{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/3/context.json","id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/iiif/wh2d796z8h/manifest","type":"Manifest","label":{"en":["Aleeia Abraham 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\u003eAleeia Abraham is the founder of the BlaQue Resource Network (BRN), an organization that aims to elevate Black businesses and communities in Queens. Abraham, who started BRN in 2019, describes the various activities of BRN and its strong membership numbers during its first year of operation. Abraham also reflects on being a community activist and participating in a rally on Jamaica Avenue in response to the murder of George Floyd, during which Abraham video recorded police officers kneeling with protesters as a gesture of support. Abraham also recalls fond memories of taking theater classes at Black Spectrum Theatre as a child and spending time with friends on Jamaica Avenue as a teenager.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003ePhoto: Looking northeast across Jamaica Avenue and 168 Place, 22 December 2011. By Jim.henderson - Own work, CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication, Wikimedia Commons, \u003ca href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18008786\"\u003ehttps://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18008786\u003c/a\u003e\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/41024"]}},{"label":{"en":["Date"]},"value":{"en":["2020-09-02 (created)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Type"]},"value":{"en":["Audio"]}},{"label":{"en":["Agent"]},"value":{"en":["Aleeia Abraham (Interviewee)","Syreeta Gates (Interviewer)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Source"]},"value":{"en":["Interview conducted as part of the Queens Memory COVID-19 Project."]}},{"label":{"en":["Coverage"]},"value":{"en":["1980s-2020 (temporal)","Springfield Gardens and Jamaica, 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\u003eAleeia Abraham is the founder of the BlaQue Resource Network (BRN), an organization that aims to elevate Black businesses and communities in Queens. Abraham, who started BRN in 2019, describes the various activities of BRN and its strong membership numbers during its first year of operation. Abraham also reflects on being a community activist and participating in a rally on Jamaica Avenue in response to the murder of George Floyd, during which Abraham video recorded police officers kneeling with protesters as a gesture of support. Abraham also recalls fond memories of taking theater classes at Black Spectrum Theatre as a child and spending time with friends on Jamaica Avenue as a teenager.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003ePhoto: Looking northeast across Jamaica Avenue and 168 Place, 22 December 2011. By Jim.henderson - Own work, CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication, Wikimedia Commons, \u003ca href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18008786\"\u003ehttps://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18008786\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"]},"requiredStatement":{"label":{"en":["Attribution"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eCC BY-NC-SA Contact digitalarchives@queenslibrary.org for research and reproduction requests.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},"provider":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/aboutus","type":"Agent","label":{"en":["Queens Public Library"]},"homepage":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/","type":"Text","label":{"en":["Queens Public Library"]},"format":"text/html"}],"logo":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/010/original/Aviary_QPLlogo_192x192.png?1578574261","type":"Image"}]}],"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/208/728/small/1080px-Jamaica_Av_168_Pl_PM_jeh.jpg?1745433075","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 1 of 1 - _QPL_Aleeia_(BlaQue_Resource_Network)_.Mp3"]},"duration":959.1,"width":640,"height":360,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/208/728/small/1080px-Jamaica_Av_168_Pl_PM_jeh.jpg?1745433075","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/content/1/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-queenslibrary.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/208/728/original/_QPL_Aleeia_%28BlaQue_Resource_Network%29_.Mp3?1695827197","type":"Audio","format":"audio/mpeg","duration":959.1,"width":640,"height":360},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["Full Transcript [Transcript]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Great so first I'd like to say thank you for saying yes to this interview. We definitely, definitely appreciate it.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=2.0,9.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/2","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Aleeia Abraham: No problem.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=9.0,10.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/3","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: If you could say and spell your name for me, please.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=10.0,13.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/4","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Aleeia Abraham: Sure. My name is Aleeia, A L E E I A Abraham, A B R A H A M.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=13.0,22.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/5","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Great and because we need your permission to use this audio, if you could 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/107779/file/208728#t=22.0,34.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/6","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Aleeia Abraham: I Aleeia Abraham consent to Queens Public Library using this content.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=34.0,38.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/7","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Great and what neighborhood of Queens in Queens are you from or do you currently live?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=38.0,45.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/8","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Aleeia Abraham: I live in Springfield Gardens.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=45.0,48.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/9","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Let's go. Okay, cool. How would you describe yourself?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=48.0,55.