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Interviewee: Theresa Land Latta

Interviewer: Steven Payne

Summary by Serena Velasquez

June 8, 2022

Disciplines

African American Studies | Public History

Abstract

Born and raised in the Williamsbridge section of the Bronx, Theresa felt a sense of community as a child and vividly remembers feeling the security of her block. Her southern household, family right across the street, and West Indian neighbors prompted a cultural exchange that encapsulated her youth through socialization, food, relationships, music, and expression. Attending a majority white elementary school, PS 76 was a time where she cherished her teachers, while starting to understand the discrimination and racial circumstances of our country. Olinville Junior High School was a time in which her character of excelling in school was tested when she asked one of her math teachers for help. He insisted that due to her race, it was “impossible” for her to be educated, diminishing her capabilities. It was a lesson through which she learned to advocate for herself. Though in fifth grade, her first interaction with an African American female teacher, Diana Canales–who is one of the charter members of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority–prompted her future, pledging Delta in 2010. Now, Latta is the sixth president of The Bronx Chapter of this organization, maintaining its reputation as the family chapter.

Theresa Land Latta has been surrounded by activism her whole life. Her brother was a part of the Black Panther Party, with the FBI even coming to her house to question him about his involvement due to his young age. Both of Theresa’s parents participated in the March on Washington and were in the The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), prompting the decisions she made as a young adult. She started her college career at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, making lifelong friends and meeting her husband, and finished at Lehman College. Post-college, she got married to her college best friend and had her daughter, which changed her life and has led her to her modern-day advocacy work. Due to wanting her daughter to form connections with people of the same background and balance her social life from the ostracization of majority white schools, she did extensive research and found Jack and Jill, a safe haven for children to socialize and understand their identity. Theresa is now heavily involved with this non-profit organization in the Bronx Chapter, helping it achieve five-star status today. As president of the Bronx Chapter, it is her goal to make Jack and Jill more visible in the Bronx, incorporating a Black History Month Celebration and team conference, of which her daughter is currently Vice President. Theresa is truly an emblematic figure of the Bronx enclave, especially in regards to her advocacy, activism, and community.

Link to Video Recording: https://cdm17265.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/baahp/id/67/rec/27

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