{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/3/context.json","id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/iiif/6t0gt5h396/manifest","type":"Manifest","label":{"en":["Carew, Jillian"]},"logo":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/548/original/OHA_Mark_2.0_Transp._copy.png?1752767076","metadata":[{"label":{"en":["Narrator(s)"]},"value":{"en":["Jillian Lenae Carew (Full Name)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Refer to as"]},"value":{"en":["Jillian"]}},{"label":{"en":["Narrator Pronouns"]},"value":{"en":["she/her"]}},{"label":{"en":["Interview Summary"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eIn this Oral history Jillian Carew discusses being a resident of Altgeld Gardens public housing, growing up as a child with her grandmother. She talks about losing her brother, mother, and multiple friends to violence and environmental racism, finding her way to footwork, surviving with the help of her community and how it all led her to grow into a lover of community and a beloved educator. \u003c/p\u003e (summary)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Public Housing Affiliation"]},"value":{"en":["Resident (unsure timing)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Public Housing Locations"]},"value":{"en":["Altgeld Gardens"]}},{"label":{"en":["Content Warnings"]},"value":{"en":["Death","Eviction","Gangs","Houselessness","Overt Racism","Environmental Racism"]}},{"label":{"en":["Themes/Topics"]},"value":{"en":["Personal Responsibility","Mentorship and/or Role Models","Creative Practices/Outlets","Personal Growth","Intergenerational Relationships","Loss and/or Grief","Poverty","Education","Health and/or Illness and/or Disability","Community (Overarching)","Identity"]}},{"label":{"en":["Keywords"]},"value":{"en":["race","resilience","emphysema","COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)","Bud Biliken Parade","Chicago’s inequities","loss of innocence and community","cultural relevance"]}},{"label":{"en":["Decades Covered"]},"value":{"en":["1960s","1990s","2000s"]}},{"label":{"en":["Life Dates"]},"value":{"en":["1985-05-08 (Birth)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Race/Ethnicity"]},"value":{"en":["Black, African American, and/or African Diasporic"]}},{"label":{"en":["Interview materials available"]},"value":{"en":["Audio—.wav","Audio—other","Transcript—polished PDF","Transcript—in Aviary time-sync","Finding aid—rough PDF","Index (in Aviary time-sync)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Oral Historians"]},"value":{"en":["jellystone robinson (Interviewer)","jellystone robinson (Post-Production by)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Interview Date"]},"value":{"en":["2023-12-13 (Recorded)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Method of Interview"]},"value":{"en":["in-person"]}},{"label":{"en":["Recording Location(s)"]},"value":{"en":["Chicago, IL (Both)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Audio Quality Notes"]},"value":{"en":["Audio is on the low side.  You can hear the air in the background.  Interviewer audio lower than narrator.  Around 53 minutes, someone in the office starts a blender"]}},{"label":{"en":["Rights Statement"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eEach oral history interview is considered to be co-created, ‘joint work’ among the oral historian, narrator, and, in this case, the National Public Housing Museum.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eNPHM manages the components of copyright (reproduction, distribution, adaption, performance, and display) using Creative Commons Licenses. Most interviews are shared with Attribution and Non-Commercial 4.0 International licenses (CC BY-NC 4.0 Deed), meaning that they can be reproduced, distributed, performed, and displayed for the general public IF the user:\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eCredits the co-creators (Attribution), and\u003cbr\u003eDoes not make money from the usage (Non-Commercial). \u003cbr\u003eNarrators also have the option to apply a No-Derivatives License to their interview(s), meaning that the public is forbidden from adapting the work. These works are published under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Deed).\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003ePlease contact the NPHM Oral History Programs Manager if you are interested in downloading a copy of any of the interview materials (audio file, transcript, or finding aid contents).\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eNote that the final decision about whether to share downloadable copies and whether to allow usage remains with the narrator.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Preferred Citation"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eWhen using an interview from the NPHM Oral History Archive, use the narrator's full name the first time you reference them. Use the narrator's \"Refer to As\" name in additional mentions of their name. \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003ePlease use the following formatting when citing the interview in academic settings:\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eBibliography Example\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003ePegues, Janetta Sue. Interviewed by Francesco De Salvatore. National Public Housing Museum Oral History Archive, [insert URL], recorded June 18, 2018, accessed June 2, 2024: pp. 10-15.