Terms of Use
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.
Every oral history relies on the memories, views, and opinions of the narrator. Because of the personal nature of oral history, listeners may find some viewpoints or language of the recorded participants to be objectionable. In keeping with its mission of preservation and unfettered access whenever possible, BHS presents these views as recorded.
The audio recording should be considered the primary source for each interview. Where provided, transcripts created prior to 2008 or commissioned by a third party other than BHS, serve as a guide to the interview and are not considered verbatim. More recent transcripts commissioned by BHS are nearly verbatim copies of the recorded interview, and as such may contain the natural false starts, verbal stumbles, misspeaks, and repetitions that are common in conversation. The decision for their inclusion was made because BHS gives primacy to the audible voice and also because some researchers do find useful information in these verbal patterns. Unless these verbal patterns are germane to your scholarly work, when quoting from this material researchers are encouraged to correct the grammar and make other modifications maintaining the flavor of the narrator’s speech while editing the material for the standards of print.
All citations must be attributed to Brooklyn Historical Society:
[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.
These interviews are made available for research purposes only. For more information about other kinds of usage and permissions, see BHS’s rights and reproductions policy.
Pam Harris
Oral history interview conducted by Manissa McCleave Maharawal
October 18, 2013
Call number: 2008.031.4.001
0:01 - Introductions, biographical details, and memory of youth on Coney Island
2:52 - Diversity of neighborhood before and after Super Storm Sandy
5:11 - Her life in retirement and running media arts program for youth
10:31 - Neighborhood advocacy during Super Storm Sandy and experiencing Sandy with neighbors
20:56 - Sharing her home in the first night of Sandy and receding floodwaters at dawn
26:04 - Aftermath: checking on people & cars and communicating; Days after: loss, salvage, supplies, breakfast prep
31:49 - A year in retrospect: home restoration, finances, caring for kids in her program, family
34:08 - Coping and hope: scale of personal loss to natural disaster losses
37:16 - Coney Island repair needs: infrastructure, greenery, health center, sand removal
41:04 - Program for youth restored and feelings on storm anniversary
Interview Description
Oral History Interview with Pam Harris
Pam Harris has lived in the Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn all her life. She attended John Jay College of Criminal Justice, St. Joseph's College, and Capella University, where she received a master's degree in Human Development and Family Studies. A retired corrections officer in 2013, she devoted her time to local community efforts including the founding of the non-profit organization for youth; Coney Island Generation Gap. An advocate for restoring services following Superstorm Sandy, Harris was elected to the New York State Assembly in 2015.
In this interview, Pam Harris reflects on growing up in the Coney Island neighborhood of Brooklyn and identifies the diversity there. She speaks about retiring, but never ceasing to work on community-focused projects, and starting up a youth program that enables young people (her "kids") to create video productions in their free time. Harris recounts, in nearly hour-by-hour detail, when Superstorm Sandy made landfall and the immediate effects it had on her family and her neighbors. She recalls her efforts at outreach; checking on neighbors, gathering supplies, and preparing meals in the early days, then repairing her home, making a new effort at her youth organization and advocating for funds and repairs for Coney Island at large. Interview conducted by Manissa McCleave Maharawal.
The Voices of Brooklyn oral histories: Community activists series features a dynamic range of narrators. Some are prominent public figures and others are well-known in their communities. This ongoing series focuses on Brooklyn history and the experiences of these narrators who have a history of or were presently supporting an underrepresented segment of society, or forming a social movement, which thereby effected broad change to a neighborhood, much of Brooklyn, or the country. The content relates directly to organized support of those harmed in natural disasters, creating cooperative business models, forming architectural preservation groups, and documenting civil rights and social justice movements. The oldest narrator in this collection was born in 1917.
Citation
Harris, Pam, Oral history interview conducted by Manissa McCleave Maharawal, October 18, 2013, Voices of Brooklyn oral histories: Community activists, 2008.031.4.001; Brooklyn Historical Society.People
- Harris, Pamela
Topics
- Community activists
- Community beautification
- Hurricane damage
- Hurricane Sandy, 2012
- Mental health
- Neighbors
- Nonprofit organizations
- Teenagers
Places
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Coney Island (New York, N.Y.)
Finding Aid
Voices of Brooklyn oral histories: Community activists