Oral history interview video with Evelyn Abdalah Menconi, Jeannette Hajjar, and Laurie Malooly. March 6, 1995

Abdalah Menconi, Evelyn, 1919-2003 (Interviewee)

Hajjar, Jeannette, 1928-2004 (Interviewee)
Malooly, Laurie (Interviewee)
Rivera, Guadulesa (Interviewer)
United South End Settlements (Boston, Mass.) (Associated name)

March 06, 1995

Moving image

Interviews

Video

reformatted digital

An interview with Evelyn Abdalah Menconi (1919-2003), Jeannette Hajjar (1928-2004), and Laurie Malooly, who are all of Lebanese descent, discuss growing up as Arab Americans in Boston, in particular in the 1930s and 1940s: Hajjar and Malooly from the South End, and Abdalah Menconi from West Roxbury, but with roots in the South End. They recount the experiences of Lebanese and Syrian immigrants coming to Boston, the struggles that they faced, and the importance of Denison House, a local settlement house, to them. The interviewees talk about keeping their own Lebanese traditions alive, and the impact of their culture, especially through music, literature, and religion.

Collection finding aid: http://hdl.handle.net/2047/D20297022

This oral history was collected and recorded as part of the South End Honor Roll Project-an effort led in 1995 by the United South End Settlements (USES) and funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council-to collect stories about the South End neighborhood of Boston from individuals with diverse backgrounds. Oral histories include interviewees who identify as Black, Puerto Rican, Dominican-, Irish-, Lebanese-, and Ukrainian-American. Memories and personal anecdotes mostly date from the Great Depression to World War II to post-war times. Largely, topics concern community organization, cultural traditions, social experiences, and changes in the urban fabric of the neighborhood over time. These group interviews were conducted in-person at the homes of some of the interviewees in 1995, and were led by Guadulesa Rivera, then Cultural Coordinator at USES.

United South End Settlements records (M126)
Boston Research Center. Harriet Tubman House Memory Project

South End (Boston, Mass.)
United South End Settlements (Boston, Mass.)
Abdalah Menconi, Evelyn, 1919-2003
Hajjar, Jeannette, 1928-2004

M126_B079_VHS001

Northeastern University Library
Archives and Special Collections (M126)

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