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eBibliography Format\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e[NarratorFullName in Last, First Middle order]. Interviewed by [InterviewerFullName in First Middle Last Order]. National Public Housing Museum Oral History Archive, [insert URL], recorded [write out full date of interview], accessed [write out full date of most recent access]: pp. [pages of transcript cited]. \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eFootnote Example\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eJanetta Sue Pegues, interviewed by Francesco De Salvatore, National Public Housing Museum Oral History Archive, [insert URL], recorded June 18, 2018, accessed June 2, 2024: pp. 10-15. \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eFootnote Format\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e[NarratorFullName in First Middle Last Order], interviewed by [InterviewerFullName in First Middle Last Order] National Public Housing Museum Oral History Archive, [insert URL], recorded [write out full date of interview], accessed [write out full date of most recent access]: pp. [pages of transcript cited]. \u003c/p\u003e"]}}],"summary":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eIn this Oral history Jillian Carew discusses being a resident of Altgeld Gardens public housing, growing up as a child with her grandmother. She talks about losing her brother, mother, and multiple friends to violence and environmental racism, finding her way to footwork, surviving with the help of her community and how it all led her to grow into a lover of community and a beloved educator.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e"]},"requiredStatement":{"label":{"en":["Attribution"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eEach oral history interview is considered to be co-created, \u0026lsquo;joint work\u0026rsquo; among the oral historian, narrator, and, in this case, the National Public Housing Museum.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eNPHM manages the components of copyright (reproduction, distribution, adaption, performance, and display) using Creative Commons Licenses. Most interviews are shared with Attribution and Non-Commercial 4.0 International licenses (CC BY-NC 4.0 Deed), meaning that they can be reproduced, distributed, performed, and displayed for the general public IF the user:\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eCredits the co-creators (Attribution), and\u003cbr /\u003eDoes not make money from the usage (Non-Commercial).\u0026nbsp;\u003cbr /\u003eNarrators also have the option to apply a No-Derivatives License to their interview(s), meaning that the public is forbidden from adapting the work. These works are published under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Deed).\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003ePlease contact the NPHM Oral History Programs Manager if you are interested in downloading a copy of any of the interview materials (audio file, transcript, or finding aid contents).\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eNote that the final decision about whether to share downloadable copies and whether to allow usage remains with the narrator.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},"provider":[{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/aboutus","type":"Agent","label":{"en":["National Public Housing Museum"]},"homepage":[{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/","type":"Text","label":{"en":["National Public Housing Museum"]},"format":"text/html"}],"logo":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/548/original/OHA_Mark_2.0_Transp._copy.png?1752767076","type":"Image"}]}],"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/278/668/small/Jillian_Bio_Photo.jpg?1750951759","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 1 of 1 - Carew__Jillian_Lenae_Edited_Interview_Audio_2023.12.wav"]},"duration":3287.99125,"width":640,"height":40,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/278/668/small/Jillian_Bio_Photo.jpg?1750951759","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/content/1/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-nphm.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/278/668/original/Carew__Jillian_Lenae_Edited_Interview_Audio_2023.12.wav?1750951437","type":"Audio","format":"audio/wav","duration":3287.99125,"width":640,"height":40},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["Jillian Carew Transcript (Int #1) [Transcript]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Oral History Interview #1 with \n\nJillian Lenae Carew\n\n\n\nOral History Archive\n\nThe National Public Housing Museum\n\nConducted 2023, Processed 2023-2025\n\n\n\nThe interview was completed in person in Chicago, Illinois on December 13th, 2023, and is part of the Oral History project by the National Public Housing Museum. The following transcript has been reviewed, edited and [approved] by the narrator. Readers should take into consideration that some repeated words may have been removed for clarity and all descriptive indicators (agreeing/disagreeing) were not transcribed. This transcript is still a draft and may have clerical and / or grammatical errors. Readers should also bear in mind that the beliefs, opinions, and/or any offensive language expressed by the Narrator do not represent The National Public Housing Museum. \n\n\n[Begin Transcript: 0:","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=0.0,0.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/2","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=0.0,0.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/3","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"jellystone robinson: Okay, the recording has started. Before you begin, Do I have your consent to record this interview?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=0.0,7.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/4","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Jillian Carew:  Yes.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=7.0,9.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/5","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JR: Okay Jillian, you can go ahead and introduce yourself.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=9.0,10.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/6","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JC: Hi, I am Jillian Lenae Carew. My pronouns are she/her. I was born in the amazing year of 1985. And I am just a kid from Altgeld Gardens.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=10.0,28.