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/10","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Aleeia Abraham: Oh, wow. Yeah. Um, I would describe myself as well, a community activist. That's lived a lifelong Queens resident. Um, I've been in this community forever. All of you know, I went to school here, started my family here. Um, so I would say that I'm an active community member or community activist. I don't know. It depends how you want to look at it, but that's how I see myself.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=55.0,81.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/11","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Amazing. Amazing. And talk to me about how did your family come to Queens?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=81.0,88.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/12","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Aleeia Abraham: Yes, my family came to [unclear], my family's from the West Indies, so my mother's from Jamaica and my father's from Trinidad and they met at Queens Public Library at Jamaica Avenue, funny enough.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=88.0,98.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/13","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Oh, that's perfect. We need to hear this from you. Tell us more of how you --[crosstalk]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=98.0,102.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/14","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Aleeia Abraham: --[crosstalk] Funny enough. Yeah, so my mom used to work there and my dad went to York College, which of course is around the corner. Um, my mom went to Queensborough, but she worked at the library and my dad just used to study there and they just met and here I am.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=102.0,116.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/15","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: That's so --[crosstalk]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=116.0,118.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/16","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Aleeia Abraham: --[crosstalk] Yes, it is","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=118.0,120.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/17","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Literally perfect for the, uh, this podcast. And what are two of like your fondest memories of growing up in Queens?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=120.0,133.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/18","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Aleeia Abraham: Sure. I would say my two fondest memories of growing up in Queens is probably, uh, taking theater classes at Black Spectrum. I went to theater there from about ages, I want to say seven to nine or ten, and you know, that was, it was, it was a long time ago. So back then I walked by myself to Black Spectrum, which probably was about five blocks away. And, you know, kids don't do that now, but I know that was like a big independence for me to do, you know, something I love, which were in the arts. I was an actor and a singer I'm still am, but that's kind of when it started and, and be able to go by myself. So those are some of my fondest memories in Queens for that. A second memory would probably be just the whole Jamaica Avenue experience as a teen and, you know, meeting up with my friends and shopping, and you know I haven't been to the av [avenue] in a long time. I don't know what the culture like is down there currently, but I know growing up in the eighties and nineties, it was a big hub for young people to just kind of be by yourself and, you know, eat pizza at Margarita's and, and buy some sneakers and, you know, go to VIM. So those are my two favorite memories in Queens.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=133.0,206.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/19","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Classic classic. Yes. Jamaica Avenue was a staple. Yeah.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=206.0,211.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/20","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Aleeia Abraham: Yeah. I don't know what anybody does now, but you know, it was the av, that's it, doesn't matter what high school you went to, you met up on the av.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=211.0,218.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/21","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: That's a fact, that's a whole fact, that's a whole fact. Um, and talk to me about the resource network [BlaQue Resource Network] that you created and what are its goals like, what do you see the intention being and why create it?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=218.0,230.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/22","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Aleeia Abraham: Absolutely. So in 2019, I started the BlaQue Resource Network and it's a space for black people in Queens to network and share resources and that is as far as, you know, looking for jobs or, you know, in search of a black business for some kind of service, whether it's construction or haircare or bakeries. So people put out those kinds of posts. We definitely support each other's events and we're very intentional with shopping black in supporting Queens based arts and culture. So we only support Queens events, Queens businesses. It's also a great space for people that might've moved out of Queens since they connected to their community. So a lot of people use it for that purpose as well. Our long-term plan is to just kind of keep building the black dollar in Queens, get some more diverse businesses here in Queens, from black people and to support the businesses that we already have and just work together to solve community problems. You know, we do our own food giveaways. We partner with other organizations to clean up our community and really kind of do things ourselves because there are enough of us. We just made 10,000 members in our first year, which is amazing. This is nothing we could have ever pictured, but with that, we're just able to organize and mobilize very easily and I just hope to expand that and be able to solve even bigger problems.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=230.0,316.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/23","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: That's amazing. Cheers on 10,000 members [25k members as of today, 10k our first year], no little deal by any means that's a congrats, congrats [unclear]. And why did you feel it was necessary to focus on Queens? Like you could have created a black resource network for New York for--","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=316.0,335.