{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/3/context.json","id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/iiif/vq2s46j47r/manifest","type":"Manifest","label":{"en":["Memories of Migration Episode 4: School"]},"logo":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/010/original/Aviary_QPLlogo_192x192.png?1578574261","metadata":[{"label":{"en":["Date"]},"value":{"en":["2019-07-01 (released)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Type"]},"value":{"en":["Audio"]}},{"label":{"en":["Agent"]},"value":{"en":["Natalie Milbrodt (Host)","Mary Twomey (Interviewee)","Maria Fortino (Interviewee)","Joseph Caputi (Interviewee)","Antonina Cucchiara (Interviewee)","Hikmah Abodunrin (Interviewee)","Mohamed Q. Amin (Interviewee)","Eileen Sprague (Interviewer)","Stephanie Fortino-Gonzalez (Interviewer)","Reshad Hai (Interviewer)","Arbesh Khan (Interviewer)","Martha Knutzen (Interviewer)","Adriene Lara (Producer)","Elias Ravin (Composer)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Language"]},"value":{"en":["English"]}},{"label":{"en":["Description"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eThis is the Queens Memory Podcast, a selection of personal histories from the borough of Queens in New York City. Our first season collects stories of migration. In this fourth episode, we gathered memories from school.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eFROM THE ARCHIVES: Storytellers whose oral histories we feature in this episode, with links to full interviews and timecode outlines\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://digitalarchives.queenslibrary.org/vital/access/manager/Repository/aql:34391\"\u003eMary Twomey\u003c/a\u003e, interviewed by Eileen Sprague in the \u003ca href=\"http://www.qcirishstudies.org/new-page\"\u003eIrish in Queens Oral History Project\u003c/a\u003e (2015)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://digitalarchives.queenslibrary.org/vital/access/manager/Repository/aql:22097\"\u003eMaria Fortino\u003c/a\u003e, interviewed by Stephanie Fortino-Gonzalez (2017)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://digitalarchives.queenslibrary.org/vital/access/manager/Repository/aql:22073\"\u003eJoseph Caputi\u003c/a\u003e, interviewed by Stephanie Fortino-Gonzalez (2017)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"../../../../r/x05x63bh5x\"\u003eAntonina Cucchiara\u003c/a\u003e, interviewed by Stephanie Fortino-Gonzalez (2017)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"../../../r/xg9f47h915\"\u003eHikmah Abodunrin\u003c/a\u003e, interviewed by Reshad Hai and Arbesh Khan (2016)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"../../../r/445h98zf25\"\u003eMohamed Q. Amin\u003c/a\u003e, interviewed by Martha Knutzen (2017)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eAs a special collection for this episode, we gathered an additional set of stories on teaching and parenting, another element of learning. Find more to listen to in the following clips:\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e●       \u003ca href=\"../../../r/kd1qf8jr5s\"\u003eThara Madathordy\u003c/a\u003e (2015), on her ethics when teaching young children\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e●       \u003ca href=\"http://digitalarchives.queenslibrary.org/vital/access/manager/Repository/aql:20629\"\u003eP. Ramaswamy and Radhika Mohan\u003c/a\u003e (2010), on speaking Tamil with their children\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e●       \u003ca href=\"http://digitalarchives.queenslibrary.org/vital/access/manager/Repository/aql:22057\"\u003eMaria Fortino\u003c/a\u003e (2017), who in this full interview talks about teaching kids Italian\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e●       \u003ca href=\"../../../r/jm23b5wj8b\"\u003eChun-hee Kim\u003c/a\u003e (2016), who in this full interview shares her memories of learning more about U.S. history through frequenting the library\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e●       \u003ca href=\"../../../r/0000000n8q\"\u003eJagir Bains\u003c/a\u003e (2013), who in this full interview reflects on preventing bullying and violence between students before police involvement\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIN THE STACKS: References available through the Queens Public Library\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eResearch for this episode comes from various online sources and Wikipedia articles.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eFor reading recommendations, podcast producer is currently reading \u003ca href=\"https://www.queenslibrary.org/book/The-intimacies-of-four-continents/2128317\"\u003eIntimacies of Four Continents\u003c/a\u003e by Lisa Lowe:\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\"I’m only just starting this book. Through reading this, I learn about how we learn, in school and beyond — how narratives about concepts like freedom, civilization, and liberty get created, and how knowledge gets organized and archived. I especially like how Lisa Lowe pulls out long histories from letters and photos. This is another book I got recommended to start thinking about how closely our histories are tied together.\"\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eREFERENCE DESK: Sources referenced in this episode from beyond the library\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eTo learn more about the history of school and immigration in the U.S., we reviewed \u003ca href=\"https://theworld.org/stories/2015-06-04/brief-history-immigration-and-education-us\"\u003ethis timeline\u003c/a\u003e from PRI. We also read about the history of standardized testing in the U.S. through \u003ca href=\"https://www.nea.org/resource-library/essa-and-testing\"\u003ea timeline\u003c/a\u003e from NEA. Special thanks to Dr. Eva Fernandez for fact-checking our section about CUNY.