques Leandre and James Sanders were also running?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=200.0,217.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/12","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: James Sanders was the incumbent James. [crosstalk] Yeah.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=217.0,229.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/13","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Could you tell me what made you decide that you wanted to run for the 31st City Council District?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=229.0,240.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/14","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: I just think it was a natural thing to do. I had been asked by many people in the community to do it because, again, we were under the assumption it was going to be an open seat. I had a fire in the belly to do it. I wanted to run for office before because the community wanted me to run for an assembly seat, but during that bit of time I was working with Mark Green and the public advocate [unclear], doing some other stuff. But the council seat, with it being an open seat, seemed to have been the one to go after, the most promising one and one that I think would have been down my alley to really do some real work for that local community that it represented. So that was the reason.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=240.0,305.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/15","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: What was your response when you realized they were going to extend term limits? How did it make you feel?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=305.0,329.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/16","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: Disheartening. I agree that they were able to pull it off because again, this was against the city charter and everything, yeah, and kind of soured me to politics and all that goes on behind the scenes, under the table, you know. No transparency, not much integrity and no accountability whatsoever.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=329.0,376.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/17","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: And so after 2009, when you ran for council and they extended the term limits, what happened after that?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=376.0,390.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/18","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: What was I doing at that point? I was the CEO of a daycare center up in the Bronx. Gloria Y Boys and Girls Club that later became Gloria Y Community Center: daycare after school, feeding program. So I did that until 2011 cause I actually had gone there in 2006. I'd actually gone there because of issues that they had at the agency with possible malfeasance, fraud, things of that nature. So I went there, worked there, ran for office while I was there. And then in 2011, basically, decided to what I thought was going to be retirement, which has not been retirement at all. So I started doing a lot of political consulting.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=390.0,484.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/19","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: Hello?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=484.0,487.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/20","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: I was on mute. No, no. I had a question. For the layman, for those that aren't aware, could you describe what it means to be a political consultant?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=487.0,501.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/21","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: You coordinate and consult on campaigns. You're an advisor to campaigns and people who are either running for office or considering the possibility of running for office. And you do everything from petition training, get out to vote, escorting candidates to different forums, setting up forums, setting up fundraising. You do to A to Z, you know, you do a lot of handholding of the candidates. And you do a lot of community affairs, you're in a community you're working with the stakeholders of the community, different political agencies or governmental agencies in the communities. So that's what you do.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=501.0,574.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/22","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: And do you think in any way that your experience at SEEK prepared you to do this type of work?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=574.0,586.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/23","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: I think in retrospect, yes. First and foremost, it gave me the opportunity to get a better quality of education. Gave me an opportunity to get a piece of paper, which was well-respected, coming from Queens College and the City University system. [laughs] There was more politics at Queens College than the law would allow. So being involved with what was the movement to help black folk get an education, be a very political on the campus with many, many issues of racism and intolerance by the community and the college of the SEEK program even being there, cause it was like we were invading their community and their school. And the different things that were going on during those years, again, assassination of MLK, other black student movements. There was a lot going on during that time.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=586.0,668.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/24","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: So, I think it might've laid the groundwork, started the wheels of my mind in motion to see how I can become an advocate for the cause, for people and for trying to change some of the stuff that we saw in the systems there, which would mean bigger change. At that time, we were focused at Queens College, not realizing that there was a bigger picture: systematic racism that was very prevalent in this country, the feeling for African Americans, Latinos and other people of color in employment situations, educational situations, political situations. So I think that experience started the wheels in motion of wanting to really get involved and do stuff.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=668.0,750.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/25","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Alright cool. I know that you described your close relationship with Mr. Bill Modeste. Could you talk about any other relationships that you have with faculty at SEEK?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=750.0,775.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/26","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: You know, something? We were such a close knit group and we had good relationships with everybody because we really had to deal with all of them. Waldos Jeff, Townsend [Alan], Vincent, those guys were athletes. So we had a bond because of their involvement in athletics. Bill, I tell you, was like one of my coaches from my younger days. So we had that athletic connection that kind of enhanced the whole counseling piece and they're there helping us, but depending on how you define \"relationship,\" because I got a great relationship with my counselor who was a white female who I remember to this day. I mean, she was awesome. Absolutely awesome human being and just an awesome counselor, man and she really kept me on the straight and narrow kept me focused.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=775.0,855.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/27","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: She was just a dynamite lady. She was just a dynamite lady. They just had a dynamic group and I think a part of it is because they came from very educational backgrounds and many of them came from black schools. Their life experiences meshed so well with each other that it meshed well with us. It was just a good group that put together. It's almost like a heavenly match of those counselors there. They went on their game and they kept us on our game. Harry Bride, I remember Harry well. Many of these guys spent many a day talking to me about how to handle the basketball coach, who was a real knucklehead and just about athletics and how you transfer that same kind of fire in the belly to the classroom and doing your work, focusing on your work, do what you had to do to matriculate and graduate.