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/24","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Aleeia Abraham: And I didn't want to, I didn't want to, I feel like when things are niche smaller and targeted, you can get more done. You know, everyone is right here. I live, you know, sometimes I'm going to like drop off masks and sanitizer it and it's like, Oh, you can just walk to my house. It's two doors down. Like I wanted to first connect with my neighborhood and build a strong, small circle in order for us to expand because it gets overwhelming if you try to take over too much at one time. And, you know, I just saw other groups like Black Long Island was a big inspiration for me. I was a part of the Black Long Island group and I just saw what they were doing and how it just being very you knew it was for you, you know what I mean? Everyone was your neighbor. And I really wanted to mirror that in Queens and expand on the idea. So I just saw it work other places, and I knew that Queens had nothing, like it every time there's something for New York, you know, no offense to Brooklyn, but Brooklyn takes it over. And then people from Queens aren't really seen in it. So I just felt like we needed our own thing first.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=335.0,400.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/25","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Well, give, thanks to having the wherewithal to decide that. We are grateful, people are grateful. And talk to me, you mentioned being like activist. Talk to me about what your activism has looked like specifically during COVID and in Queens.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=400.0,419.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/26","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Aleeia Abraham: Sure. Um, and I'm only calling myself an activist because that's just kind of the new title that has been given to me. I can tell you some of the specific things I've done through COVID. The BlaQue Resource Network with just me being the leader of it. We have organized and participated in several protests throughout COVID especially in this new climate after the death of George Floyd, um, we did our own rally against economic injustice with our businesses. And we participated in a cold black rally on Jamaica Avenue where there was a captain that took the knee and I took that video. And the video now has about, I want to say 5 million views. It's been shown on CNN. It's been shown on Fox 5, good day Australia, you know, around the world, WPIX 11, it goes on and on and on and on.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=419.0,473.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/27","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Aleeia Abraham: So, you know that's just the video that I went live with in the group. So it's just interesting to see that just posting in our group from Queens something that we did there went worldwide. So I'm a part of a lot of those movements. We do a share health project where we provide, um, boxes of, of healthy, fresh produce, um, to anywhere from 500 to 800 families every Thursday. And, you know, it's, it's, it's not like, okay, you know, there's a food insecurity issue. That's not really what we [unclear] to fight. And if we still battle that in our efforts, that's fine. But our motivation is, you know, we're fighting COVID and we're fighting all of these new -- all of these, this, this racism, and, and what's been going on for centuries, and we have to stay healthy a lot of times in our community.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=473.0,528.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/28","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Aleeia Abraham: It's not about affordability, it's also about access. So we wanted to be able to provide just healthy, fresh stuff that you might not even be able to get, even if you had the money in your local supermarket. So we've been doing that. I mean we do a number of other things. I do, you know, I run a small business crawl. We take a couple of hundred neighbors down the street [unclear] Merrick Boulevard, just with a goal to shop [unclear] black and seeing who could spend the most money and doing fun, stuff like that. Right now, we're doing a free book fair. So we just have hundreds of books, we just set it up on tables and you come out, you see something you like [unclear] take it. You know, there's just, there's a lot of projects that we've done, um, through COVID under my leadership that, um, that I'm pretty proud of. I'm glad.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=528.0,574.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/29","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: That's like, as somebody, Hello? Okay. You were going in and out a little bit. We definitely, I definitely caught what you, what you said last though, and for somebody who's grown up in Queens specifically, like Jamaica Queens like, this is, thank you for real, for doing this work. Cause I never, you know, it's like, once you do other things in the world, it's kind of hard to stay like looped in, unless you have people that's like looped in and now I feel looped in.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=574.0,612.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/30","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Aleeia Abraham: Yeah, yeah, no, I get it. I get it. I get it. I think, I think there's a lot of us doing some really great things in Queens. And without that base for Queens to take credit for it, it just kind of gets lost in New York.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=612.0,624.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/31","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Absolutely, absolutely. No question.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=624.0,626.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/32","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Aleeia Abraham: So I think we need to come together and give Queens credit for the people that are coming out of Queens.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=626.0,631.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/33","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Queens get the money, Queens get the money.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=631.0,633.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/34","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Aleeia Abraham: Yeah, absolutely. Yes, absolutely.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=633.0,636.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/35","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: So you mentioned George Floyd a little bit. Talk to me about how you've seen Queens specifically come together during kind of the uprising.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=636.0,657.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/36","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Aleeia Abraham: Hello? Yes. Think you went out a little, the last I heard was Queens came together during--","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=657.0,662.