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eAfter putting together this episode, we came across \u003ca href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/wheres-our-mayor-nyc-students-rally-against-school-segregation\"\u003ethis article\u003c/a\u003e from the Gothamist by Jessica Gould describing a June 2019 rally organized by Teens Take Charge against segregation in New York City schools.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eGUIDING QUESTIONS: Origin points for discussion\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e●       How and where did you learn what you know now?\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e●       Who has taught you something you consider important?\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eVoice narration, editing, and supervision by Natalie Milbrodt\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eProduction, writing, and research by Adriene Lara\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eMusical composition by Elias Ravin\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eListen to the episode on \u003ca href=\"https://soundcloud.com/queens-public-library/memories-of-migration-episode-four-school\"\u003eSoundCloud\u003c/a\u003e , as well as any other platform you find your podcasts. Give us a like if you want, and comment to share your thoughts with us. Find more from Queens Memory at \u003ca href=\"queensmemory.org\"\u003eQueensMemory.org\u003c/a\u003e, on \u003ca href=\"http://facebook.com/queensmemory\"\u003eFacebook at Queens Memory\u003c/a\u003e, and on Twitter at \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/queensmemory\"\u003e@QueensMemory\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e (summary)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Rights Statement"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eThis audio piece was produced by the Queens Memory Project and is available for use under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License. For inquiries, please contact queensmemory@queenslibrary.org.\u003c/p\u003e"]}}],"summary":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eThis is the Queens Memory Podcast, a selection of personal histories from the borough of Queens in New York City. Our first season collects stories of migration. In this fourth episode, we gathered memories from school.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eFROM THE ARCHIVES: Storytellers whose oral histories we feature in this episode, with links to full interviews and timecode outlines\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://digitalarchives.queenslibrary.org/vital/access/manager/Repository/aql:34391\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eMary Twomey\u003c/a\u003e, interviewed by Eileen Sprague in the \u003ca href=\"http://www.qcirishstudies.org/new-page\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eIrish in Queens Oral History Project\u003c/a\u003e (2015)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://digitalarchives.queenslibrary.org/vital/access/manager/Repository/aql:22097\"\u003eMaria Fortino\u003c/a\u003e, interviewed by Stephanie Fortino-Gonzalez (2017)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"http://digitalarchives.queenslibrary.org/vital/access/manager/Repository/aql:22073\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eJoseph Caputi\u003c/a\u003e, interviewed by Stephanie Fortino-Gonzalez (2017)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"../../../../r/x05x63bh5x\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eAntonina Cucchiara\u003c/a\u003e, interviewed by Stephanie Fortino-Gonzalez (2017)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"../../../r/xg9f47h915\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eHikmah Abodunrin\u003c/a\u003e, interviewed by Reshad Hai and Arbesh Khan (2016)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"../../../r/445h98zf25\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eMohamed Q. Amin\u003c/a\u003e, interviewed by Martha Knutzen (2017)\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eAs a special collection for this episode, we gathered an additional set of stories on teaching and parenting, another element of learning. Find more to listen to in the following clips:\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e●\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u003ca href=\"../../../r/kd1qf8jr5s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eThara Madathordy\u003c/a\u003e (2015), on her ethics when teaching young children\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e●\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u003ca href=\"http://digitalarchives.queenslibrary.org/vital/access/manager/Repository/aql:20629\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eP. Ramaswamy and Radhika Mohan\u003c/a\u003e (2010), on speaking Tamil with their children\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e●\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u003ca href=\"http://digitalarchives.queenslibrary.org/vital/access/manager/Repository/aql:22057\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eMaria Fortino\u003c/a\u003e (2017), who in this full interview talks about teaching kids Italian\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e●\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u003ca href=\"../../../r/jm23b5wj8b\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eChun-hee Kim\u003c/a\u003e (2016), who in this full interview shares her memories of learning more about U.S. history through frequenting the library\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e●\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u003ca href=\"../../../r/0000000n8q\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eJagir Bains\u003c/a\u003e (2013), who in this full interview reflects on preventing bullying and violence between students before police involvement\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIN THE STACKS: References available through the Queens Public Library\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eResearch for this episode comes from various online sources and Wikipedia articles.