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=855.0,938.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/28","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: They had a great staff, a great staff. Another name comes to mind -- I think it was Pat McCoy, I think was one that[unclear]. They just had great folks, man. They did, they really did. They have great folks. And they advocated so much for us on the campus. It wasn't just on 37th Road or wherever we had our little houses and classrooms and all that stuff. They were on that campus making sure that one, we did what we were supposed to do and two, make sure that administration knew that we were going to get a fair shake being there. So they were real active, they were real advocates.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=938.0,996.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/29","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Oh, okay. And currently, what is your interaction with SEEK --","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=996.0,1020.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/30","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: I speak a bit a couple of years ago -- I don't know how, how many years ago --Several years ago they had me come in and speak to a bunch of [unclear] students, which maybe I stereotype the SEEK program because when I got there to speak, to seeing a bunch of African-American students as to when I was there, there was many, many, many and the majority were Asian students, some Latino students and a few African American students, but it was not the same student body that would have been familiar with my years at SEEK.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=1020.0,1080.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/31","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Hmm. How did that make you feel?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=1080.0,1088.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/32","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: One, I worried that African-American students might not have had knowledge of the program, whether or not SEEK was advertising in the communities. And I felt that other minority groups were taking advantage of the program and the opportunity to get an education, but they might not have had the financial difficulties that we had, that was wide [unclear] black communities because [unclear]. There's a million that would have the kind of low income status that we had. The minority program. So could you say?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=1088.0,1158.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/33","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Hmm. Also with the pandemic in mind, I guess, how do you see SEEK changing as far as what it was initially meant to do and what it's doing now?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=1158.0,1179.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/34","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: I'm not too sure what it's doing now, so I can't speak to that, but what I can speak to is: we need to look at why it was designed, why it was created. I know one thing for sure: the need for the SEEK program back then [unclear] even more now. What African American, Latino and people felt because of our youngsters, especially the ones that I see, had the desire to go to school [unclear] because no one has told you you can get remediation tutoring and all to help you do that. And two, how do I pay for this? The country has made a big deal. People paying back loans, this and that, people go crazy to try to get into school because they feel they can't afford it and they don't want to be hogged down by having to pay 80, 90, 100 thousand dollars back.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=1179.0,1263.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/35","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: I don't think that the City University actually [unclear]. You had SEEK, you had College Discovery, I think you had HEOP [Higher Education Opportunity Program], there was several programs geared towards minority communities, minority students. I don't even know if they still exist or not, so we need to revisit. [unclear/ audio break]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=1263.0,1313.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/36","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: Why give back to communities and then this. One of the things that was interesting is you also had, not only students like myself and came out of high school and went into the program but you had older students there in their 30s, in their 40s. Some as old as some of the counselors, maybe older in the SEEK program back then. It gave you the opportunity to get back in school. So I think we need to look at all of that. Again, you have folk who are older people who would love to go back to school. Now, find a way. So we have to look at all of that once again.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=1313.0,1369.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/37","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Okay. And then, do you have any final anecdotes that you want us to share related to your experience with SEEK or anything that we didn't go over?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=1369.0,1379.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/38","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: Well, I think one, SEEK gave me the opportunity to go [unclear]. I wouldn't have had the opportunity to play basketball and for sure wouldn't have had the opportunity to go and play official professional basketball. That's first and foremost. Secondly, when I got there at the entry level courses, and I can remember something from my English class that I've saved: I had to write a paper about some of our life experiences, and I wrote a paper called [unclear] where I would go to all white schools and I would be the n-word and I come back to black community and be an Oreo because I supposedly was not like them anymore. And the paper talks about all of that. Oreo [unclear] I was the guy who got the shots, the guy who got the last laugh, I was able to go to college.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=1379.0,1452.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/39","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: I was able to get a degree. I was able to live the American dream. I remember that well. It gave me my experience with a regular personality able to go on and really experienced that kind of life [unclear] Queens College did a lot for me. I'm very, but when I say Queens College, the real word is SEEK because without SEEK, none of this would have occurred, or I thought very greatly it wouldn't have occured. SEEK program really [unclear] to do many things with my life. Many things with my life.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=1452.0,1523.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/40","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Okay, cool.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=1523.0,1524.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/41","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: [unclear]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=1524.0,1528.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/42","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Frederick Lewis: And let me give you this. Let me just, last piece. The impact it had on me also went to my family because I was the first of six siblings at the house to go to college. When I graduated, my mother went back to school, my older brother, my three oldest sisters and my little brother all enrolled into college. So that experience gave a sense to the family that they needed to do this also. I mean, it's been a tremendous experience. Tremendous.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=1528.0,1595.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301/transcript/48815/annotation/43","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Obden Mondesir: Cool.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/105006/file/205301#t=1595.0,1598.903"}]}]}]}