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[Last name, First name], Oral history interview conducted by [Interviewer’s First name Last name], [Month DD, YYYY], [Title of Collection], [Call #]; Brooklyn Historical Society.
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Jean Carrero
Oral history interview conducted by Jaime Barreto
November 02, 1974
Call number: 1976.001.010
0:47 - La vida en P.R., condiciones económicas de la familia, migrar a N.Y., problemas con el inglés - Life in P.R., family’s economic conditions, migrating to N.Y., struggles with English
7:27 - Primera impresión de N.Y., condiciones de la vivienda, composición étnica de Williamsburg - First impressions of N.Y., housing conditions, ethnic composition of Williamsburg.
12:42 - Mudanza a Burough Hall, tensiones entre puertorriqueños y sirios - Relocating to Borough Hall, tensions between Puerto Ricans and Syrians
18:46 - Trabajo en fábrica, mudanza a Manhattan, abandonar la escuela - Working at a radio factory at 16 years old, relocating to Manhattan, dropping out of school
23:14 - Trato de los patrones hacia los latinos, tensiones entre trabajadores italianos y puertorriqueños - Bosses’ treatment of Latinos; tensions between Italian and Puerto Rican workers"
26:44 - Carlos Tapia, tensiones territoriales entre italianos y puertorriqueños en Harlem - Carlos Tapia, territorial tensions between Italians and Puerto Ricans in Harlem
30:20 - Casino puertorriqueño, representación en la prensa, comentarios de alcalde O'Dwyer acerca de los puertorriqueños - Casino Puerto Rico, portrayal in the press, Mayor O’Dwyer’s remarks about Puerto Ricans
38:26 - Vida matrimonial, rol tradicional de la mujer en la casa, condiciones de vida antes y después de la Gran Depresión - Marriage, women’s traditional role as housewife, conditions before and after the Depression
50:29 - Inscribirse para votar, falta de orgullo por la identidad y herencia puertorriqueña - Registering to vote, lack of pride in Puerto Rican identity and heritage
Interview Description
Oral History Interview with Jean Carrero
Jean Carrero was born in Las Marías, Puerto Rico in 1914 and migrated to Brooklyn, New York in 1926 with her parents. She studied bookkeeping at The Girl's Commercial High in the Prospect Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn but decided to abandon her studies as professional work was difficult to come by during the Great Depression. Carrero was married to Cecilio Rivera and was a homemaker during most of her life before working in New York City's Mental Health Department. Carrero was a member of the civic group Las Hijas de María.
In the interview, Jean Carrero speaks about her first impressions of Brooklyn, New York and the challenges she faced when migrating from Puerto Rico, especially those relating to getting an education in English. She narrates several incidents regarding racial tensions between Italians and Puerto Ricans in the workplace and in Spanish Harlem. She also describes working conditions during the Great Depression and discrimination towards Puerto Ricans in the workplace. She talks about several Puerto Rican clubs such as the Casino Puertorriqueño and Las Hijas de María. She goes into detail about the role of the woman in a marriage and discusses the disparities between being a married woman and being a married man. She concludes the interview by speaking about the challenges that newer generations of Puerto Ricans face in the 1970s and her hopes for the future of the Puerto Rican community. Carrero's husband is in the background being interviewed as well. Interview in Spanish conducted by Jaime Barreto.
This collection includes recordings and transcripts of oral histories narrated by those in the Puerto Rican community of Brooklyn who arrived between 1917 and 1940. The Long Island Historical Society initiated the Puerto Rican Oral History Project in 1973, conducting over eighty interviews between 1973 and 1975. The oral histories often contain descriptions of immigration, living arrangements, neighborhood ethnicities, discrimination, employment, community development and political leadership. Also included are newspaper clippings, brochures, booklets about Brooklyn's Puerto Rican community, and administrative information on how the project was developed, carried out, and evaluated.
Citation
Carrero, Jean, Oral history interview conducted by Jaime Barreto, November 02, 1974, Puerto Rican Oral History Project records, 1976.001.010; Brooklyn Historical Society.People
- Carrero, Jean
- New York (N.Y.). Department of Public Welfare
Topics
- Discrimination
- Great Depression
- Italian Americans
- Puerto Rican families
- Puerto Rican women
- Puerto Ricans
- Race relations
- Work environment
Places
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- East Harlem (New York, N.Y.)
- Las Marias (P.R.)
- Puerto Rico
Finding Aid
Puerto Rican Oral History Project records