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eFor reading recommendations, podcast producer is currently reading \u003ca href=\"https://www.queenslibrary.org/book/The-intimacies-of-four-continents/2128317\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eIntimacies of Four Continents\u003c/a\u003e by Lisa Lowe:\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\"I\u0026rsquo;m only just starting this book. Through reading this, I learn about how we learn, in school and beyond \u0026mdash; how narratives about concepts like freedom, civilization, and liberty get created, and how knowledge gets organized and archived. I especially like how Lisa Lowe pulls out long histories from letters and photos. This is another book I got recommended to start thinking about how closely our histories are tied together.\"\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eREFERENCE DESK: Sources referenced in this episode from beyond the library\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eTo learn more about the history of school and immigration in the U.S., we reviewed \u003ca href=\"https://theworld.org/stories/2015-06-04/brief-history-immigration-and-education-us\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003ethis timeline\u003c/a\u003e from PRI. We also read about the history of standardized testing in the U.S. through \u003ca href=\"https://www.nea.org/resource-library/essa-and-testing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003ea timeline\u003c/a\u003e from NEA. Special thanks to Dr. Eva Fernandez for fact-checking our section about CUNY.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eAfter putting together this episode, we came across \u003ca href=\"https://gothamist.com/news/wheres-our-mayor-nyc-students-rally-against-school-segregation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003ethis article\u003c/a\u003e from the Gothamist by Jessica Gould describing a June 2019 rally organized by Teens Take Charge against segregation in New York City schools.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eGUIDING QUESTIONS: Origin points for discussion\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e●\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; How and where did you learn what you know now?\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e●\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; Who has taught you something you consider important?\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eVoice narration, editing, and supervision by Natalie Milbrodt\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eProduction, writing, and research by Adriene Lara\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eMusical composition by Elias Ravin\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eListen to the episode on \u003ca href=\"https://soundcloud.com/queens-public-library/memories-of-migration-episode-four-school\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eSoundCloud\u003c/a\u003e , as well as any other platform you find your podcasts. Give us a like if you want, and comment to share your thoughts with us. Find more from Queens Memory at \u003ca href=\"queensmemory.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eQueensMemory.org\u003c/a\u003e, on \u003ca href=\"http://facebook.com/queensmemory\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eFacebook at Queens Memory\u003c/a\u003e, and on Twitter at \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/queensmemory\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003e@QueensMemory\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e"]},"requiredStatement":{"label":{"en":["Attribution"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eThis audio piece was produced by the Queens Memory Project and is available for use under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License. For inquiries, please contact queensmemory@queenslibrary.org.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},"provider":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/aboutus","type":"Agent","label":{"en":["Queens Public Library"]},"homepage":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/","type":"Text","label":{"en":["Queens Public Library"]},"format":"text/html"}],"logo":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/010/original/Aviary_QPLlogo_192x192.png?1578574261","type":"Image"}]}],"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/138/733/small/Screenshot_%2834%29.png?1641905082","type":"Image","format":"image/png"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/105/collection_resources/61522/file/138733","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 1 of 1 - qmpodcast_s1e4_4.Mp3"]},"duration":1841.41988,"width":640,"height":360,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/138/733/small/Screenshot_%2834%29.png?1641905082","type":"Image","format":"image/png"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/105/collection_resources/61522/file/138733/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/105/collection_resources/61522/file/138733/content/1/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-queenslibrary.