Disciplines

African American Studies

Abstract

Abstract

Interviewer: Mark Naison, Stephanie Robinson-Ramirez, Shellae Versey

Interviewee: Sharon Kyle

Sharon Kyle’s philosophy for living is one foot in front of the other, one day at a time. This philosophy has made her a prominent figure in the critical news site LA Progressive, and guided her life journey from the Bronx to NASA and law school. Born in 1957, she grew up in the Edenwald projects, where she faced challenges like domestic violence and being surrounded by drug use. She was the sole advocate for her education, without any help or guidance from her parents regarding her intellectual path. However, her uncle, a makeup artist at the Metropolitan Opera, influenced her love for the arts. This exposure to different class structures and the respect she saw that her uncle garnered prompted her perseverance and also impacted the decisions she made. It allowed her to see that she would be able to transcend the boundaries placed by the race and class structure of the United States. Sharon shares this profound influence that her uncle, Leopold Allen had, who was a makeup artist and lived openly as a gay man during the AIDS epidemic.

Despite her parents' lack of support for her education, she excelled academically and eventually worked at NASA. Even though she was forced to move to California, leaving her scholarship at NYU behind, she diligently tried to make something of herself to fuel her educational journey and a life of meaning and achievements. Kyle emphasizes the importance of resilience, self-sufficiency, and community in overcoming adversity, and highlights the critical role of the press in democracy. With this, she emphasizes the importance of the press in a functional democracy and the role of LA Progressive in providing critical news coverage and the truth. Her activism and desire to see social justice reflects the adversity she consistently overcomes, but also a message of hope and determination, emphasizing the importance of perseverance and community support. Furthermore, Kyle describes the challenges of redlining and white flight in Queens, leading to a predominantly black neighborhood. Having experienced this firsthand, her viewpoint and resilience to overcome these obstacles is prevalent in her advocacy for social justice. Sharon shares her involvement with critical race theory before the term was even created and her collaboration with Kimberly Crenshaw in bringing these topics into fruition that affect the country we live in today. As she entered the field of law, Kyle reveals how deeply race is embedded in our social justice system.

Sharon Kyle’s life story is a model for others, particularly young people. She allows us to see how we are able to overcome constraints placed upon us by race and class structures through hard work, determination, and one foot in front of the other. With her experience in the field of science, activism, and social justice, Kyle’s versatility reveals her resilience. Kyle’s work continues to build community and fight for change within our society and community.

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