{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/3/context.json","id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/iiif/4b2x34n88c/manifest","type":"Manifest","label":{"en":["Alicia Hyndman 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\u003eClip 1:  \u003c/strong\u003eAssemblywoman Hyndman talks about her journey into politics, how her career evolved from one in Education and the importance of Black women in power. \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSummary of Full Interview\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eAlicia L. Hyndman is the Assembly member for the 29th District of the New York State Assembly. She is the daughter of Caribbean immigrants who met in London before moving their family to Jamaica, Queens in the 1980’s. She still lives in the neighborhood and is now raising two daughters there. In this interview she talks about moving to Queens from London at age 11 and the adjustments it took - at age 14 she also discovered the family was undocumented and here in the US illegally. She talks about her journey into politics,  how her career evolved from one in Education and the importance of Black women in power.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eHyndman also discusses what it was like to be a local political figure early in the COVID pandemic when it became clear that Queens was the epicenter – trying to get information from higher-ups and taking calls from people whose family members had died, or lost jobs. She also talks about racism and the protests that broke out around the murder of George Floyd in the spring of 2020, the activism it spurred, and the work she has done and continues to do as a politician to try to change systemic racism. She also has hopes for Jamaica in post-COVID times: that transportation can be better, small businesses will be able to survive, and schools can open safely.\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/43467"]}},{"label":{"en":["Date"]},"value":{"en":["2020-09-01 (created)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Type"]},"value":{"en":["Audio"]}},{"label":{"en":["Agent"]},"value":{"en":["Alicia Hyndman (Interviewee)","Syreeta Gates (Interviewer)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Source"]},"value":{"en":["Interview conducted as part of the Queens Memory COVID-19 Project."]}},{"label":{"en":["Coverage"]},"value":{"en":["1980s-2020 (temporal)","South Ozone Park, Jamaica, Rosedale, and St. Albans, Queens, NY (spatial)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Language"]},"value":{"en":["English"]}}],"summary":{"en":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClip 1:\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eAssemblywoman Hyndman talks about her journey into politics, how her career evolved from one in Education and the importance of Black women in power.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSummary of Full Interview\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eAlicia L. Hyndman is the Assembly member for the 29th District of the New York State Assembly. She is the daughter of Caribbean immigrants who met in London before moving their family to Jamaica, Queens in the 1980\u0026rsquo;s. She still lives in the neighborhood and is now raising two daughters there. In this interview she talks about moving to Queens from London at age 11 and the adjustments it took - at age 14 she also discovered the family was undocumented and here in the US illegally. She talks about her journey into politics,\u0026nbsp; how her career evolved from one in Education and the importance of Black women in power.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eHyndman also discusses what it was like to be a local political figure early in the COVID pandemic when it became clear that Queens was the epicenter \u0026ndash; trying to get information from higher-ups and taking calls from people whose family members had died, or lost jobs. She also talks about racism and the protests that broke out around the murder of George Floyd in the spring of 2020, the activism it spurred, and the work she has done and continues to do as a politician to try to change systemic racism. She also has hopes for Jamaica in post-COVID times: that transportation can be better, small businesses will be able to survive, and schools can open safely.\u003c/p\u003e"]},"requiredStatement":{"label":{"en":["Attribution"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eCC BY-NC-SA\u0026nbsp;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/public/images/audio-default.png","type":"Image","format":"image/png"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123208","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 1 of 2 - Hyndman_Alicia_Clip1.mp3"]},"duration":437.04,"width":640,"height":360,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/public/images/audio-default.png","type":"Image","format":"image/png"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123208/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123208/content/1/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-queenslibrary.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/123/208/original/Hyndman_Alicia_Clip1.mp3?1631631194","type":"Audio","format":"audio/mpeg","duration":437.04,"width":640,"height":360},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123208","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[]},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 2 of 2 - QPL_Assemblywoman_Hyndman.m4a"]},"duration":2437.44,"width":640,"height":360,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/public/images/video-default.png","type":"Image","format":"image/png"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/content/2/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-queenslibrary.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/123/209/original/QPL_Assemblywoman_Hyndman.m4a?1631631195","type":"Video","format":"video/mp4","duration":2437.44,"width":640,"height":360},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["Full Transcript [Transcript]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates:Ah, great. Assemblywoman Hyndman, thank you so much for saying yes. First, if you can say and spell your name, that would be great.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=1.0,11.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/2","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:Alicia Hyndman, A-L-I-C-I-A, Hyndman, H-Y-N-D-M-A-N.