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/138/733/original/qmpodcast_s1e4_4.Mp3?1641893960","type":"Audio","format":"audio/mpeg","duration":1841.41988,"width":640,"height":360},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/105/collection_resources/61522/file/138733","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/105/collection_resources/61522/file/138733/transcript/35124","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["Full Transcript [Transcript]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/105/collection_resources/61522/file/138733/transcript/35124/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Queens Memory Podcast\nSeason 1 Episode 4\nTranscript (English)\n\nINTRO\n\nNATALIE MILBRODT, narrator: For full transcripts, translations, content notes, and resources from this episode, follow along with us on our show notes at Queens Memory dot org.\n\n[INTRODUCTORY MUSIC BEGINS]\n\nNM: This is the Queens Memory Podcast, a selection of personal histories from the borough of Queens, in New York City. This podcast comes to you from the Queens Memory Project, based in Jamaica, Queens at the Queens Central Library. I'm Natalie Milbrodt, Director of Queens Memory, where we record and preserve contemporary history across the borough. We grow our archives by collecting oral histories, photos, and mementos shared with us by community members. Local volunteers, who train with Queens Memory staff, facilitate and record our oral history interviews.\n\nWe feature oral histories from our archives so we can reflect on and engage with the histories we listen to and tell one another. How do we carry each other’s stories? What shapes our personal and family histories? How did we get to the neighborhoods where we live? And where are we in relation to each other's histories?\n\nAs part of New York City, Queens has long been a point of entry to the United States. Thinking about the borough in this way, we searched through our archives to gather stories of migration for this first season of the Queens Memory Podcast. These stories cross continents and move through decades of the past century. We share these oral histories to reflect on the histories of this borough, of this country, and of ourselves.\n\n[BACKGROUND MUSIC CHANGES]\n\n[INTRODUCTORY AUDIO COLLAGE BEGINS]\n\nMARY TWOMEY: - When I came to this country - I was put into fourth grade - I should’a been put into like, sixth\nMARIA FORTINO: Going to school was very difficult - it was just - total immersion\nJOSEPH CAPUTI: I had no choice - and that’s how we- [LAUGHS] you learn\nANTONINA CUCCHIARA: I walk in the classroom - I was the only - redhead - Italian girl\nHIKMAH ABODUNRIN: - I was interested in - the - brain - how people behave - why they do it and how they do it\nMOHAMED Q. AMIN: - Being a Muslim - being - an immigrant - I spent that entire first semester - defending - myself\n\n[PAUSE WITH MUSIC]\n\nNM: In this fourth episode, we’ve gathered memories from school. While deciding on themes for each episode, we remembered the many stories in our archives of navigating public and private schools in Queens. We began to reflect on the political, economic, religious, and social forces that shape what and how we learn. We thought about classrooms and textbooks, student activities, school funding, and the government’s role in education. We recall the long history of U.S. legislation tying together schooling and migration. This includes the now-repealed Naturalization Act of 1906 mandating English language proficiency for naturalized citizenship, the Immigration Act of 1990 shifting preference to formally credentialed visa applicants, and, more recently, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, or DACA, requiring formal education for eligibility. With the collections of personal histories in this episode, we consider how the movement of people impacts how we learn.\n\nLet’s listen.\n\n[MUSIC FADES OUT]\n\nBODY\n\n[BACKGROUND MUSIC CHANGES]\n\nNM: We arranged this episode’s oral histories on schooling into two collections: first, stories from primary school, and second, stories from secondary school and beyond. The clips in this first collection come from Mary Twomey, Maria Fortino, Joseph Caputi, and Antonina Cucchiara. The memories they share span the 1950s to 1970s from different primary schools around Queens.\n\nLet’s start with Mary Twomey.\n\n[FIRST ORAL HISTORY BEGINS, with MARY TWOMEY]\n\nMT: When I came to this country, it’s- I- the education in Ireland at that time was certainly as good as here and probably a bit ahead of it. But they really didn’t recognize that, so I was put into fourth grade. And I should’ve been put into like, sixth. So, I was very, very lucky. I met a wonderful nun who, um- so I started school in January, and at that time, there was 4-A, 4-B. 5-A, 5-B. Not anymore. So I was put into, um, 4-B. And, while I was in 4-B, she doubled up with me and tutored me and I was able to do 5-A work, and then, during the summer, I did 5-B work with her. And then the next- then in September, I was put into 6-A. I was still a little behind, like, um, a little- I was a little bit older when I went to high school. I would’ve been like- I would say, the children that were my age would have been in, uh- I should’ve been six months further on, like. So I was only six months behind, but she was wonderful.\n\nES: She brought you up, that’s great.\n\nES: What about the children in school? Were they accepting of you? Were there any other-\n\nMT: Yes, I never, never- yes, I never remember a child — and we were talking about this not too long ago — I never remember a child, um, imitating my brogue or in any way, um, you know, bullying that way or, you know, being not nice. I never remember that. So, it evidently didn’t happen. I don’t remember how I went to school because -\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nMT: - for the first year, I had to cross Queens Boulevard and -\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\n- you know, I don’t have much of a recollection of ever being with anybody doing it, because what happened... I suppose it was the stress, really, of bringing me here.\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nI don’t remember in the very beginning, ‘cause my aunt worked. My aunt worked full time at that time.