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/7","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JR: Period. Thank you. And my name is Jellystone Robinson. I'm here with the National Public Housing Museum’s Oral History Corps interviewing Jillian about her life history related to Altgeld Gardens. My pronouns are they/them and I am, I was born in 1998. Today is December 13th and we are recording in Chicago on Zoom at the museum. Okay, so a  preface: You can say as much or as little as you want, you can pass on any question. You can also stop the interview at any time. Please ask for clarification on any questions you don't understand. But also, conversely, you could just interpret the questions in any manner that feels right to you it’s no wrong answers. And even though this interview is focused on you, it's a conversation so you can feel free to ask me anything I asked you or anything at all. How are you feeling?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=28.0,80.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/8","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JC: Good!","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=80.0,81.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/9","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JR: Ok let's get to it.  Well, the first question is just how are you doing today?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=81.0,85.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/10","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JC: I am good. I woke up feeling at peace and motivated. I had a really great meeting this morning. So I'm in a good space.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=85.0,97.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/11","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JR:  Yea. Me too. So We're just gonna hop right into it. So can you tell me during what years did you live in Altgeld? Or roughly? If you don't remember. And describe your time living in Altgeld gardens, your relationship to the neighborhood and the people.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=97.0,118.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/12","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JC:  Yeah, so my grandmother moved out in The Gardens in 1960. Just for some context, rent back then was like $40, like—long time ago, right? [Jillian laughs].  And so ever since I was a kid, I have kind of spent various parts of my life there. So I was born in LA, but ended up moving to Chicago with my mom and my brother and we lived with my grandmother off and on for different periods. But I stayed with her for an extended amount of time between the years of 1998 and 2003. Outside of that time, there would be you know, maybe six months here, definitely every summer spent there. But my high school years were, for sure, consistently there. And so she, like I said,  got out there in 1960 and she moved out in 2005. and so that's kind of the context in which like my experience extends, but growing up in The Gardens was—it was a beautiful struggle. It was, you know, of course there, you know, they were things that played in the impoverished area, right, you talking about crime and gangs and drugs, but it was also full of so much love, life and community, like, we slept with our doors unlocked, because everybody in the hood were family, right? Oftentimes, the crime that we heard about or saw or experienced, were targeted. It wasn't like, you know, I grew up in a time in the projects where you know, if something was about to pop off, they would tell all the kids like go in the house. This is not where you supposed to be, like make sure we safe kind of thing. And so I just remember, you know, jumping double dutch us from sunup to sundown going to the candy lady, you know, buying penny candy. And also footworking, footworkin was part of my life growing up in The Gardens as well.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=118.0,243.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/13","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JR: Can you tell me about how you were introduced to footworking? Were you introduced in Altgeld and what's that story?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=243.0,250.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/14","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JC: Yeah, so I wasn't introduced in Altgeld, but it was the year of 1998. Actually, I was at the Rink Fitness Factory on 87th. And it was just a regular skating session. It was a Saturday and in the back of the rink, for those who don't skate, there's a smaller dance floor. And on that dance floor it's always packed, and I'm envisioning there, you know, the nights there—it's  always packed and there are lots of great dancers on the floor. And I consider myself to be a pretty decent dancer, but nobody professional or nothing like that, and so I was dancing one Saturday night on the floor—the dance floor. and the President of Final Phaze came up to me and was just like, “Who are you? What's your name?” and I introduced myself. He's like, “Are you a dancer?” I'm like, “what you mean?  like, I'm not a dancer”, but he like, “but are you a dancer? Like, are you in a group?” and I'm like, “Nah”, he like, “well, you should come see me at [Nat King] Cole Park.” and so we exchanged information. He told me about practices at Cole Park where he was—So he's the president of Final Phaze—so he basically had me come to Cole Park and try out and that's kind of where I got introduced to it. So I wasn't a footworker up until that point, I just knew how to move to the beat and could pick up very easily. But then once I joined Final Phaze, that's kind of where my footworking career, if you will, took off.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=250.0,343.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/15","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JR:  Thank you. So for those who don't know, can you tell us a little bit about Final Phaze?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=343.0,347.