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=11.0,22.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/3","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates:Great. And because we need permission to use this audio, if you can say I, first name, last name, consent to the Queens Public Library’s use of this content.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=22.0,32.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/4","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:I, Alicia Hyndman, consent to the Queens Public Library’s use of this content.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=32.0,40.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/5","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates:Great. So we’re going to rock and roll. How would you describe yourself?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=40.0,47.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/6","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:Right. So I am a mother of two daughters growing up in Queens. I grew up in Queens. They are now growing up in Queens. I am grateful every day and grateful to be a Black woman in this space in this time.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=47.0,73.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/7","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates:I know that, right. Talk to me about how your family got to Queens.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=73.0,79.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/8","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:Okay. So my parents—my mom is from Jamaica in the Caribbean. My dad’s from Guyana, South America. In the ’60s a lot of Caribbeans left their homes and went to England to study. There was a lot of migration. Just like a lot of blacks moved north, a lot of Caribbeans moved to either England, Canada, or United States. And my parents went to England in the ’60s. They lived in a rooming house. They met while living in the rooming house in England. And my father asked my mother out I think every day until she finally said yes. And they got married, had my brother and I, and we grew up in East London. And they decided in the early ’80s that America would be best for their development and our development and wealth and so forth. They believed in that American dream, because a lot of their siblings were here in Brooklyn. And they—we moved here in—we moved to Queens.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=79.0,153.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/9","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:My parents said that, for the money they had, they could afford to buy a house. And they bought a house in South Ozone Park, Queens for I think 30 or 40 thousand dollars back then. And we moved to Queens. And can I talk about culture shock to, you know, Black kids from England?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=153.0,178.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/10","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:Two Black kids from England moved here in the ’80s, funny-sounding, trying to blend in. We went to a local school, PS 34, which is right on Hollis Avenue and Springfield, and in the early ’80s. And I was terrified. But, you know, our parents told us—terrified, 11 years old, and that’s how we—they chose Queens because it was affordable. The school was down the street. And, you know, they were homeowners in London, England. They wanted to be homeowners in Queens, and they could afford to do that. And that was how we got to Queens.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=178.0,219.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/11","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates:I mean, Queens is brilliant. And, like you, I’m also grateful to be a proud—you know, a proud resident of South Jamaica, Queens, in particular. But what neighborhoods do you identify with the most? Like if someone asked— —“What area of Queens are you from?” what are you saying?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=219.0,240.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/12","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:I would say Jamaica, Queens. That would be—because I think that, to me, Jamaica, Queens is all-encompassing. You could be Jamaica, Queens and live in Rosedale, South Ozone Park, St. Albans, you know, Southside. To me, Jamaica, Queens is encompassing all those neighborhoods.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=240.0,260.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/13","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates:Got it, got it, got it, got it. Okay. And what are two of your fondest memories of the borough and/or Jamaica, Queens, specifically?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=260.0,270.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/14","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:So I want to say, for me, discovering—like music is a big part of my life. And I think, when moving here and discovering rap music, to me, was just—I remember sitting with my parents—you know, they had a radio—and one night I was like, “Okay, you know, I got to find some music.” And I wrote down call letters or, you know, the numbers on the dial of stations that had good music. It was like WKTU was one, and Kiss. I remember doing that. So, for me, discovering music and dancing in the kitchen—my parents had a stereo in the kitchen—I’m not sure why. But we had— But moving to Queens, that was the first thing. And this—you know, I think about—because August for me is like the best month of the year.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=270.0,323.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/15","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:Because I was born in August. But just summertime in Queens and Hollis, I remember a street party unlike any other. And this like feeling I belonged here, I think that was a big deal for me, 11 years old, because it was a big transition moving here. But I felt like I belonged. I put my tube socks on. I had my music. And, you know, living in Queens was a big deal for me. And the second thing I would say that I remember growing up and feeling like I belonged was in high school. John Adams High School for me was probably, you know, like a sonic—it was fun. I loved school. My kids don’t like school at all. I loved school. Like I—you know, no matter what the weather was—I don’t remember being sick too often, but I really loved school. And high school, I loved high school. My high school yearbook, I’m all over that yearbook. I loved school, yeah. I loved John Adams, I really did. It was good for me.