Transcribed below is the interview that I conducted with my mother who was born in 1965 Brooklyn, NY. She lived with her mother and three older sisters in a private home supported solely by her mother who worked two jobs at the time to support herself and her daughters. Her youth was very carefree and separate from the wave of activism that was crashing through during this era.

Self: What was it like growing up as an African American girl/teen in Brooklyn, NY circa the 1970s? 

Mom: My childhood was very fun. I enjoyed school and hanging out with my small group of friends. We lived right on Nostrand avenue in a very cultured neighborhood. My friend group consisted of 4 girls. One of my friends was named Evelyn. She was a Puerto Rican girl whose family owned a nearby bodega. That was one of our main hang out spots ; the corner store. We used to throw fish from the fish market at the buses as they passed the store ; we were bad (laughs). I also had three other friends named Rhonda, Mildred, and Darthia who happened to be sisters. They lived around the corner from me. We had a “clubhouse” across the street from their house that we all hung out in. it was actually just an abandoned house (laughs).

Self: What kind of clothes were girls your age wearing?

Mom: I would see a lot of girls in leather miniskirts and vest combos, eskimo coats, sneaker streakers, pro-keds, and my favorites, earth shoes. Easter was when you’d see people put on their best outfits; it was the time to show off! My mother dressed me very formally. While I’d see other kids casually dressed I’d always have on a dress or skirt with stockings. The clothes were great quality but, they weren’t “cool”. She’d put me in such frilly girly outfits for special occasions which was not me at all. The worst part were the stiff patent leather shoes she’d make me wear with the huge buckle. I begged my mom and sisters for a pair of earth shoes (sneakers) and when I finally got a pair one day I couldn’t wait to try them out. I used to run up and down the block full speed in my sneakers ; I always thought that if you were wearing sneakers you HAD TO run so, I made sure to test them out. They were so comfortable.

Self: What about boys?

Mom: Denim, corduroys, bomber jackets, sneakers, stuff like that. Very casual.
Self: How does that differ from the stylistic choices of kids/teens you see in present day?
Mom: I see too many holes in their clothes nowadays. The 70s were all about glam, more flashy, more funky.

Self: What kind of work did your mom do as you were growing up?

Mom: My mother was a teacher during the daytime and worked as a postal clerk in the evenings. 

Self: What was it like growing up in your household specifically? Did any of your siblings or your mother participate in movements that advocated for women’s rights?

Mom: The house was spacious and beautiful. Everyone had their own quarters. There wasn’t much conversation around activism in our house. It was more of a fun and creative environment ; very light. My sisters made clothes, had lots of friends, and threw LOTS of parties when my mother was not home.

Self: As an adolescent growing up in this era of activism did you feel that it impacted the way in which you grew up? Why or why not? 

Mom: No, activism wasn’t a huge part of my life. I was very young and just growing up day by day, year by year. A lot of those years were spent learning how to take care of myself.

I interviewed my family about the women’s liberation movement, but as they grew up in the Dominican Republic during the 60s and 70s they didn’t know much about it. They do remember hearing about “Las Hermanas Mirabal” which was a group of sisters that helped free the country from the rule of the dictator Trujillo. With their actions they advanced a revolution that ended the dictatorship. Their actions set up to free a country that eventually trickled down to my family where they saw how strong women can be. As my grandfather died at a young age, my grandmother now had to take care of her 4 children. Although Dominican culture is still behind in terms of progressive views, women like las hermanas mirabal helped change the perspective of women being weak, and showed that they can be history altering figures.

I was able to interview my grandmother for this assignment. My grandma moved to the Bronx from Puerto Rico when she was 17 and raised 3 daughters all on her own. When I think of women liberation, I think of her and her strength and independence of doing that. Although many women raise children on their own, it was not as common back in the day and there was not as much support as there is now. My grandmother said the women’s liberation movement influenced her to raise her daughters to have goals for themselves beyond becoming a mother. She wanted all of them to attend university and all of them to obtain careers and establish themselves. My grandmother always said she was for feminism and that there was no better time to raise her kids when all this reform was happening.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1D0ORJogxH9aFC6MApn3b1YVoswTQP1YXwb4g6uO_xrU/edit