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/16","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JC: Yeah, so I came at a very interesting and amazing time in the group. I know that there are tons of folks who were in the group prior to me, they talk about the 90s era all the time. And so I came on the latter part of that. But basically a Southside dance group that grew into kind of like a company, Maurice Fulson—who was the president back then, you know, had us and Bud Billiken parades during the summer, we engaged in like dance competition. So the rink also had, anytime they were like, Monday's off from school or work, there would be like a Sunday night, kind of like jam session at the rink, from 9 o clock to 1am. And so oftentimes, those sets would include like performances, and so we will perform at the rink and in various competitions around the city. But the main thing was like the Bud Billiken Parade during the summers. And so it was a great opportunity, because at that time, I was going into eighth grade and you know, it's tough during that time, like trying to figure out what you want to get involved in, what you want to stay out of and so Final Phaze was integral in helping me to have something outside of school to look forward to and to engage in that was positive.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=347.0,428.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/17","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JR: Yea, thank you for that. I want to go back a little bit to your grandma moving in the 1960s. Was there anything that she told you about her journey to Altgeld, her living in Altgeld in those early years?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=428.0,443.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/18","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JC: So my Granny, Ooh I love my Granny she is one of the like, gentlest powerhouses you'll ever meet and so not much rattles my grandmother, like she is a—she and I are both Tauruses, we're bulls, we’re stubborn, like we take everything head on. And like, you know, she, she's been through a lot, and she will not describe it as such, right. So we don't, she doesn't often share your stories about hardship. She's one of those “Oh, you know, you know, I might only have $5, but we had, you know, several meals and we did this and, you know, took the kids there”. and so she she you know, she doesn't talk much about that time, except for like the value of a dollar , which is how I know how much rent was because I kind of asked that kind of question around, like, what was the like, and she was like, you know, community the same thing you experienced it, like, it's always been community, it's always been love, it's always been a beautiful struggle, right. And she and I often had conversations, and I asked her because I said, well, you know, I didn't realize that I was poor, really, until I got to college and undergrad because even if we didn't have a lot, we had what appeared to me to be more than enough and some of what I wanted but that comes from my grandmother and my mother going above and beyond to make sure we had those things. I didn't see the background of what they had to do to get it. But we talked about the value of $1 and how back in the day, you know, what bread used to cost and what eggs used to cost and again, rent being $40 back then. And so, that's the extent to what I know about what it was like when she first moved there.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=443.0,546.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/19","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JR: Can you tell me a little bit more about other people that you were in community with when you lived in Altgeld?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=546.0,553.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/20","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JC: Oh yeah! So there were—so I'm a basketball fan and so there were a lot of activities. So I think about two two kind of very special communities that I developed out there. One was like my set of friends that were female, we jumped rope together, we played on The Barrows—the barrows are no longer even there anymore—but played on the barrows, jumped rope together, you know, just became who we were going to become as young girls together. So that's Queena, that's Jackie, that's Shalise. We kind of lived in block 17 and those were the folks who were like in my immediate Jackie—right like these were all of the people that were like in my immediate space within The Gardens. \n\nAnd then there was this second part of my community out there, which consisted of more males who played basketball because I would keep the books for the tournament. Greg, who is my mentor, he hosted a lot of basketball tournaments out there during the summer. Right on my back was a basketball court. I literally could look out the door and see, you know, what activity was happening there and so, through my love of the game, growing up watching my brother play, I ended up getting connected really quickly to the basketball community in The Gardens, started taking the score, you know, would go to all of the games in and outside of The Gardens, just to support them. And so that was also a part of my community. And so that's Greg—like I said, Greg ran those tournaments, Red ran tournaments, as well. But in terms of players, you thinking about Von, and Butta and Meechie, those are the people who became my community. And then there was like, this unique set of people who in The Gardens, kind of crossed over into the dance industry within one of those one or two of those spaces. So you have Von and Key Key, who also was a huge part of the dance community, but also were basketball players, right? So then I had like a double kind of bond with some people—may God rest Key Key’s soul, he's no longer living. But those were people who, like I said, crossed over and then my very good friend Jerome, who I grew up with, he lived in The Gardens, we went to high school and college together. So Jerome—and also he was in the dance industry. So that's four different communities that Jerome and I (he actually motivated and inspired me like, he's very smart, he's a lawyer, but growing up, he just was my Northstar around like how to navigate and what I should be doing. Like I only went to college, because I saw Jerome, getting all these acceptance letters into college before I even thought about applying. So he was that kind of Northstar for me.) But it was great to have him because he was living in The Gardens, also in the dance industry, but then also was very smart and knew what he wanted to do in terms of high school and college and so I was able to follow in his footsteps in regards to that.