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=323.0,398.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/16","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates:Got it, got it. I was at Adams one time. So we’re going to, you know, play a nice timeline from like high school era to the work that you’re doing now. How did you get into politics? And what has it been like to be a Black woman in politics, in particular?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=398.0,414.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/17","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:So I have to say this. I—like my girlfriends from high school—there’s three girlfriends in high school that I’m really close with. You know, we speak. We speak. And they said they’re not surprised that I’m in the field that I’m in now. Right? They’re not surprised. But during my life, I never thought I would be in this career path. I didn’t think so at all. I mean, from high school I went to—so I’ve always—my father got his high school—he got his GED when I was in high school. He’s always pushed how education is the greatest equalizer opportunity. It’s not about money. It’ s about being able to think and critically analyze. And he didn’t—you know, growing up in Guyana, like if you can’t afford to pay for secondary school, you don’t go. So he always pushed education for my brother and I. So I went—you know, I went to SUNY New Paltz.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=414.0,466.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/18","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:I wasn’t planning on going away, my parents. So you should know, when I was 14 is when I found out we were here illegally. Like we were undocumented. All my little friends were getting jobs. Alicia couldn’t get a job. That’s when my mother sat me down and told us we don’t have a Social Security number. I didn’t know what that was. So she said, “If anybody comes to the house, you know, like certain phone calls, don’t give out your information. You can’t get a job with your friends. You don’t have any papers.” And that was hard for me, because I was like, “What do you mean?” My girlfriends were working. I couldn’t get a job. So that was an adjustment like living—so, you know, not trying to be—even my schoolteachers were like, “Oh, we’ve got a job for you.”","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=466.0,509.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/19","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:And I was like, “I can’t.” I just didn’t tell them, because I was afraid, you know, they would deport us. So that was—that’s hard to deal with as a teenager, because you can’t do everything your friends are doing. Right? You know, you couldn’t get a job. So, while they’re buying their stuff, and you can’t because you can’t work. So that was an adjustment. So I would say, you know, when I went away to college, my parents, I was like, “How are we going to do this? I don’t have a Social Security number. How am I going to go away to college?” But back then it wasn’t as strict as it is now. So my parents somehow—you know, America’s a land of money, because they took out a second mortgage. So they might not care—back then they didn’t care if you had papers, but they was ready to take your money.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=509.0,548.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/20","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:So my parents somehow—you know, America’s a land of money, because they took out a second mortgage. So they might not care—back then they didn’t care if you had papers, but they was ready to take your money. So took out a second mortgage; they sent me away to college. So I went from SUNY New Paltz, you know, four years, and then during that time, we were legalized. We went back to England, sorted everything out. And then people are like, “Oh, well, you were from England.” I’m like, “Yeah, but when everything you know as a child is here and all your friends are here and your family is here, the whole idea of being deported is traumatizing, because you’re like, you’d have to leave everything and everyone you know behind and start again. So, anyway, we got our paperwork straight in the early ’90s, and then I went to grad school in Massachusetts. I worked my way through grad school. So I graduated with two degrees and maybe $3,000 in debt, which is hard to do now.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=548.0,596.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/21","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:Yeah, which I paid off very quickly after grad school. And so I worked in education. I was a Director of Minority Affairs at a medical school. I worked at Brooklyn College helping young people, you know, go to college, making sure that they realized that, you know, education was an option. And then I worked for the State Education Department with all of the business and career schools throughout the state of New York. And I liked my job, but I didn’t love it. And I volunteered. My daughters went to public school. I said, “Okay, I’ll volunteer. I’ll help out.” And I got involved with the Community Education Council. And I volunteered for practically 10 years, just helping principals, teachers, you know, other parents, being an advocate, protesting. You know, I have pictures of protests that we went to, fighting Bloomberg, fighting for our kids.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=596.0,649.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/22","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:I did that. And anytime an elected official had questions about what was going on in the schools, they came to me, or their staff, I would say. So staffers knew me. And so when my predecessor got in trouble and had to vacate his seat, you know, two men, one white Irish guy, and the other one, Leroy Comrie, said, you know, “Have you ever thought about running for office?” And up until that time—you know, it’s like a fleeting thing, right? It goes in your head. It goes out your head. You think about it. But I was like, “I don’t think I’m qualified or good enough to do that. I don’t know who’s going to listen to me, because, you know, I’m a mom. I’m a, you know, Black woman.”","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=649.0,697.