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.

Agree to terms of use

Gumercindo Martinez

Oral history interview conducted by Jaime Barreto

October 15, 1974

Call number: 1976.001.039

Search This Index
Search Clear

0:59 - Migración a EE.UU., condiciones de vida y discriminación en Brooklyn en los 50 - Migration to U.S., living conditions and discrimination in 1950s Brooklyn

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

5:49 - Organizaciones y líderes comunitarios puertorriqueños en N.Y. - Puerto Rican organizations and community leaders in N.Y.

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

8:27 - Actividades de organizaciones puertorriqueñas, falta de unidad entre puertorriqueños en Brooklyn - Activities of Puerto Rican organizations, division among Puerto Ricans in Brooklyn

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

11:55 - Carrera política - Political career

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

13:23 - Campaña para registro al voto, prueba para derecho a votar, puertorriqueños en la junta de elecciones - Voting registration campaign, exam to register to vote, Puerto Ricans in the Board of Elections

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

18:04 - Representación de puertorriqueños en medios de comunicación, opiniones acerca del movimiento Nacionalista en Puerto Rico - Portrayal of Puerto Ricans in the media, opinions on the Nationalist movement

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

22:00 - Progreso de la comunidad puertorriqueña en la política - Progress of the Puerto Rican community in politics

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

24:48 - Los Pioneros - Los Pioneros organization

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

30:49 - Carrera política de su esposa Teodora Martínez - Political career of his wife, Teodora Martínez

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

35:32 - Ciudades Modelo del Bronx - Bronx Model Cities program

Play segment

Partial Transcript:

Segment Synopsis:

Keywords:

Subjects:

Interview Description

Oral History Interview with Gumercindo Martínez

Gumercindo Martínez was born in 1935 in Salinas, Puerto Rico. At the age of eighteen, he joined the United States Army and moved to Brooklyn, New York. He came from a modest upbringing, had six siblings, and his father was a sugar chemist at the Aguirre sugar mill in Salinas, Puerto Rico. Martínez was an active community member and politician. He studied at a commercial high school and became an office clerk before starting a career in politics. He occupied the positions of Assistant Administrator of the Board of Elections and Commissioner of the Board of Elections in Brooklyn. At the time of the interview, Martínez was director of the Bronx Model Cities program. He was married to Teodora Martínez, who was also active in political and civic activities.

In this interview, Gumercindo Martínez briefly narrates his first experiences in Brooklyn, New York, living conditions in 1950s Brooklyn, and his family's economic conditions. He discusses his political career and goes into detail on his accomplishments as part of the Board of Elections and as director of Bronx Model Cities. He focuses his narrative on voter registration campaigns, discrimination in the polls, and the need for Puerto Ricans to be more invested in United States politics while living in the U.S. Martínez also talks about the history of Los Pioneros and their first march to commemorate Antonia Denis. He mentions many Puerto Rican organizations such as the Puerto Rican Democratic Club, the Betances Democratic Club, La Casa Borinquen, El Bello Ideal Puertorriqueño and La Federación de Sociedades Hispanas; although he does not go into detail on any of these. The narrator also talks about his wife, Teodora Martínez, and lists several of her positions and accomplishments in politics. 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

Martinez, Gumercindo, Oral history interview conducted by Jaime Barreto, October 15, 1974, Puerto Rican Oral History Project records, 1976.001.039; Brooklyn Historical Society.

People

  • Denis, Antonia
  • Martinez, Gumercindo
  • Martinez, Theodora
  • New York (N.Y.). Board of Elections.
  • United States. Model Cities Administration

Topics

  • Demonstration Cities Program (New York, N.Y.)
  • Employment
  • Parades
  • Political clubs
  • Puerto Rican women
  • Puerto Ricans
  • Race discrimination

Places

  • Bronx (New York, N.Y.)
  • Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
  • Puerto Rico

Finding Aid

Puerto Rican Oral History Project records