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=553.0,746.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/21","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JR: Yeah! Thats nice. I'm really interested in the crossover from basketball to dance. Do you feel like that crossover happened because of the relationships in the community? Or like, how did—how did that crossover happen?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=746.0,759.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/22","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JC: Well, that's a good question. So while I was in Final Phaze, there were tons of other dance communities and groups and one that established that came out of The Gardens was, I think—3D, That was the name of their group. And so 3D had a lot of people from The Gardens. Actually, maybe everybody from The Gardens were on 3D. But I was already on Final Phaze. So 3D was established. And it just so happened I mean, and you know, dance is a sport too, those boys who were athletic, but also enjoyed the dance side decided to join 3D and became a part of that.  I think that if we think of dance as a sport, and basketball as a sport, it makes sense that there was a good fit for some of that crossover. And then we, from that group, 3D, so we talking about Key Key, Mouse, Candice. The people who I—Tina and Terell—the people who I knew  in 3D then, we ended up eventually all going to the same dance group later on down the line called CMD. CMD is where we then birthed footwork crews, where The Lunatics came. So we kind of grew up together. And although we didn't start in the same group, we kind of ended up there or eventually journeyed there before people started going their own separate ways. But it was a really, really great community to be a part of.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=759.0,844.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/23","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JR: Yeah, I'm also I'm wondering, what was that process like of like, all these young people organizing a group, like how did that sustain, and like, transform into other groups, if that makes sense?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=844.0,859.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/24","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JC: Mmhmm [affirmative], and I want to make sure that I'm honoring those who kind of paved the way for us. So while young people definitely helped sustain the groups and the work—the footwork community, there were some very key adults who allowed young people to like lead and be captains and do all those things, but they established the structure and the organization of it. So like I said, in Final Phaze that was Maurice Fulson. When we got to CMD, it was Bernard and Lisa. So Bernard Werthing was the president and he had—Lisa was you know, a parent, but also like, she was kind of like our person too in the group and so they were kind of like the the head of CMD, but again, they allowed us to be leaders by being captains and other things in the group. At that point CMD—we're looking at high school like early high school years—now folks are you know, young people are starting to get older and branch off into their own little small subgroups and cliques. That is when I when I—well, I met ShaDawn in Final Phaze, but we also went to CMD together so there was a core group of us during my generation of footwork who then developed into The Lunatics with the boys but then we were a subset of that, which was the Lady Lunatics. So you're talking about ShaDawn, me, Angelee, Niq, Jawanna….. [thinking]  Yeah. So that was like the core of how we branched off from CMD to The Lady Lunatics. And then after that, you know, people kind of went different places. We all—like some went to  House Arrest, like, I danced with K59  for a bit and 3993. But we all stayed as that core in terms of our footwork clique, so The Lady Lunatics, no matter what group they were in, when we got together, we got together and battled in the circles.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=859.0,975.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/25","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JR: Can you tell me is there any favorite or fond memories with either these dance teams you was with or just like your girls in the Altgeld Gardens that come to mind?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=975.0,990.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/26","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JC:  Fond memories. I mean, growing up in The Gardens, it was a time like, of course, we were poor, but I didn't recall it as such then and I built a lot of memories there. I think though, my most fondest memories from childhood would be going to The Rink on Saturdays or Sundays from 9[pm]—1[am] and other parties too you know, battling at Dolton Expo or Southside Prep wherever we were going to get together. But the Bud Billiken parades were like a hit, like that was showtime! Everybody got a fresh fit and people have been working on they parade marches and their solos for the battles and so I would say that was a highlight for me.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=990.0,1038.