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/23","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:And there weren’t too many Black women in office, let’s be clear. It was Shirley Huntley, Vivian Cook, Michelle Titus. And I never really saw—you know, I didn’t really see—like Shirley I would see around. And Shirley, her staff knew me well, because anything to do with education, they came to me. So I wasn’t really—you know, I was like, “Ah, I don’t know if I can do this.” And I’m a single mom. You know, I’ve got these two girls. How am I going to be able to run for office and take care and raise kids, right? How am I going to do that? And I prayed about it, and I spoke to my mom and spoke to some girlfriends. And not everyone you think is going to be supportive was supportive. You have to know, like sometimes people that you think will be like, “Yeah, girl, you could do it,” were like, “I don’t know if you should do that,” because, you know, as Black women, I think a lot of us who are heads of households want to make sure your bills are paid every month, you know.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=697.0,760.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/24","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:You’ve got to be—you know, take care of home. And like one of my girlfriends is like, “Yeah, we’re doing this. We’re going to do bake sales. We’re going to go around, you know, for coffees.” And another girlfriend who was like my age was like, “I don’t think you should do it. I think that’s a risk.” Two of them were like, “I don’t know if you should do it.” But I said, “You know, why not me? All these men that are in office—why not me? Why can’t I do this? I’m just as smart. I’ve got degrees, you know. I work hard.” And I did. And then they said—you know, I ran, and then one of them—somebody said, “Okay, you’ve got to raise like $100,000.” I was like, “$100,000, what? Are you crazy? Who’s going to give me money? Why would anybody—I just make sure that at the end of the month my bills are paid so I can close my door and keep my lights on.”","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=760.0,809.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/25","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:Right? Because, even in New York, you know, I don’t have—I’m not an extravagant person, you know. I drive a 2014 Toyota Camry. I don’t have Gucci bags. I don’t have, you know, Louis Vuitton shoes. I am—because I take care of my girls, and I take care of my bills. So who’s going to give me money? But anyway, girl, I raised $72,000. I ran for office. And I won. And now when I tell you what I tell a lot of young people, everything you’re learning or experiences that you have and the challenges that you get in life—everything I had done had kind of prepared me for this. And I would never—it wasn’t—you know, and I have to say, when I got to Albany and I had to—my first, or the second day there, I was like, somebody is going to come to the door and say, “You need to leave.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=809.0,864.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/26","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:You don’t belong here. We made a mistake.” I kept thinking that. Like I’m not qualified enough to be in this room with all of these elected officials. How did I get here? Somebody—you know, how is this possible? And as time went on, I was like, “Wait a second. I belong here. I’m just as smart as everybody—I’ve got more degrees than some people in here. Some people don’t even have degrees. I deserve to be here.” I have a background and work experience. And, yeah, I’m a mother. And I can do this. And I think of—for Black women, especially in politics, now we’re seeing a surge in representation and leadership. And it’s so encouraging. And we’re qualified. And most of the time we’re more qualified than our white male counterparts.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=864.0,921.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/27","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:It’s amazing to me that I’m here. Like I drive to Albany, and I’m always in awe that I get to work here. I get to work for—on behalf of my community, because I said—maybe 10 years ago I said, “I need a job that’s going to pay me to stay here and work for my people.” I said that. And I was thinking, “Maybe I need to be in like an after-school program,” because I was going to see if I could work with one of my girlfriends who runs an after-school program. I was like, “I need to be here. I need to be helping parents, helping people, you know, talk to their elected officials, something.” And, lo and behold, you know, be careful what you put out there.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=921.0,965.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/28","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates:. . . words are powerful.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=965.0,970.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/29","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:It is. It really, really is. And you say it in passing. But I never thought I’d be in a position where—you know, I wake up—I love what I do. And this is like a career change later in life. And I commend all those young people who know they want to run for office, because I didn’t. I didn’t. I didn’t work for an elected official. I knew them. I knew who represented me. I knew the different levels of government. Because one of the first things I did after I became a citizen is I went to register to vote. That was important to me. And, you know, I just—I love what I do. They pay me to do this. And I’m grateful for it. I’m grateful to be in service. I’m grateful to represent a strong, you know, Black community, predominantly Black community, in Queens, New York. Who—I never would have thought—my parents are like—thank God they’re both still with me—that they never thought, you know—like we talk about someone achieving more than they ever could imagine—never thought I would do anything like this. I didn’t. And they definitely didn’t.