\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nSh- didn’t she get very sick after I came? She got very, very ill and got pleurisy.\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nI suppose she must’ve walked me to school in the beginning. I don’t have any recollection of that though, isn’t that funny?\n\nNM: Before the next few clips where we’ll hear stories of learning English in the 1960s, we’ll share a bit of context: the New York City public school system is the largest school system in the country based on enrollment, and among the most racially segregated. This creates wide ranging disparities across the city in funding, instructor support, and access to resources. The next few stories remind us of the Bilingual Education Act of 1968. The Act began to institute federal grants to fund bilingual and English-language-learning programs in public schools throughout the U.S. The circumstances of multilingual education in the U.S. continue to shift, with the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001, to ongoing passage of laws in multiple states limiting bilingual education. For New York, English-language-learning programs remain in tension with shrinking budgets, reported shortages in certified instructors, and school closures throughout the city. Throughout these stories, we want to consider the connections between English-language learning, school support systems, and early education.\n\nLet’s listen.\n\n[SECOND ORAL HISTORY BEGINS, with MARIA FORTINO]\n\nSTEPHANIE FORTINO-GONZALEZ, interviewer: Could you perhaps describe your experiences with school in the United States? Um, do you recall the name of the school you went to and what it was like there?\n\nMARIA FORTINO: Uh, well, I don’t remember the name of the school because they changed it later, but it was in College Point and, uh, they put me in the sixth grade, so it was the end of the school year. I went in March and I only had a few months until then, the summer vacation came. But, um, going to school was very difficult because, uh, it was just total immersion, you know. I went in there and I sat in the classroom. The teacher announced that I guess I was a new student, and uh, the first thing she asked me, you know, she had my name obviously already. But, uh, when I sat down, she said to me, “Oh your name is now Mary Ferrente.” And I said, “No, because I’m Maria.” And she says, “But you’re in the United States, and Maria is Mary in the United States.” And I remember resisting that I didn’t like “Mary,” and eventually I guess she gave up because I always, um, was called Maria. It- it was very difficult. No one spoke Italian in the classroom. There was a teacher’s aid in that particular classroom they put me in, and I don’t know if they did it because I spoke Italian. But, uh, this teacher took a liking to me and, uh, she made it a point to help me out. She really wanted to help me out. Maybe it was my drive also that she sensed in me that I really wanted to learn English so bad that, uh, even at lunch time, she would just, like, you know, keep me back in the classroom when all the other kids went out on recess and ate lunch. I would stay with her and, uh, you know, she would spend time with me while I ate my lunch, we would read books so that I would learn the, uh, the English language. When they needed to have something totally translated, they called the, uh- one of the other older kids who was in the school. Uh, his name was Frank and he was two years older than me. [LAUGHS] And, uh, they called him to translate and I remember him coming and he spoke Italian, and he already spoke pretty well English. He had been here already, quite a few years. Anyway, he ended up, uh- then later, we became good friends, actually, and then later ended up being my husband! [LAUGHS] So, uh, I’ll always remember where I met him! [LAUGHS]\n\n[THIRD ORAL HISTORY BEGINS, with JOSEPH CAPUTI]\n\nSTEPHANIE FORTINO-GONZALEZ, interviewer: Did you feel that you assimilated pretty quickly or did it take you a little bit?\n\nJOSEPH CAPUTI: As far as in school was, took me a while ‘cause of the language barrier. I was pick on, like bullied on. And one time, this kid that I still remember, uh, it was my first year. I was in fourth grade, and uh, this kid bullied me and I couldn’t take it anymore. I grabbed the chair closest to me, I swung it to him.\n\nSG: [GASPS AND LAUGHS]\n\nJC: And that was the last time the kid picked on me. Yeah. I still remember. [LAUGHS] And I was- but, uh, language was, you know, it took time, but finally picked it up, yeah.\n\nSG: Did it take you a while to learn, or…?\n\nJC: [SIGH] A little, yeah. It took a little while to learn. ‘Cause the parents, you know, everybody, we spoke Italian in the house. \n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nMy parents didn’t speak at all. I don’t even know if they tried. My dad tried to go to school to learn the English but was hard for him because he had to work long nights, long days. Because he had to support the family, so he had very little time to go to school.\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nThat’s why we have to watch TV and that would help us a lot. And then, with the friends too. Became close with friends, they spoke English only. I had no choice. And that’s how you learn, fast.\n\n[THIRD ORAL HISTORY BEGINS, with ANTONINA CUCCHIARA]\n\nSTEPHANIE FORTINO-GONZALEZ, interviewer: Tell me a little bit about the process of learning English, what that was like for you or for your family.\n\nANTONINA CUCCHIARA: Okay. The first day -\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\n- when I went to school in East New York -\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\n- they put me in fifth grade. I was twelve years old, they put me in the fifth grade, but I had already started fifth grade in Italy. But being that I didn’t know the English, they put me back, you know.