Associated Files
Title
Oral history interview transcript with Mel King, Jovita Fontanez, Carmen Torres, and an unidentified interviewee
Creator
King, Mel
Fontanez, Jovita
Torres, Carmen
Rivera, Guadulesa
United South End Settlements (Boston, Mass.)
Fontanez, Jovita
Torres, Carmen
Rivera, Guadulesa
United South End Settlements (Boston, Mass.)
Abstract
An interview with Mel King (1928-), Jovita Fontanez (1942-), Carmen Torres, and an unidentified interviewee. King-a lifelong resident of the South End-was a writer, community organizer, and political activist in the neighborhood, beginning in the 1950s. Fontanez, who is of Puerto Rican descent, also had a long career in the South End as a community organizer and neighborhood activist, working particularly in support of the Latino community, beginning in the 1980s. Together, Fontanez and Torres served on the Board of the Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción (IBA) in Boston in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In this roundtable discussion, the interviewees all discuss the positive impact of community organization and the struggle of continuing to live in a gentrified South End. They also speak about the diverse populations that have been present in the South End, with particular focus on the Latino community.
Title
Oral history interview video with Mel King, Jovita Fontanez, Carmen Torres, and an unidentified interviewee. 1995
Creator
King, Mel, 1928- (Interviewee)
Contributor
Fontanez, Jovita, 1942- (Interviewee)
Torres, Carmen (Interviewee)
Rivera, Guadulesa (Interviewer)
United South End Settlements (Boston, Mass.) (Associated name)
Torres, Carmen (Interviewee)
Rivera, Guadulesa (Interviewer)
United South End Settlements (Boston, Mass.) (Associated name)
Date created
1995
Type of resource
Moving image
Genre
Interviews
Format
Video
Digital origin
reformatted digital
Abstract/Description
An interview with Mel King (1928-), Jovita Fontanez (1942-), Carmen Torres, and an unidentified interviewee. King-a lifelong resident of the South End-was a writer, community organizer, and political activist in the neighborhood, beginning in the 1950s. Fontanez, who is of Puerto Rican descent, also had a long career in the South End as a community organizer and neighborhood activist, working particularly in support of the Latino community, beginning in the 1980s. Together, Fontanez and Torres served on the Board of the Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción (IBA) in Boston in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In this roundtable discussion, the interviewees all discuss the positive impact of community organization and the struggle of continuing to live in a gentrified South End. They also speak about the diverse populations that have been present in the South End, with particular focus on the Latino community.
Notes
Collection finding aid: http://hdl.handle.net/2047/D20297022
Project description
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.
Related item
United South End Settlements records (M126)
Boston Research Center. Harriet Tubman House Memory Project
Boston Research Center. Harriet Tubman House Memory Project
Subjects and keywords
South End (Boston, Mass.)
United South End Settlements (Boston, Mass.)
King, Mel, 1928-
Fontanez, Jovita, 1942-
United South End Settlements (Boston, Mass.)
King, Mel, 1928-
Fontanez, Jovita, 1942-
UASC identifier
M126_B079_VHS005
Permanent URL
Location
Northeastern University Library
Archives and Special Collections (M126)
Archives and Special Collections (M126)
Use and reproduction
Copyright Northeastern University. This Item is
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Requests for permission to publish material should be discussed with the Northeastern University Library's Archives and Special Collections.
Requests for permission to publish material should be discussed with the Northeastern University Library's Archives and Special Collections.