Carlos Bristol

Interview Description

Oral History Interview with Carlos Bristol
Carlos Bristol was born in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, in 1940. His father was born in Brooklyn and was of mixed ancestry (African American and Dutch), and his mother was born in Brooklyn to Barbadian immigrants. As of 2015, he continues to live in East New York in the home his parents purchased in the 1960s. Bristol attended East New York Vocational High School (now Transit Tech Career and Technical Education High School), and then was incarcerated from 1958 to 1971. After his release he returned to East New York, and later earned a bachelor's degree from College of New Rochelle and a master's degree from Hunter College School of Social Work. Bristol has worked in various social service and community development agencies (such as the Fortune Society and Services for the Underserved), is active in community organizations (including the East New York Homeowners Association), and has run for City Council.

In the interview, Carlos Bristol speaks about the African American enclave he lived in on Cleveland Street in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn, his experience in school and involvement with low-level youth gangs, his imprisonment, and his return to East New York in 1971, after which he became heavily involved in community organizing, youth development and mentorship, social services work, and the rebuilding of the neighborhood through the Nehemiah housing program. He recalls many ways that he saw racism affect the community and the development of the young people he grew up with, and about the decline in services that followed the decline in White population. He also talks about his belief that there are plans in place that are likely to bring significant changes to the neighborhood in the future. The interview was conducted by Sarita Daftary-Steel at Bristol's home in East New York.

The collection consists of twenty oral history interviews (with nineteen narrators) conducted by Sarita Daftary-Steel with residents (past and present) of the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn. The interviews were conducted between January 2014 and February 2015. The project was designed to capture the experiences of East New York residents who lived in the neighborhood during the period when families of color (African American, West Indian, and Puerto Rican) moved in and White families moved out, and the resulting decline of services and quality of life that followed. This process began as early as the 1950s and continued through the rest of the twentieth century. Sarita Daftary-Steel is a community organizer who worked for United Community Centers from 2003 to 2013, most of those years as the East New York Farms! Project Director.

Citation

Bristol, Carlos, Oral history interview conducted by Sarita Daftary-Steel, July 29, 2014, Sarita Daftary-Steel collection of East New York oral histories, 2015.011.02; Brooklyn Historical Society.