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Oral histories are intimate conversations between and among people who have generously agreed to share these recordings with BHS’s archives and researchers. Please listen in the spirit with which these were shared. BHS abides by the General Principles & Best Practices for Oral History as agreed upon by the Oral History Association and expects that use of this material will be done with respect for these professional ethics.
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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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Londell Copeland
Oral history interview conducted by Alex Kelly
March 24, 2010
Call number: 2010.020.012
0:21 - Introduction, biographical details
1:22 - Street life, witnessing dead body as child
2:32 - "Wild" teenage years: Group homes, regrets
5:02 - GED, marriage, childhood experiences, talking to girls
7:04 - Prison, release, future wife as love interest, job training
9:40 - Memories: school, Michael Jackson, mother, group homes
19:42 - Advice to son, fatherhood, memories of special education
24:00 - Goals, thoughts on future, family pride
Interview Description
Oral History Interview with Londell Copeland
Londell Copeland was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1978. He grew up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn - the child of a single mother. With little parental guidance, he spent much of his childhood socializing in the environment of the streets, where an outlaw morality prevailed. Often a discipline problem at school, Copeland lived in several group homes. He eventually ran into trouble with the law, squandering several years in prison. Upon release, Copeland opted to turn his anguished life around; marrying a childhood sweetheart, returning to school and participating in job training programs. At the time of the interview in 2010, he was a proud father living in Starrett City - an apartment complex in eastern Brooklyn - with his wife and son.
Londell Copeland opens up about his childhood in a broken, neglectful home, juvenile delinquency and later troubles with the law. Happier subjects, such as his current family, are touched on along with expressions of hope for the future. He elaborates on what life is like for a convicted felon; including education and job training. A proud husband and father, Copeland explains how his son exemplifies some of his own better qualities, as well as how his wife and son help to fortify him with the courage to carry on. Interview conducted by Alex Kelly.
Listen to This: Crown Heights Oral History includes interview audio and summaries created and collected within the context of a community project undertaken by project director Alex Kelly and Paul J. Robeson High School interns Treverlyn Dehaarte, Ansie Montilus, Monica Parfait, Quanaisha Phillips and Floyya Richardson. These interviewers recorded conversations with forty-three narrators. In addition to the educational experience for the student interns, the oral histories were conducted as life history and community anthropology interviews. Topics of discussion include family and parenting, migration, cultural and racial relations, occupations and business, education and religion, housing and gentrification, civil unrest and reconciliation, and community activism.
Citation
Copeland, Londell, Oral history interview conducted by Alex Kelly, March 24, 2010, Listen to This: Crown Heights Oral History collection, 2010.020.012; Brooklyn Historical Society.People
- Copeland, Londell
- Starrett City (Housing complex)
Topics
- African American neighborhoods
- Crime
- Education
- Ex-convicts
- Family identity
- Juvenile delinquency
- Parents
Places
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Crown Heights (New York, N.Y.)
- New York (N.Y.)
Finding Aid
Listen to This: Crown Heights Oral History collection