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=970.0,1039.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/30","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates:Well, we are grateful that you said yes. [Laughs.] The people thank you. Going—you know, hopping over into, you know, what’s been happening for the last few months around COVID, how has COVID, you know—yeah, I mean, it’s like so many questions. But how has your work changed or evolved during COVID?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=1039.0,1070.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/31","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:I have to say, when COVID hit, when—because we were in session. March is always a busy month for session in Albany, because we’re usually there like, you know, five days a week. And then, you know, my daughter’s grandmother and father were keeping her, because when I go to Albany, they were taking care of her. And, you know, the schools—everything happened all at once. Session’s over. School is over. Go home. It was hard. It was—and somewhat scary—just going to the supermarket, nothing on the shelves. So just—and as an elected official, sometimes you can’t let everyone know—like if you’re scared, your constituents are definitely going to feel scared, right? They’re going to be like, “If you don’t know what’s going on, how are we supposed to be confident in that we’re going to be protected?” And that’s a lot to deal with, especially—I have two girls.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=1070.0,1121.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/32","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:It’s just me. You know, people are calling you because they need help. And I think the beginning of COVID for me was I was working harder, because you’re on the—you know, you’re finding a way to communicate—phone, emails, text, and Zoom. That was like all day sitting in one corner of my living room and Zoom after Zoom, making sure your staff is okay, that their families are okay, that they’re healthy, and then realizing that Queens was like under siege, because we didn’t have enough healthcare facilities. And glued to the TV, watching, you know, Cuomo and de Blasio and trying to get information from their staff so you can help your constituents. People are losing jobs. Syreeta, it was really stressful. And I can’t imagine—you know, and it was stressful for me. And then having to deal with people calling you and telling you their loved ones had died, so hearing about it on social media. It was definitely—definitely cracks, you know, cracks to your whole armor. And then realizing that, as diverse as Queens is, that it was hitting our communities the hardest. That was a lot to deal with, because you knew where the holes were.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=1121.0,1201.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/33","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:You knew when it came to social, emotional learning for your kids, and when it came to healthcare, when it came to plain old racism, for me, you got to see that, as diverse as Queens is, it was affecting our communities the hardest. And then dealing with people who couldn’t bury their loved ones, bodies piling up—I wrote a letter to the governor early on, like, “You need to relax the rules and make sure that other funeral homes can come take bodies. Or make it—because it was affecting us more. We needed a fund to bury people. It was a lot. It was truly a lot. And I was—because it felt like I was working harder, even being at home, than being—going to the office or going to Albany. It was a tough period.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=1201.0,1259.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/34","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:And it’s still tough because, you know, you can’t see people like you want to. I know people want to go out and have a good time and travel and see family members. But keeping them safe and keeping healthcare workers safe—it was hard. It was definitely hard. And I still don’t know—we’re going to see in months to come, if not years to come, where all the inadequacies were. And the problem—my issue is always this—for my community, it has to be better than I left it. And COVID showed all of those cracks. And I’m still not sure if we’re still going to be better off in the years to come as black and brown communities, especially with the pandemic, especially with racism, especially with sexism, especially domestic violence, how people are trapped in their homes now, and education-wise, remote learning, childcare. It’s a lot to deal with. And, you know, I want to be the optimist all the time. But it gets to me too. It gets to me too.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=1259.0,1328.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/35","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates:For sure, for sure. And, you know, I’m happy that you mentioned, you know, just racism as a whole, because you can’t talk about anything without talking about race. Right? Especially being a person of color and specifically a Black woman. So as, you know, COVID is happening, but then you have the murder of George Floyd, and then you have the murder of Breonna Taylor, you know. How do you deal with the weight of all of these things and still be as committed, if not more committed, to your constituency?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=1328.0,1363.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/36","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:So I was—because I go back and forth to Albany and I didn’t want my daughter—because her father, you know, works outside, and then the grandmother and then other family members are in and out—I took my daughter to my mother’s house in Florida. And we were in the living room, and they—you know, I don’t like watching murders. It’s traumatizing to me. And so we were in the living room, and I had heard about the George Floyd—I saw the social media. And then I saw it on TV. I was crying. I felt so broken. And we all watched it as a family. And I was like, “They’re just going to continue to kill us, and this can’t happen.” Before I ran for office, I marched in Staten Island for Eric Garner. And I was with a group of people, but I got separated, and I walked with two—a white woman and this brother.