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/27","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JR: Can I ask, I feel like as you talking it's a lot of like, geographically, there's a lot happening like yall in Altgeld but then y’all on 87th and then the Bud Billiken parade I know, is from 35th to 55th—so I'm wondering, like, how has footwork and being in these dance groups informed your view of Chicago as a whole?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=1038.0,1058.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/28","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JC: Yeah, so it's, it's interesting, because when I was growing up, for me, footwork was Chicago, I didn't know, you know, like, it was a blessing for me to be able to leave The Gardens.  So we practiced at Cole Park, which was on 87th Street and Final Phaze, and then we were at Grand Crossing when we always CMD, and that's like off 76th, right. So like, my bubble was still very small back then and so my vision or view of Chicago was footwork. So that's why the culture is so important to me, because I can't think about Chicago without thinking about footwork, because that's just how formative it was for me. But I think I did start to—as I branched out from The Gardens and started to be around other people—it started to become clear to me. And I wouldn't have described it back then as such as inequities, or like, I could see that certain people and families had more than I had or, but we were all black, and we were all cool so I didn't really understand, like, the fullness of my poverty back then. But it was very clear, of course, when I expand my circle, and my experiences, it's clear to see like, oh, certain people traveled to practice from that side of the town or city. Some of us are catching the bus to get here. Some of us got parents that’s  driving us, right? Like, that's when it was like, oh, okay, like, this is what life is about. So, I would just say that, like, I really didn't have I mean, obviously—","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=1058.0,1163.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/29","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JC: So one other thing that I'll say is important to me is that my brother was killed when I was 14, which I think also highlights the importance of footwork and the role it played in my life because you have: I had just joined Final Phaze, you know, summer ‘98, or Fall may maybe Fall ‘98 and I graduated eighth grade in ‘99.  Weeks later, my brother was killed. So it's like, it almost was like God knew what He was doing by giving me this safe space to be in, in preparation for what was going to come. That's also how I built such strong bonds with that core group of girls that I mentioned, because literally, I had just met them, they teaching me how to footwork, all of a sudden my brother's gone, they wrapping they arms around me, making sure I'm good. Regina, that's another person just Shawna, Leo, those people from Final Phaze, in addition to the core group of girls that I mentioned, really helped to kind of hold me at a time that was difficult. But I would say because I lost my brother very young, I also was aware of the city and what plagued it.  Violence, gangs—love my brother to death, and he absolutely was wrapped up in the streets. And we know why, there are tons of reasons how black folks get on that path. And I hate that that happened for him and to him. But that also at a young age at 14 kind of helped me to start to see like, “okay, there are multiple paths, I can take here, which one am I going to choose?” And so as a result of him passing away, then I got, you know, angry and frustrated. Now I'm fighting everybody, I'm going to high school and like, trying to make sense of my grief, in a not so productive way. But then having like this footwork community that I could go to after school, or my mom being like, “if you don't do what you're supposed to do, you're not going to practice. Ain't no bud  Billiken parade.” So it's like, Okay, let me get my life together, because that is the one place that I want to be. So having that I think, really, you know, we talked a lot about footwork saved our lives, but honestly, legit, footwork saved my life.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=1163.0,1295.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/30","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JR:  Yeah. Yeah, that's beautiful. Thank you for sharing. I'm glad that you had that community around, because—yeah. I want to go back for a second to Altgeld. I think we talked about Chicago. And if it branches off from you can continue it down that road, but just like I'm thinking about you, saying you stayed there every summer And then when you lived there in high school, I wonder if you noticed any of the change happening as you lived there? And what changes did you notice specifically in Altgeld but also in the broader Chicago Community in general?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=1295.0,1331.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/31","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JC: Yeah, I noticed changes over time. In The Gardens, particularly, you heard me make reference to the barrows, the barrows was like a play area, they were like concrete, like circular fixtures that were affixed to the ground and we could like climb on them sit, talk, you could go in and play on them, those were there my childhood years. And then just slowly over time—there used to be a big rocket in the middle of the field that was out back too, and like some sliding boards—over time, that stuff just disappeared, like it was nothing for kids to do. And that's when I started to see the change in certain things. Also, back then, when I first was growing up in The Gardens, there certainly were gangs, but it still felt more of a community at that point, like in my more, you know, earlier years, where, you know, if we all BD, we all BD, we sticking together, whereas