{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/3/context.json","id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/iiif/j38kd1s59x/manifest","type":"Manifest","label":{"en":["Franck Joseph 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\u003eRosedale resident Franck Joseph serves as Deputy Commissioner for the New York City Commission on Human Rights, an agency responsible for enforcing New York City Human Rights Law, Title 8 of the Administrative Code of the City of New York. Joseph is also actively involved in the Rosedale Civic Association and Queens Community Board 13, which encompasses Rosedale and adjacent neighborhoods in southeast Queens.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eJoseph discusses his professional activities during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically his work addressing instances of discrimination and disparities experienced by different population groups. Joseph describes his pandemic activities as a community leader such as partnering with local elected officials and community based organizations to provide food and personal protective equipment to those in need; he also describes his work as a wellness ambassador reaching out to seniors to ensure their safety and wellbeing. Additionally, Joseph reflects on his experiences as a father raising two young girls during the pandemic, the widespread public denouncing of violence against Black bodies during the pandemic, finding creative ways to foster a sense a community despite physical distancing, and his hopes regarding work-life balance after the pandemic.\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/42450"]}},{"label":{"en":["Date"]},"value":{"en":["2020-09-02 (created)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Type"]},"value":{"en":["Audio"]}},{"label":{"en":["Agent"]},"value":{"en":["Franck Joseph (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":["1990-2020 (temporal)","Rosedale, Queens, 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\u003eRosedale resident Franck Joseph serves as Deputy Commissioner for the New York City Commission on Human Rights, an agency responsible for enforcing New York City Human Rights Law, Title 8 of the Administrative Code of the City of New York. Joseph is also actively involved in the Rosedale Civic Association and Queens Community Board 13, which encompasses Rosedale and adjacent neighborhoods in southeast Queens.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eJoseph discusses his professional activities during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically his work addressing instances of discrimination and disparities experienced by different population groups. Joseph describes his pandemic activities as a community leader such as partnering with local elected officials and community based organizations to provide food and personal protective equipment to those in need; he also describes his work as a wellness ambassador reaching out to seniors to ensure their safety and wellbeing. Additionally, Joseph reflects on his experiences as a father raising two young girls during the pandemic, the widespread public denouncing of violence against Black bodies during the pandemic, finding creative ways to foster a sense a community despite physical distancing, and his hopes regarding work-life balance after the pandemic.\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/public/images/audio-default.png","type":"Image","format":"image/png"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 1 of 1 - QPL_Franck_D._Joseph_II_.Mp3"]},"duration":1610.97525,"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/117275/file/221991/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/content/1/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-queenslibrary.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/221/991/original/QPL_Franck_D._Joseph_II_.Mp3?1703781650","type":"Audio","format":"audio/mpeg","duration":1610.97525,"width":640,"height":360},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["Full Transcript [Transcript]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Cool. So we are recording now, if you can say and spell your name for me please?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=1.0,6.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/2","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Franck Joseph: Yes. My name is Franck Joseph, F-R-A-N-C-K J-O-S-E-P-H.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=6.0,14.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/3","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Great. And we need to get permission to use this audio. So if you can say, I first name, last name, consent, the Queens Public Library's use of this content.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=14.0,26.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/4","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Franck Joseph: I Franck Joseph consent the Queens Public Library's use of this content.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=26.0,30.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/5","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Great. And what part of Queens are you from or do you currently reside in?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=30.0,35.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/6","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Franck Joseph: I currently reside in Rosedale, Queens.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=35.0,39.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/7","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Great. So we're going to hop right in. Tell me a little bit about yourself.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=39.0,44.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/8","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Franck Joseph: Yeah, so I am a young man, black man who is 30 years old. I'm a home owner. I also am a parent. I am currently Deputy Commissioner at a city agency called the New York City Commission on Human Rights, which is a Civil Law Enforcement Agency. I also sit on my Civic Association, the Rosedale Civic Association, and I'm part of Queens Community Board 13. And there are a number of different other activities that I engage in such as, Social Justice Instruction for high school students. And, just really trying to be as active in the community as possible because I've been a Queens resident for 25 years of my life.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=44.0,92.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/9","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Amazin', amazin', amazin'. And talk to me about how your family got to Queens.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=92.0,97.