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Interviewee: Joseph Cordero

Interviewer: Steven Payne

Summary by Olatoni Akinbamowo

September 1, 2022

Joseph Cordero had a tumultuous childhood that he used as fodder to excel academically. Growing up between 179th Street and 183rd Street on the Grand Concourse, and with a short stint in Miami, Florida, he experienced complex family dynamics and strain with his biological mother. He eventually moved in with his aunt, who became his legal guardian. As a result, he continued to visit his grandparents and other family members on 178th Street in the Bronx. As a young Puerto Rican man, he grew up steeped in the traditions of hip-hop and formed a deep love for music. 

Cordero was born in Brooklyn but has always called the Bronx home. Today, he is the principal of the Harlem Children’s Zone Promise Academy I elementary school. Cordero holds a bachelor’s in sociology and a master’s degree in social science from Binghamton University, an additional master’s degree in educational administration from the University of Albany, and a doctorate in educational leadership from St. John Fisher University. His time at Binghamton was marked by unexpected camaraderie with his three roommates, all from Queens, and by his involvement in a fraternity and in the dance forms stepping and caning. Cordero became well known for his work with the fraternity, including extensive community outreach and on-campus initiatives to improve the lives of the few minoritized students at Binghamton.

Cordero worked briefly in the music industry, has taught at various times, and has also worked numerous corporate jobs. Through all of these experiences, he sought jobs that brought him joy and allowed him to give back to New York City. He focused on this especially after he married his wife and started a family. Cordero is unapologetically proud to be from the Bronx and represents what it means to be a true driver for change in one’s community.

Disciplines

African American Studies | Public History

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