\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nSo I started school, I walk in the classroom. I was the only, uh, redhead Italian girl there, so kind of, you know, in a strange place, strange people, it was very, very hard. And I was a little bit scared and I cried, bein’ that I didn’t understand a word of what they were sayin’. And, uh, walking back and forth to school was oh so very scary because, you know, I didn’t know the neighborhood and I didn’t know anybody there, and it was very hard because my family couldn’t help me, and my chil- my sisters were all younger than me. My mother couldn’t help me so I was left on my own to learn, and I- I caught up. But then when we moved, I went to another Catholic school in Ridgewood.\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nThere, the transition was a little better because there were other children, Italian coming from- that just came too from Sicily so I kinda stuck with them. We made, like, a group. But they also kept us in the back for some reason because, I don’t know why. The reason is, I don’t know why. All the not-speaking-English, in the back. So I guess they had their own reason for why they did that. So from there, my parents couldn’t afford the Catholic school anymore being that we just came and it was expensive, the clothing, the uniforms. We couldn’t afford it, so we moved- they moved me to a public school -\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\n- on the same block, down the block. I get there, I found more and more, more Italian-speaking kids, uh, coming from the same town, different towns, from the same region, you know. So, it was- I got more comfortable and I stayed always with the same group. So we helped each other learn the English. I remember that when I walked in, being the only Sicilian with the red hair, the teacher there -\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\n- I always remember him -\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\n- he had also red hair! So I kinda felt so comfortable, and he helped me. He helped me, he helped me, he says, “Come!” You know? He had a group of Italian girls, after school teaching us and we started picking up the English from there. I started getting better and better, more comfortable. Being with the other- speaking with the same lang- speaking with the same girls and, uh, working together in groups, it made it better.\n\nNM: We move now from primary school to memories from high school and college, with stories from the 2000s and on.\n\nIn the first set of clips, we’ll hear Hikmah Abodunrin recount taking the SATs, a standardized test first issued in 1926 and now administered to high school students throughout the U.S. for college admissions. The SATs stand among many different standardized tests issued in city schools, which all remain under contention due to their strong tie to classifying student capabilities as well as determining access to resources and school funding.\n\nJoining the New York City public school system as the largest school system in the country, the City University of New York, or CUNY, is the largest city university in the U.S. by enrollment. First, we’ll hear Hikmah Abodunrin talk about studying neuroscience at Queens College, CUNY. After that, we’ll listen to Mohamed Q. Amin share stories from both high school and another Queens-based CUNY school, LaGuardia Community College. Memories span from building community through high school student activism, to responding to social isolation at school following the attacks of 9/11. While listening to these stories, we want to reflect on how family histories, political circumstances, and events shape school life.\n\nLet’s hear more.\n\n[FOURTH ORAL HISTORY BEGINS, with HIKMAH ABODUNRIN]\n\nRESHAD HAI, co-interviewer: S-so you were late for an SAT ‘cause of the bus?\n\nHIKMAH ABODUNRIN: Yeah! [LAUGHS]\n\nRH: Do you wanna tell us about that? [LAUGHS]\n\nHA: [LAUGHS] So I woke up in the morning. I-I forgot what time I was supposed to wake up but, um, my mom was like, “Hikmah, don't you have a test to take?” And I'm like, “What?” [LAUGHS] It was nine o'clock, I don't know! It was like, and, exactly one hour before I had to take the test, and it takes me about forty minutes to get to the school. So [LAUGHS] I went, um, I got up and I rushed, and I was just like, “I have to get dressed! I have to get up and get dressed!” And then I left my Metro- I think, I don't even think I brought money with me to take the bus on Saturdays. Saturday? Yeah. I didn't- I didn't think I have enough money to take the bus on the Saturday, so I had to ask the bus driver! And the bus driver said no, so I got off the bus and waited for the next one. And then, the next bus driver was, um, nice enough to let me on the bus. And then by the time I got on Main, no, not on Main Street, um, Archer, to take the Q44, the... [LAUGHS] Um, what's it called? The- I think there was construction going on that day, so the Q44 had to take a different route- route and I was just waiting there for ten minutes like, “Where is anyone else?” Like, there's no one there! So, I had to rush myself to the, um, to, to walk to another stop, so I either... I don't remember which way I took. I think I took Hillside, I think I walked all the way to Hillside and I caught the Q20 'cause I was, like, definitely in a rush! I really had to get to class. I mean, not to class, to the SATs. And I was just like, [EXHALES] panicking out of my mind. And, so, I ended up taking the Q20 and I got on the bus [SIGHS] and my mind was just like, racing! Like, I needed to like... I was gonna wake up early and, like, you know, review some vocabulary words. By the time I got to the school, it was like, 20 minutes late and I was like, “Can you please let me through?” Like... But they ended up, they did end up letting me through because, um, they kinda started late. A little bit late. So it was- it was okay. ‘Cause I got in time to fill out the bubbles and stuff like that. [SIGHS] It was such a hard time! But, I don't think my score reflected what my- reflected my struggle! So... [LAUGHS] I had to take it again.