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/10","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Franck Joseph: Yes. So my family came to Queens, so I was originally born in Brooklyn, New York. Unfortunately, a tragedy brought my family into Queens. My father was murdered when I was 10 months old and that caused my mom to go back to her home country. And when I was around the age of four years old, she decided to come back here with me, to build a life. And she had friends and family who were in Queens and it was a very, family friendly borough. She was keeping that in mind, based on the tragedy that she had faced previously and wanted to think about the type of environment she wanted to raise me in. And so we originally, when we moved back to New York, we originally lived in Queens Village. We were there for a couple of years and then around six years old or so I moved to Rosedale, Queens and I've been in Rosedale for most of my time from then till now. I recently four years ago purchased a home in Rosedale, actually two blocks away from my childhood home. So that was pretty exciting.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=97.0,167.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/11","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Amazin', amazin'. And talk to me about like two fond memories that you have of being in Queens.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=167.0,176.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/12","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Franck Joseph: Two fond memories I have of being in Queens, wow. That's a good question. I mean, one memory that I could think of is, I remember when I was in elementary school, whenever the ice cream truck would come out, you would see so many people coming outside of their homes. And as they're going outside of their homes, young people are buying ice cream. People were playing double dutch, they're playing tag in the streets. And so it was just always has been a neighborhood, a borough that was for families where people can just enjoy themselves and be free and felt safe. And, really when you look at TV and you think of Family Matters or Full House, I think that Queens very much embodies that home feeling even in a large setting, right? Like borough wide or community wide.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=176.0,225.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/13","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Franck Joseph: It still has that home feeling. My second memory that I would say that I have would be of, being part of the Rosedale Memorial Day Parade. I think that that was something that is very instrumental. And we have seen that throughout the years, Rosedale is always, having this parade, you have young people who are drumming or taking a part of it. You, we have our older adults who are talking about the history of Rosedale. You have the residents that are coming out and it really shows great pride in the community.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=225.0,266.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/14","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Got it. Thank you for sharing that. And talk to me around-- talk to me about what, like, how COVID has changed your life essentially, and specifically as a parent?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=266.0,281.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/15","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Franck Joseph: Yeah. I mean, the way the COVID issue, I mean, for-- during this COVID-19 pandemic has been so different because we have been really in the home and that's pretty much it. 90% of our time is in the home. So typically, I would drop my children off to daycare. After that I would come back to Rosedale, they go to daycare in Valley Stream, I would come back to Rosedale and get on the Long Island Rail Road and make my way to Lower Manhattan. But now there has just been this blend between home life and work life. And it's all the same, you know. I'm working and my girls are right next to me as I'm working and I'm feeding them, I'm changing them as I'm on a meeting or a call. And so there's just, there's no more wall where sometimes work would be an escape from home and home would be an escape from work.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=281.0,333.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/16","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Franck Joseph: But now they're just so intertwined and my young girls are just at home and they are stuck to the screen more than I would like because I'm working. Or then I have to, perhaps at times put an hour or two hour block within my day to do some educational activities for them because by the time I'm finished working, it's really late and it's only time for, time for dinner or time to put them to bed. And so I have to be mindful of that and just adjust. And I felt that prior to the pandemic, I tried my best to adjust, to have a good work-life balance. But now that they're merged, I think there has to be more intentionality to really think about what work looks like, what home looks like, what does community work look like as well?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=333.0,377.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/17","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Franck Joseph: You know, I'm thinking about the Community Board and Civic Association, how often do we meet? How do we engage with our residents now that we are no longer able to meet in person? And not everyone is tech savvy, and also not everyone has access to the technology that allows us to interface virtually. So what are the different ways that we move in order to ensure that all residents, no matter-- the generational divides, the tech divides or, the access that they may have to technology and other resources, how do we ensure that we're serving them? That's something that I have to think about both in my work context, but also as a community leader as well.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=377.0,425.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/18","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Absolutely. I would love to know more about the work that you're doing and specifically those community organizations, whether, I know you had mentioned the Community Board and a variety of others, if you can share a little bit more about the work that you do professionally and your community work as well.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=425.0,446.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/19","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Franck Joseph: Yes, definitely. I'll start with the community work. The Rosedale Civic Association-- since the pandemic started, we have been partnering with our local elected officials. We've been partnering with other CBO's, community based organizations, in the area to ensure that we can hand out hand sanitizer to folks who need it, to ensure that we can give food to folks who need it. My house of worship has also been delivering food to people, or we've also set up shop on major intersections, Francis Lewis Boulevard, Brookville Boulevard, and I've handed out bags of groceries to people as well to ensure that families who, perhaps didn't have a stimulus check are still able to provide and put food on the table, or perhaps they did have a stimulus check, but $1,200 versus six months, it doesn't really go far.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=446.0,500.