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=1363.0,1422.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/37","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:We walked the whole thing. We were together. And I said, “Okay. Girl, like what are we going to do if this doesn’t—the cops are not indicted?” And I was like, “Oh, they're going to be indicted. It has to be. It’s on video.” It didn’t happen, right? Five years later. In that time I ran for office. And I said, you know, thinking to myself, like we’re going to—realizing how slow government is, I think, is—another frustrating part of working on this level of government is that it’s slow. So, after seeing George Floyd, you know, feeling galvanized, like, “Okay, this has to be it. We’ve got to make sure, you know…” I was—and this time, because my daughter was afar, I felt more free to protest, more free to be out there, to speak up and not be silent.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=1422.0,1474.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/38","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:and then, you know, pushing amongst the Black and Puerto Rican and Hispanic-Asian caucus. Like we’re going to—we’ve got to push the governor to sign all of these bills that have been sitting on his desk. Now is the time. Like, to me it’s like the pro—after the protesting, what comes next? The legislation has to happen, because that choke—I’m going to give you an example. The chokehold bill has been on the books for a couple of years. I remember last year we went a NANN meeting, and I was one of the cosponsors of this bill, because I said, “Yeah, we’ve got to stop someone. It’s not everything, but we’ve got to change the laws, because what are we doing as legislators if we’re not changing laws better for the people? What is the point of protesting and marching if nothing is changing?” And I know that it’s frustrating for a lot of people to feel that. So in New York..[crosstalk]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=1474.0,1537.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/39","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:So, you know, we decided to do the Black—members of the Black, Puerto Rican , Hispanic, and Asian Caucus decided to do a statewide day of action, where simultaneously at three o’clock, member across the state—Buffalo, Syracuse, Rochester, and the five boroughs and Nassau and Suffolk, we decided to do a day of action. For us, it was—I was so encouraged, because, you know, we had the rally in Queens. Even the colleagues who weren’t Black or Latino or Asian came out. It was a march. And I said, “Okay, now what’s going to happen next?” After that, we went to Albany. We passed almost 11 bills regarding changing, you know, the chokehold bill, you know, no more—making it a crime if you call, you know, and report a crime based on the color of someone’s skin; like you’re talking about the birdwatcher in Central Park. We passed a lot of those. But don’t get me wrong.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=1537.0,1608.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/40","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:It’s not enough, because racism is not just the police department. Racism is in hospitals, in schools and colleges and universities, in the boardroom, in MSG. You know, it could be footlock—you know, it’s everywhere. And until we change the dynamics of culture and the social structure of—look, we’ve got 1.1 million school children. Most of them look like you and I. Our children are not doing the best. We have the MTA. You look around all of the Central Business District of New York. Who’s running these businesses? It’s not us. So when we talk about racism, it’s so—I know I’m preaching to the choir—it’s so ingrained in our media and our music. And, you know, who’s capitalizing off of our music? Who’s capitalizing off of our creativity, our fashion? And it’s so—you know, appropriating our culture. And this is something that’s been going on for hundreds of years. And so I feel like we’re at a tipping point, and I just want us to keep protesting, marching. I took four buses down to D.C. this weekend, because I want us—we pass a lot of legislation in New York. But it’s not—it can’t just be good for New York. It has to be a nationwide — and continuous to make sure we—you know, people ain’t catching hell across the rest of the country.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=1608.0,1709.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/41","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:I talk a lot, right?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=1709.0,1712.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/42","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates:Listen, I’m with you. I’m right there. I’m captain for sure. For sure, for sure, for sure, for sure. So, when we think about, you know, the intersection of like racism, sexism, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, and COVID, like what do you believe the future looks like? Not just for like yourself and your family, but for the people that you serve?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=1712.0,1736.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/43","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:You know, I’ve seen—well, I think what’s frustrating about being in service is that you want everything to happen right away. And you realize that it doesn’t, because we’re still having—we’ve seen a rise in shootings, larceny, and so forth. And it’s our people. I look at social media, Instagram, and I see the NYPD showing a lot of videos of brothers committing crimes. And so, to me it’s like, so I can’t always fight that. I have to see—I have to look at, as an elected official, you know, there’s a myriad of issues that affects your community. And you can—as one person, could only tackle one thing, two things at a time. So, as much success as was made in protesting, we still have a social structure that has allowed our Black men to feel like crime is the only way for them to get what they need.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=1736.0,1792.