\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nRH: After high school, you came straight to Queens College?\n\nHA: Yes.\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nWell, it was, um, a struggle between me and my mom. So, I had the- I had my mind set to go to Fredonia. Like, I wanted to go to Fredonia because they had, um, a program that I wanted to get into. It was, it was something on the African Americans in, um, in Medicine. So they, they had that program and they gave me a scholarship for it. And my mom was like, um, \"Well, we want you to...\" My mom just didn't want me to go, because of the, uh, sorry... It was because of the distance from our house, and she didn't want me traveling back and forth, and I don't think she was ready to buy me a car yet, so it was... It was- it wasn’t up to her. So, I came here because they have neuroscience and they have the neuroscience prep- neuroscience program, and I thought, I knew I would be able to find a way to get- to get what I needed from here. So, it's possibly my best choice, 'cause it's so close as well.\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nARBESH KHAN, co-interviewer: What made you choose neuroscience?\n\nHA: Well, I was interested in the... brain. And how people behave, and why they do it and how they do it. And like, learning all of the mental diseases people have, I didn't, I wouldn't have believed it to be true, but when you see it in, in any kind of brain MRI it's like, wow. \n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nand it's like, really, really interesting, and I wanted to learn more about it. So, but, so far, I haven't taken that kind of class yet. But I have to get the basics first in order to take that class.\n\nAK: And what are you hoping to accomplish in the major?\n\nHA: Well, I'm hoping to accomplish that… I can know more. Not basically to just get into med school, but I want to be able to know what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. 'Cause I wanna take my knowledge and take it to places where people don't really have that, that kinda access. So it's really, like, more for me to know than for me to prove to everyone else. ‘Cause like, if I have the information and all of the documents that I can take to anywhere else, those people can, might even be able to do better than I can. So, like, for me to go to Nigeria, for example, last, in January. I went to Nigeria in January. And, I brought my physics textbook with me 'cause I knew I had to take physics and I thought I could study, but then in Nigeria, like, high school kids, they were doing way more than what we're learning here. So, I'm just like, thinking like, if I could take, if I could take this and use what they have over there, maybe there's something more that can grow.\n\n[FIFTH ORAL HISTORY BEGINS, with MOHAMED Q. AMIN]\n\nMOHAMED AMIN: I went to Junior High School 59, um, and then I graduated from that, and then I went to Far Rockaway High School. That’s where my passion for organizing and sort of being a leader and standing up and resisting any time of discrimination started.\n\nMARTHA KNUTZEN, interviewer: So what was the first time you- can you remember the first instance of activism?\n\nMA: Yeah! Just getting involved in- being- I was actually elected president of the student government club, the student government association, and through that type of leadership, I was able to sort of, like, mobilize the school for us to do things together or as, uh, just as, uh, young people, you know, being in high school, being of Caribbean background.\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nAt the time, Far Rockaway High School had a high, um, rate of violence. There was, uh, metal detectors and all these things, and, you know, the crime rate in school was a little bit high. We didn’t really have security guards, we had police officers as our security guards.\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nWe had an art class that, uh- it’s sort of where it all started. We all used to go to art. Um, I’m a huge fan of art! I used to paint when I was in high school. Um, and I say “used to” because I’m so sad that I have to say “used to”! [LAUGHS] Um, but we would- we would just talk about issues that were affecting us and what little things can we do in our capacity at that time. What can we do to sort of, like, bring our school together?\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nMA: I went to LaGuardia!\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nMK: But you were still living with your parents?\n\nMA: Oh yeah, I was living with my parents. And, um, the first day, I’m so excited, and I’m going to LaGuardia! And I got there, I’m like, “Yay LaGuardia!” Um, and I got to school, I’m excited, I’m in college, and then, um, I kept thinking to myself, “Oh my God, this is a three hour commute every day! And I’m supposed be here for two years?! Okay…” So I said to myself, I was like, I went, I spoke to the guidance counsellor, and they had counsellors at the time that the first day you can talk to, and I was like, “When can I transfer?”\n\nMK \u0026 MA: [LAUGHING] \n\nMA: And I remember, um, I don’t remember his name, but he looked at me, and he was like, “Sir, today’s your first day.”\n\nMK \u0026 MA: [LAUGHING] \n\nMA: And I said, “I know!” But I just wanted to know when I could transfer out and just to go to some place, uh, closer to home. And he was like, “Well, it’s best for you to finish your first semester and see how that goes. Um, you’ll need a certain GPA and if you maintain a 3.5, um, the four-year schools will probably look at you.”\n\nMK: Mhm.