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/20","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Franck Joseph: And so we're ensuring that people have those resources. The Community Board has been partnering with the Interim Queens Borough President Sharon Lee, to ensure that as we get face masks and as we get other resources that people need, other PPE personal protective equipment, that we can share that with individuals. I've been fortunate enough to also be part of an initiative called the Southeast Queens Wellness Ambassadors, where it was a group of community leaders that came together, an idea from Melva Miller, came together and said, \"We will create a network of individuals from who will check on our seniors.\" We partnered with our senior centers and we started making calls, weekly, to ensure that our seniors were safe, to hear about what issues that they had. And it became a feedback loop where we could then go to the senior centers and say, \"These are the issues that the seniors are having.\"","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=500.0,555.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/21","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Franck Joseph: And it grew beyond just seniors that were associated to senior centers. People started giving us names of loved ones or people that they know who do need to have that frequent contact. And the seniors felt that it was very nurturing to have folks come and check up on them. And honestly, as we were calling the seniors, they were checking up on us saying, \"How are you doing? How's your family doing?\" And so it really built community despite the fact that for the past few months, we've all been within the confines of our respective four walls. And so that's some of the community work that's been taking place since the start of the pandemic. Of course, we also had the unfortunate, attacks and violence against black bodies. And so from Memorial Day till present, there've been so many demonstrations citywide, but even here in Queens, we had a rally and a march, to denounce the violence against black bodies and to stand up and say that here in Southeast Queens, we will not accept that.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=555.0,620.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/22","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Franck Joseph: And we expect more. We had our elected officials show up. We had community leaders, civic leaders show up. We had agencies show up and speak. And different entities were handing out items and, really just building camaraderie within each other and with each other. And even though it was raining, you had hundreds of people marching in the rain and staying for the rally, and you had so many performers come and share their talent and speak about what this moment means and how we can move past this moment, but also how we need to hold the authorities and those in power accountable as well. So that was also a great thing because it wasn't just a pandemic that we were battling, but it was also the way the disparities, the way that racial injustice was made, was exposed even further because of the pandemic, because of disparities that exist.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=620.0,670.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/23","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Franck Joseph: And then on top of that, the violence against black bodies, even in the midst of a pandemic, it was still evident that black lives were not valued compared to other lives, right? And so that's something that our community stood up and did. Now as it pertains to my work as Deputy Commissioner at the New York City Commission on Human Rights, we saw a rise of, in anti-Asian stigma because of COVID-19. We saw a lot of disparities between communities of color, or LGBTQIA communities who are not getting resources or who were being discriminated against. We began to see those who were, taxi drivers who were being attacked. We began to see frontline workers, sometimes a landlord would say, because you're a frontline worker, because you're a healthcare worker, you're more at risk of contracting COVID-19 and would try to deny them housing.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=670.0,723.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/24","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Franck Joseph: We began to see these types of disparities and, acts of discrimination taking place. And so our agency created a COVID-19 response team where we were looking at any COVID-19 related discrimination. Oftentimes they were made manifest through actual or perceived disability, through actual or perceived race, through actual or perceived lawful occupation. And so we were troubleshooting and working with our sister agencies, or even telling people if they wanted to file a complaint with us, we can do that. Or we are also doing some pre-complaint intervention. If people didn't want to go through the litigation process, we were troubleshooting those issues. Or even if they wanted to go through the litigation process, there's still an immediate need that needs to be addressed in the moment. And so our team was actively troubleshooting those issues and ensuring that we were fighting for all New Yorkers.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=723.0,775.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/25","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Franck Joseph: We moved completely virtual and started doing reporting town halls, community forums based on different neighborhoods all throughout New York City. And we also started working with Census 2020 to ensure that every person was counted. And that even though the numbers were not where we wanted it to be, how do we tap into our network of CBOs? Our agency speaks over 30 languages, right? Our, staff come from the communities that we're trying to serve, come from underprivileged and underrepresented communities, because we wanted to make sure that they're center. And so we had a network where we were able to tap into to help the Census 2020 team, to also help the Test and Trace Corps, as we're ensuring that those who may have been exposed to COVID-19 are also able to tap into the city's network and get the right help that they need.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=775.0,830.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/26","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Franck Joseph: But in order to do that, we have to create this large web. And so we were part of the agencies that were part of that web to ensure that we can help the Test and Trace Corps when it came to combating COVID-19 and helping those who may have been exposed as well. So there were so many different things that our agency was doing, continues to do in the middle of the pandemic. We also really ironically released our latest report which talks about the discrimination that Black New Yorkers face here in this city. And this was a report that was scheduled to be released prior to the pandemic, prior to the violence, to the eruption of demonstrations because of the violence against black bodies. It happens to coincide with around that time period is when it came out, but then we had that come out.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=830.0,879.