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/44","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:Right? Whether it be money, a roof over their head, taking care of their families, we’re still seeing a surge, a resurgence in that. And the police would have us think—or this police culture would have you think that, “Oh, it’s law and disorder.” It’s not. This is the systemic result of lack of assimilating our young men while they’re young or in college, you know, in school, and then making sure there are opportunities for them. And this has been going on since slavery. Let’s not act like this just happened overnight. This is the constant degradation of the Black man, and Black woman, for years. And, when I look at, as a legislator—and I have a Black—I’m a Black Studies major from undergrad—I understand the dynamics structure. But sometimes it’s frustrating in, “How do we make sure we change that?”","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=1792.0,1843.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/45","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:So I’ve always focused on education, because I feel like, once we capture a lot of our youth, we’re making the future better for them. And the frustration in the assembly is not always having the resources to put in our schools, not making sure that our after-school programs are not just babysitting places, but real, you know, extension of the day, our mentor and social structure, making sure our children feel worthy and empowered. And wanting to duplicate that in every school building is a frustration. So, as a legislator, it’s setting an agenda of what I want to accomplish for my district and making sure their lives are better, but also for my people, right? Making sure that, socially, economically, and health-wise, that we are creating systems where they can succeed. So, for every person who comes to me who’s looking for an apartment.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=1843.0,1903.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/46","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:I want to make sure we have affordable apartments. For every landowner who comes to me who’s trying to get rid of a tenant, I want to make sure that they can pay their mortgage every month. It’s trying to find a balance, and sometimes it’s frustrating and hard. But that doesn’t make me discouraged from doing my best to achieve results for my community every day. For instance, the mayor just decided to delay schools. Well, I’ve been telling you that for weeks, “Delay schools. You’re not ready.” I’ve been saying on every Zoom, every call, “We need to delay. We need to delay. We need to delay.” And this morning he says, “Oh, we’re going to delay.” You’re not ready. You weren’t ready from when you—I think if you—we said it enough, you believed it. You were never ready, because Alicia was keeping her daughter home. I said they’re not ready. Girl, let me tell you, at home we’re doing more learning. I was like, “You don’t want to do it, fine. We don’t got to do it. Let’s go outside for a walk.”","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=1903.0,1964.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/47","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates:Yeah. Yeah, for sure, on both sides, the parents and the young people.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=1964.0,1968.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/48","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:Yeah, but I was ready to do it again come next week, but yeah, I’m not ready. But, you know, I feel it for all those parents who’ve got to go to work, because I’m in a job now where I have that luxury of setting my schedule so that I can be teacher from 9:00 to 1:00 every day. Not every parent has that. And trying to find for those parents childcare, transportation, is something I’m working on personally with my staff to make sure our parents don’t feel like they’re alone in getting their children back to school. So we’re working on transportation and childcare for those parents who the DOE, you know, has tried to help but may be missing the mark. We’ve got to make sure we help them.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=1968.0,2012.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/49","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates:Indeed, indeed, indeed. And, you know, we spoke like about the future after like COVID, whatever after might look like. But, in general, like what do you wish for Jamaica, Queens, and Queens as a whole?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=2012.0,2028.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/50","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:I wish for Jamaica, Queens that every small business is able to survive after this. I wish for Jamaica, Queens that our transportation is better after this, because we’ve seen problems with—after COVID hit, you know, our transportation went down. And a lot of people are afraid. And the timeliness of buses and the frequency of buses is horrible. And you know how we had to take a bus to get to the subway? Making that a smoother run—I wish that—and we’ve been fighting with the MTA, and now we have railroad options for our constituents. So that has been through advocacy and teamwork. And I have to say that I feel like the elected officials in Southeast Queens, we speak every day at 3:00 trying to make sure that we’re covering all the holes for our people, from the Congressman down to City Council. We speak every day at 3:00, because we want to make sure that everybody’s covered.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=2028.0,2086.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/51","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:Right? Making sure that our schools, when they do open, are safe; making sure that our homeowners aren’t losing their houses, that our renters have apartments, that our homeless—the individuals in our district that are homeless, that their services are being met. That, to me—we’ve seen where all—COVID showed us where all the holes are, which we knew were there, but it’s just so exacerbated now. The goal is after COVID that we have shored up some of those holes, so that our children who are in the homeless shelters, one, have equipment for remote learning, and, two, have WiFi. I have seen people sit outside libraries because they need the WiFi signal to get work done. Making sure our libraries are fully functional. I grew up in Queens Central Library. This is before your time. I was there with my change making copies with encyclopedias. Like that was a regular place for my brother and I to be, was in the library.