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Interviewee: Frederick Collins

Interviewers: Dr. Mark Naison, Director of The Bronx African American History Project (Fordham University) and Dr. Steven Payne, Research Librarian and Archivist for The Bronx County Historical Society (Now Director of The BCHS).

Summary by Emma Garr

March 9, 2021

This second of a two-part series of interviews with Dr. Fred Collins provides both a background of his growing up in the Bronx and experiences with the neighborhood as well as his residence at 1520 Sedgwick Ave during the beginnings of hip hop. The second portion above includes his in-depth reminiscence of his West Bronx neighborhood. Collins, who was born in the Bronx, moved to California with his mom and brother as a child, only to return to New York to take care of his grandmother with the family. Upon returning in his childhood, the family lived in the Olinville neighborhood in the East Bronx before moving to 1520 Sedgwick Ave, a brand-new building at the time of moving, in the early 1970’s. The apartment, which had beautiful views surrounded by a desolate landscape, was an exciting place to live for Collins and the rest of the residents. Mostly comprised of minority professionals, Collins tells stories of the teachers, engineers, bus drivers, and others that created the environment in the building. Collins remembers the Bronx as a nice place to live, despite gangs and rampant fires (which would cause many to move into the building in the coming years).

The diversity of the Bronx was so accepted that, during his childhood, it wasn’t something people, including Collins, thought about. He recounts that the area was diverse and welcoming but also tells of how the “white families”, specifically the two in his building, left in the beginnings of the building without warning, or explanation. As his childhood progressed, he talks about being held accountable by other community members, and how the community at large and developing hip hop culture, was caring and nurturing. The everyday residential experiences, that shape the lives of Bronx residents, are often looked over when history is told. In this interview, Collin’s brings us back to this history, the narratives and anecdotes that made the apartment at 1520 Sedgwick Ave a nurturing home for Collins and many others.

LINK TO VIDEO INTERVIEW: http://cdm17265.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/baahp/id/84

Disciplines

African American Studies | Public History

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