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/27","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Franck Joseph: And so we started doing a lot of programming talking about the findings and the report, sharing the findings with other CBOs that can really utilize what we saw, the quality of analysis that was there so that they can utilize it for the advancement of their cause. And we also started speaking to the city agencies to talk about, these are things that people were telling us about what they're seeing, disparities that may exist even within city government, because in order to hold others accountable, we have to hold ourselves accountable as government as well. So we started doing that hard work and also started doing some bystander intervention trainings for folks who are walking the subway or walking on their block and see someone being discriminated against because they're a trans women of color, or because they are a person who has a kippah on their head, and now they're being harassed. How do you intervene in those instances? And so we started conducting bystander intervention training, working with CBOs like the Center for Anti-violence Education to ensure that we were equipping people with tools to combat the types of hate, harassment, discrimination, and bias that we saw in the middle of the pandemic. And these are things that existed prior to the pandemic, but I think the pandemic did put additional spotlight on some of these issues as well.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=879.0,955.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/28","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Got it. For sure. For sure. And, when you think of how we can make the most of it, like whether it's like going through COVID and, or being better or just being more active in our communities, what do those things look like?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=955.0,977.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/29","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Franck Joseph: How do we get people more active in the community?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=977.0,979.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/30","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Yeah. How do we get people more active in the community? And when we think of the idea of like making the most of it, like making the most of, you know, as being in a house during this time during COVID, what does that look like as well?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=979.0,994.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/31","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Franck Joseph: Well, there are so many different platforms now, whether it's Zoom or WebEx, GoTo Meeting, I think that we've shown that even though we are socially distant, we can still be spiritually connected. I believe that's the phrase that the governor, Governor Cuomo used, that even though that we're staying apart we can still pull together. And so how do we utilize the tools that we have, not just the virtual platforms, but how do we utilize our phones and do some phone banking? How do we ensure that we're checking up on each other? I had a friend, IIbert Sanchez, who started in the beginning of the pandemic, started Netflix watch parties and started looking at what are some old, the classic movies that we can all watch together to-- if anyone has Netflix, you can download this extension and we can have a group chat, just like, when the internet first started booming, or AOL first started booming, there was chat rooms.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=994.0,1052.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/32","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Franck Joseph: And it's one big chat room, and you're all watching a movie and you're chatting and commenting on it. So still building community, still being active, even if it's not neighborhood based, right? It could be based on gender because we're watching a movie that may be something that a particular gender really identifies with or spreads, it highlights an issue that, on gender based harassment or issue such as that, or highlights issues on race. So we're still building community using these tools and being creative with it as well. Using our ingenuity in this moment to be able to build community. So I often tell people that, even though we are apart, this is the moment where now we can be creative about how do we engage with each other.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=1052.0,1101.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/33","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Franck Joseph: And the reality is we're all home, right? And because we're all home, it gives us the opportunity where oftentimes you might be busy running from meeting to meeting and all of these things, even though some people may still be running from meeting to meeting, Zoom chat to Zoom chat, a lot of people did not-- unfortunately did not have that, the ability to do that because some folks were furloughed or, unfortunately laid off because of the pandemic. So it did create space to really connect with people in ways that we wouldn't connect, right? And so, or think about the time that you would take to commute. The average New Yorker, I'm sure it's an hour and a half, or maybe two hours, they spent commuting one way. And so that, that's an hour and a half or two hours that saved that you can think about how do I engage with other folks. Or just checking on your neighbor, looking out the window and seeing what's going on.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=1101.0,1153.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/34","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Franck Joseph: If you haven't seen your neighbor in a long time and leaving them a note and seeing how they're doing, and hopefully they can when they return, they can, you know, send you a note back. That's something we did on my block, right? When we didn't see someone's car, or we just didn't see the lights on for a long time, we started writing each other notes. And then some people exchange numbers that, we may not have had each other's number. So I think that we should-- it gives us an opportunity to really pause and reflect and not be so bombarded by the busy-ness that we oftentimes feel here in New York, because we're such a fast paced city, and we're always on the go. This pause actually gave us time to stop and reflect, right? It was that semi-colon that we always needed, that we could look back at what came before and anticipate what's next, and reimagine what life can be like, reimagine what work environment can be like, reimagine what community also looks like. And so I think that all of that are things that came about because of the pandemic. And I hope that when, as things reopen that we don't lose sight of that, we don't lose sight of the different ways we can connect, even when we're busy, right? So that's the thing I think of really.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=1153.0,1230.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/35","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Got it. Got it. And what, like, as we go through this, 'cause we don't know if there's another side but if we could imagine and, or reimagine what the other side of COVID might look like, what do you believe it looks like?