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=2086.0,2146.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/52","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:This, libraries—I can’t imagine now for a lot of people who use the libraries for a place of comfort—they’re suffering now, because our libraries can’t operate at the capacity that they’ve always needed to. And I think Queens libraries have always been special in that my brother has traveled, and he says Queens Library System is probably the best in the country. I’m biased about that. I’ve always felt that. But we have to make sure that every place where people need refuge that we’re able to find that. And COVID showed us where it is, where those places are that need help. Our job is to make sure that—I don’t feel—now I can’t say second wave—if the resurgence is there, that we’re not struggling again. We can’t. We can’t be struggling again.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=2146.0,2196.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/53","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates:For sure. Yeah, you dropped all of the major keys. I mean, the last question that I really have for you, is there anything—like knowing that this will be archived in the Queens Public Library, is there anything that you want to like discuss that we haven’t discussed so far?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=2196.0,2215.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/54","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:I think—you know, one of the things you said is about Black women. And, you know, I think when you’re asking like, “What am I? Who am I?” I think for me it’s saying that we are not—Black women are not just one type of—you know, we’re not just strong. Right? And why are we strong? I think we’re strong because our mothers, our grandmothers, our sisters, our aunts, our cousins, we’ve had to be strong. We’ve had to hold down our men and take care of our families, because our men have—if we think back to slavery, they were emasculated. They worked the fields and then had to be men at home, and that was hard, to be emasculated. So women have had to play dual roles. Black women have had to play dual roles. But that does not mean we’re all one type of way.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=2215.0,2272.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/55","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:We are not monolithic in how we move and how we operate. And I think that it’s like—you know, there’s a thing out there like Black women are stronger with . . . yes, we may be that, but we’re also delicate. We’re also overworked. We’re also not the healthiest. We also have issues in breast cancer and stress and heart disease. And that tells me that we are all-encompassing, and we feel and we take—we have pain. And sometimes it’s hard for self-care for some of us. I’m learning that. This year for me was supposed to be self-care. Obviously, that’s not what’s happening because of COVID. But I think when it comes to—and I look at the appointment of Kamala Harris or the selection of Kamala Harris to be the VP—you know, has galvanized Black women in a way that we haven’t been before. Michelle Obama was, you know, the first lady.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=2272.0,2326.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/56","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:And she was probably the most educated first lady in the history of this country. And now we have this vice presidential pick. And we’re moving and we’re galvanized. But that does not mean we’re all one way, and we’re not—we’re all the same. And I think that is something that’s thrown out there a lot about us, like we’re just tough. You know, we’ll cuss you out and fight you down. We’re not all like that. We’re all different. And I want people to understand when it comes to Black women that we have to work a lot of times twice as hard to get half as far and protect our daughters and sons and protect our men and protect ourselves. And sometimes that is a lot. But that does not mean that we don’t—you know, we’re doing all of this, and we feel too. And we’re not all one way.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=2326.0,2377.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/57","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:And I think I’m tired of that kind of stereotype when it comes to Black women. But I also say, for this Black woman, that everything that I’ve done in my life has prepared me for this phase that I’m in, and for that I am grateful. I’m grateful.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=2377.0,2398.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/58","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates:GATES: You’re going to end the note off with gratitude?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=2398.0,2402.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/59","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:HYNDMAN: Yeah. [Laughing.] It has to be. I feel like if you’re not grateful for things that you have or do, then—I just—that’s how I live my life.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=2402.0,2420.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/60","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates:Yeah, same, same, same.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=2420.0,2422.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/61","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Alicia Hyndman:When people ask you how you’re doing, I always say I’m grateful. I’m grateful I’m still here, because a lot of people didn’t make it out of this, and that, you know, I’m still here.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=2422.0,2432.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209/transcript/35214/annotation/62","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates:Yeah, for sure, for sure. Well, hold on a second. I’m just going to stop the recording real quick. [End of interview]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/50481/file/123209#t=2432.0,2437.44"}]}]}]}