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/37","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: I'm sorry. I was basically saying, like you had mentioned George Floyd and talk to me a little bit about how Queens has been able to come together during like these uprisings George Floyd, Breonna Taylor. Like, unfortunately the list is long and we're just talking about this year.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=662.0,681.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/38","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Aleeia Abraham: Well, yeah, I can, I can just refer back to the rally at Jamaica Avenue, which was something that I've never seen, and I've never expected to see so many people, so many young people in Queens, come out and just March down Jamaica Avenue in those numbers, and I've been to smaller rallies in Jamaica Avenue, and they were well put together, very nice people, but I've never seen anything like this. And the fact that Queens was one of the first, I'm not sure if it was the first, but I [unclear] to be at least the second, if not the very first that we're able to kind of come together with the officers, for them to kneel, and I'm in no way saying that that's enough or anything like that. But just even to get to that point, that has never been done before that, you know, a captain, a white shirt was able to kneel because of people in Queens really shows you the dedication and the power of Queens, and young people in Queens. So I, you know, I, it kind of blew me away. And that just means that there's a lot more work to do. That's just the beginning. But I'm glad Queens could be a part of, you know, the first or one of the first to make that happen.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=681.0,752.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/39","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: For sure. For sure. For sure. And what do you see like the future looking like after, whatever after COVID looks like?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=752.0,762.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/40","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Aleeia Abraham: Well you know it's strange because I think that COVID in a weird way because things just kind of happened weird, helped the movement because everyone was home and they weren't distracted and they, all they could do was watch TV and all they could do was look at their phone, and when the video came out of them stepping on this man's neck, people were already pretty angry. They already lost their job. They've already lost, loved ones. They were mad. So that anger kind of you know, continued into all of the rallies and marches that was saying that people are angry. And I think we've reached a point where the government, the world could know --","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=762.0,811.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/41","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: I'm sorry, you were going in and out a little bit. Last thing I heard was so that the government,","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=811.0,817.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/42","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Aleeia Abraham: [unclear] Japan and I'm like, there's no black people, like the world was already angry, so fortunately, or unfortunately, you know, that helped bring an extra level of awareness. And I don't think we can ignore it anymore. I think it's, it's, we've tried to keep it under our hat, America's little dirty secret of how it was built and it's the whole thing is just blown up. So I see a big change coming after this, and we have to make sure that we're in the forefront of the change. They're not telling us what we need, and we're there for those -- specifically that the economic injustice and the educational injustices are solved. And we're able to have solutions when people are asking us what we want.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=817.0,865.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/43","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: For sure. For sure. For sure. And what do you think the future holds for Queens specifically?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=865.0,875.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/44","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Aleeia Abraham: Listen, we got to get these businesses together. Like Queens could be, you know, everybody say, Oh, this could be the next Black Wall Street. That could be the Black Wall Street. You know, we could do it. We have, we're making enough money to make this happen. We just have to organize and understand our potential. Like I need Merrick Boulevard, you know, to look like Austin Street. I need it to be as vibrant as rich. I need those businesses to flourish and I need those businesses to be black owned, and if we can continue doing the work that we're doing, this is something that can easily happen within the next, you know, 5 to 10 years. So that's what I see happening.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=875.0,905.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/45","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Got it. Got it. And is there anything that you want to share that I didn't ask about?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=905.0,913.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/46","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Aleeia Abraham: [unclear]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=913.0,920.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/47","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Say that again. You was breaking up. Hello. Can you hear me?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=920.0,929.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/48","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Aleeia Abraham: [unclear] Yes if any organization ever wants to partner with us, collaborate with us on any community initiatives, we are always here and willing to do anything that helps Queens as a whole. So just feel free to reach out to me info@blackresourcenetwork.com [correct email is info@blaqueny.com]. My name is Aleeia Abraham. I'm pretty easy to find and that's it. I'm happy to be able to talk to you today.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=929.0,958.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728/transcript/57966/annotation/49","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Syreeta Gates: Amazing. Okay. Let me, let me stop the recording real quick.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/943/collection_resources/107779/file/208728#t=958.0,959.1"}]}]}]}