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=1230.0,1246.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/36","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Franck Joseph: I think it looks like, the 40 hour work week is one that we've had for a very long time and rightfully so, thanks to the labor movement. We were able to have, good or better work policies than before, but I think now we begin to reimagine what that looks like. There are certain jobs that people thought could not be done from home. You had to report into the office. I think we were re-imagining that. I think we make more, we put an emphasis more on family time. I think that, prior to COVID-19, we were so focused on work that sometimes we forgot about family, many people, or some people had to choose between family and work and make certain sacrifices. I think now maybe we do not have a 40 hour work week. Maybe we do not have a five day work week.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=1246.0,1297.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/37","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Franck Joseph: Maybe we have a compressed work week, right? Perhaps we have a work environment where some people can work from home if they choose to, or there are days where you work from home and days where you do not work from home. I seen a lot of people start cycling, riding bikes more places or, or riding bikes just for exercise sake. I think the pandemic has caused us to think about our health as well. Because we know people with pre-existing conditions who are at higher risk. And so it made us really reflect and think about our health. And then even for me, thinking about someone who I really admire who unfortunately recently passed away, Chadwick Boseman, it as a black man it made me think about my health in that way, even seeing that.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=1297.0,1346.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/38","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Franck Joseph: And so I think we are looking at perhaps a healthier society here in New York, both our physical health, our mental well being and a healthier work environment. I hope we don't lose sight of how productive people were as they were at home. And that we don't think that can't be part of the new model. I hope that we are actively thinking, I know for me as a leader, I'm actively thinking about that, right? What does that look like moving forward for my team? And I hope that different industries begin to look at that. We've seen some leading the way such as Twitter. But I hope more industries start doing that. I have a friend who works at a firm who just started going back to work and she told me at first they had a flex schedule. But this week now is going back to normal schedule, which means that she's leaving the office again at 9:00 PM, even though she gets in at 7:00 AM.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=1346.0,1401.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/39","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Franck Joseph: But before when she wasn't working those long hours, she actually was still getting all her case files completed. She was, everything was moving along. So why now during the reopening, why does that long day come back if a shortened day still produced the same results, right? I think we have to challenge the systems as we know it for the betterment of our health, for the betterment of our families. I also think that we as a city have been a city where we've always wanted to be very-- we wanted to be next to the center of the metropolis. We wanted to be in Manhattan. We wanted to be in Downtown Brooklyn. We wanted to be in Northwest Queens. I think now people are looking at it and saying, you know what?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=1401.0,1447.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/40","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Franck Joseph: I wouldn't mind being somewhere like Southeast Queens, which is more suburban, more residential. I wouldn't mind looking at some of these things. And I think that is something that we're also re-imagining, where we live and how we live as well. Those pressures no longer, that we've had before not existing or feeling different. So those are some of the things that I think we should be looking at moving forward, and what a new society can look like based on what the pandemic has shown us.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=1447.0,1481.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/41","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Absolutely. And is there anything that you want to discuss or mention that I have not asked you about?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=1481.0,1489.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/42","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Franck Joseph: You know, I just hope that we can remain kind to each other. The pandemic really caused us to have empathy, think about each other and put ourselves in each other's shoes. And I actually hope that as things reopen, of course people want to get back to work, there are so many industries that are suffering, that we can be kind to each other. As those industries open up, when it's time for Broadway to open up again, how do we support Broadway? But more than that, realizing that so many people are facing different difficulties that we can never imagine. And we have to be a people, a society that leads with our heart. We have to-- I think as we lead with our heart, we become a better society. And we begin to look at other things such as money and whatever lifestyle that we want to live, things that are important as well, but if we make our heart secondary, I think that we're back in a big mess.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=1489.0,1549.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/43","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Franck Joseph: I think if our heart was at the forefront, we would have had a better response to the pandemic on all levels of government. I think if our-- if we led with our hearts, the way that we see the violence against black bodies and the response to the violence against black bodies would have been much more communal versus one that now feels very adversarial depending on your identity, depending on your beliefs. I just think that we for a long time have stopped thinking about each other and have been thinking about self. The pandemic gave us an opportunity to change that. But if we do get on the other side of this, whatever that looks like, I hope that aspect does not change, like the heart aspect of it doesn't change. That we can still have that compassion and that love for one another.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=1549.0,1610.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991/transcript/62735/annotation/44","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: That was beautiful. Let me stop the recording real quick.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/117275/file/221991#t=1610.0,1610.97525"}]}]}]}