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Tracy Archibald & Christopher Battist

Tracy Archibald Christopher Battist

Description

Tracy begins by discussing her background-she was born in 1975, originally lived in Starrett City and then her family moved to Crown Heights when she was 10. She talks about her family and how her father, who had been an English teacher in Barbados, was very strict and emphasized education. Tracy describes her first school, P.S. 346 in Starrett City as very multi-cultural and she didn't realize that wasn't the norm until she moved to Crown Heights and began school there. She says that her school in Crown Heights was all Black and mostly West Indian and that she got teased and called "white girl." Christopher, Tracy's son, talks about going to middle school in the Bronx at M.S. 180, where he had one white friend and another Puerto Rican friend. Chris started elementary school in Brooklyn, then they moved to the Bronx for 6-7 years and then back to Brooklyn, where he attends high school. Chris talks about how his school in the Bronx was more integrated than his school in Crown Heights. He also has been made fun of for acting white and talks about how that makes him feel and how this term reinforces stereotypes. Tracy talks about how she has chosen schools for her children. When they moved back to Crown Heights, her younger children were zoned for a school that she knew was really bad and she says she refused to send her kids there. She talks about the effort she went to in order...
Type:
Oral History
Contributors:
Obden MondesirWeeksville Heritage CenterIntegrateNYC4Me
Created Date:
May 10, 2017
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