Ruth Hunt

Description

Ruth Hunt was born in the 1950s in Brooklyn. Her parents were from Virginia and first settled in Clinton Hill at a home owned by a woman from Virginia, before moving into the Albany Houses. Ruth’s father was a veteran and veterans were the first to move into Albany Houses, Albany Houses was integrated when she was growing up, she remembers Jewish and Italian families as neighbors. She grew up in a household of 8 children, her father working as a commercial artist and her mother as a home maker. She described being raised as a Southerner in Brooklyn, and that Albany Projects was full of Black people with roots in a variety of Southern states. The different southern cultures produced different southern foods and she remembers families sharing their region specific dishes. She recalls growing up feeling a strong sense of community. Her uncles, aunts and godparents visited frequently. And there were a lot of activities and community institutions established to support young people. The St. John’s Recreation center hosted many activities and sports teams. They had an Olympic sized pool and The Finman, a Black competitive swim team. The Albany Houses also had a community center which hosted plays at Christmas time as well as other activities. Ruth’s father made costumes for the children. Her father also served as a life guard, swim team coach, and boy scout troop leader. The Stuyvesant Community Center also hosted activities for older kids. They sponsored various clubs and facilitated space for...

From Collection

2016 Weeksville Heritage Center Oral History Series