\n\nMA: “But I would say, give it a chance. Come back tomorrow.” [LAUGHS]\n\nMK: [LAUGHS]\n\nMA: And tomorrow, the next day, I got up, I’m on the train, and I’m- my regular routine. And, it’s like nine-something, and I remember, I remember specifically looking at my- I had a really small Nokia. Like, you know those small- when Nokia first came out?\n\nMK: Yeah!\n\nMA: And I’m looking at it, and I’m like, “Oh my God, I’m gonna be late to class!” And I’m like, “This is not like me!” And I looked out and there was, like, all this smoke and I was like, “What’s happening in New York City?”\n\nMK: Mm.\n\nMA: So, I got to- I got to class -\n\nMK: Oh my God.\n\nMA: - and there’s, like, all this chaos. And, the teachers, like, people are crying, and I’m like, “What’s happening here?”\n\nMK: Oh...\n\nMA: And the first, um, it was, maybe like, ten minutes after getting to my first class. Um, he teacher came in, and the teacher said -\n\nMK: Yeah.\n\nMA: “There’s been an attack,” and we’re all looking at each other like- some people knew what was happening, and there were all these, um, assumptions, you know. Like, terrorism, and you know, and- New York City, we’re being attacked, or like, you know, our freedom, our values are being attacked. And I’m sitting there, this is my second day of class.\n\nMK: Oh my God.\n\nMA: That counsellor said to come back and I came back and I’m- don’t even know, like, what’s happening! So, I remember, the teacher said — um, I don’t remember his name either — but he was like, “Go home. Get home safe. Um, classes have been cancelled.” \n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nI got home eventually, I opened the door, my mom was, like, crying, and I’m like, “I’m here!”\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nBut I don’t think I’ve ever- I was so happy to be home that day.\n\nMK: Right.\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nMA: Being Muslim, and being an immigrant, and you know, having my name be Mohamed -\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\n- I knew, I knew, like, life was never gonna be the same. \n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nSo, um, I spent that entire first semester defending myself. Um-\n\nMK: Was there a group you got involved in? Or were you by yourself doing that?\n\nMA: You know, not- I was- yeah, I was very- um, it was, it was maybe 1 or 2 Muslim students in the class at the time and I didn’t really know how to sort of express myself. At the time, I didn’t really know how to express myself, and I isolated myself a lot because I didn’t want to talk about this and I didn’t know who to trust, and who were going to say, um, “You did this.” Um, it was a very sort of emotional but also traumatizing first experience, and I remember my grades dropping. Um, I got, like, C’s and B’s, and I’m like, “This is not me…” And, you know. The trauma of 9/11 attack really affected my grades, um, and I wasn’t able to excel in my first semester the way I wanted to.\n\nMK: Right.\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nMK: So there weren’t any organizations that were created or any support systems that were created for students like you? It sounds like that’s what you’re saying.\n\nMA: To be honest- yeah! I’m sure there were, I didn’t know about them! No, I didn’t know about them.\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nMy best friend at the time, Myeisha, she said, “I’m gonna take a break from school.” And after I got my car, um, I told her, “We have- you have to go to college. You’re going to co- you’re coming to LaGuardia with me.” \n\n[AUDIO CUT] \n\nI was a year ahead of her but we took- we- there was some similar classes. Every morning we went. We, um, we scheduled our classes in a way where we would go together, and we would come home together. Um, she lived in Far Rockaway, I lived in Far Rockaway, and I would pick her up and we would go to school. And, for the first- for that- when she started, I think that was the first time I didn’t feel alone at LaGuardia. Um, or I felt like I had someone there with me that -\n\n[BACKGROUND MUSIC BEGINS TO FADE IN]\n\n- I can rely on, or I can trust, or I can just have lunch with.\n\n[AUDIO CUT]\n\nMA: I remember being able to, like, rely on my friend. Her name is Myeisha. We’re still friends today, she’s still my best friend!\n\nMK: Good!\n\nMA: And uh, yeah! Her- she was- she was my support system through college.\n\nOUTRO\n\nNM: Thank you for listening with us on the Queens Memory Podcast.\n\nVisit our show notes blog at Queens Memory dot org. There, you’ll find full transcripts and written translations of this episode, and more to listen to from our archives. We’ve also added reading recommendations from Queens Public Library’s collections as well as resources from local community organizations. And, if you want your stories to join those you heard today and become part of our archives, head to Queens Memory dot org forward slash participate or to our show notes to find out more.\n\nI’d like to thank our producer Adriene Lara and our composer Elias Ravin. A warm thank you to Ro Garrido for providing fundamental collaboration and support, and to Richard Lee and Molly Schwartz for offering their guidance and wisdom. Thanks also to the Queens Public Library and the Institute of Museum and Library Services for hosting and funding this podcast. Finally, thank you to all the interviewees, interviewers, interns, and volunteers for collecting and sharing the stories that make this podcast possible.\n\nIf you’re listening with others, and want to reflect together, here are some guiding questions: How and where did you learn what you know now? Who has taught you something you consider important? Reflect with us for the next episode on work. We’re thinking about relationships we’ve formed with people and places through the different types of work we do.\n\nListen with us next time on the Queens Memory Podcast.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/105/collection_resources/61522/file/138733#t=0.0,1841.41988"}]}]}]}