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.
Carolina Velazquez
Oral history interview conducted by Mayda Cortiella
August 06, 1974
Call number: 1976.001.065
504
The page request was canceled because it took too long to complete
What can I do?
Site visitors: There was an issue serving your request, please try again in a few minutes.
Site Owners: There was a gateway timeout. You should visit your error log for more information.
Interview Description
Oral History Interview with Carolina Velázquez
Carolina Velázquez was born in Arroyo, Puerto Rico and moved to New York in 1930 after a week-long journey aboard the Ponce ship. Velázquez moved to Brooklyn with her sister, leaving her three siblings in Puerto Rico. She worked as a house cleaner and lampshade factory worker in Brooklyn. Velázquez married and had two children. During this time, she babysat children in her home and returned to work after her children were old enough. She became a widow when her children were still young. She was the recipient of several public assistance programs such as Welfare, Social Security, and Medicare.
In this interview, Carolina Velázquez narrates her life in Arroyo, Puerto Rico, her reasons for migrating to New York, her voyage to New York, and her first years in Brooklyn. Velázquez reflects on discrimination faced by Puerto Ricans and other Latinos and shares her opinion on bilingual education. She compares the Puerto Rican community in the 1930s and 1940s to the Puerto Rican community in the 1970s and lists some of the social issues present at the time of the 1974 interview. Velázquez also opines on the independence movement in Puerto Rico and talks about voter registration processes in the 1930s. Interview in English and Spanish conducted by Mayda Cortiella.
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
Velazquez, Carolina, Oral history interview conducted by Mayda Cortiella, August 06, 1974, Puerto Rican Oral History Project records, 1976.001.065; Brooklyn Historical Society.People
- New York (N.Y.). Department of Public Welfare
- Velazquez, Carolina
Topics
- Cultural assimilation
- Depressions
- Emigration and immigration
- Employment
- Housing
- Language
- Puerto Rican women
- Puerto Ricans
- Race discrimination
- Race relations
- Voter registration
Places
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
- Puerto Rico
Transcript
Download PDFFinding Aid
Puerto Rican Oral History Project records