over time, you started to see more division within certain sets and gangs and so you could be BD from a certain block and be BD from another block and now all of a sudden, y’all into it. And so, over time, and I can't really pinpoint when but at a certain point, I remember the community that I once knew and loved for The Gardens didn't feel so safe anymore. It was kind of like at a point, like I said, they would say go in the house yeah, yeah, you know, this is not, you know, something that you want to be around for whatever to like, we don't know what's gonna happen or when. Like, it just felt like over time it started to shift. I think that's kind of what I noticed and I think I think that's representative of what was happening in larger Chicago and in high school as well, like I had male and female friends who were a part of gangs and like, you know, at first it was like, we all are part of the same gang, so we run together to like naw we from different sets and so we don't mess with y'all  like that. And so I think so what was happening in The Gardens was indicative of the larger societal shifts that were happening. And I also noticed, too, like when the candy stores used to be a penny for stuff, and then all of a sudden, you paying 50 cents for some and it's like, what happened? Right? So it also was a shift in the economy, you know, that I could notice at a very young age as well from having penny candy to five cent candy to 50 cent candy. [laughs] So those are the things that I noticed in terms of shifts, notably.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=1331.0,1491.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/32","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JR:  Yeah, thank you for that. I think it's interesting how you get from like a structural change of like, literally this park is taken away and then an economic change to these interpersonal changes, like, I can't mess with you no more because you from this part that ya know, thank you for sharing that. Do you have any thoughts about like, why that happened?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=1491.0,1511.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/33","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JC: Well, you know what I think—and I don't know why, honestly—when I was really out there heavily I didn't know much about—I would say I was not as deep into community organizing and activism at that point yet. So I had been, I've saw stuff happening, but I didn't really know the deep root causes of it. But I do know what eventually forced my grandmother to move. And when I say forced, it was a force because she did not want to move. In 2005, they started to do the renovation of Altgeld Gardens. So they were, you know, just, I guess quote, unquote, beautifying it and upgrade, making upgrades, and, you know, putting central air and all the things in the units and also going up on rent, right. And so it just didn't make much sense for her to pay what they wanted her to pay (Also, due to her income increasing, and all of that) to live there. And so it felt like at that time, this was my reality that, like people were being pushed out. And I don't know that to be true, because she definitely had an opportunity to stay. But it felt unrealistic for her to maintain the apartment there in that way and pay what they wanted her to pay to stay there. So I can't really say that I know, I have a real grasp around like, why things were changing. I think it was, you know, certainly nice to see now, like, I go back to 618 East 133rd all the time, just to see the changes. Like it's just crazy. Like, you know, the row houses are still there so it's not—the structural change wasn't completely different, but just you know, certain things they used to be there that's not there, or certain things that is there now that wasn't, and it definitely looks a little bit more aesthetically pleasing as well, but  I can't speak to like, exactly why those changes were happening.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=1511.0,1634.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/34","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JC: Where did your grandma end up going?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=1634.0,1636.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/35","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JC:  So she now lives in—on the border of Englewood and Auburn Gresham…","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=1636.0,1646.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/36","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JR: Can I ask, how was that transition for you? Your grandma moving away? That being a safe space for you. And also, if you know, how was that transition for her?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=1646.0,1658.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/37","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JC: Yeah, it was tough for her she did not want to leave. We literally had to, like I can't say force because she could have stayed if she wanted to. But we were just like “granny, this just don't makes sense, right.” And to be quite honest, like it was nine of us living in a three bedroom apartment, many times out there. And because my granny was the glue, you know, folks started having kids, which meant its more people just, you know, sleeping on the couch and doing all the other things, I think she finally came to an understanding that more space was needed. I think had it not been for her desire to make sure that everybody in the family was good, she probably would have stayed. So it was a tough transition for her. She'd been out there since the 60s, this is gonna be a new thing for her. But once she started looking for houses, and like, you know, we started going on that journey, I think she really started to get excited about it over time to just know that like, she was buying a house, a family house for us, which was good. \n\nAnd for me, I think by the time she started—so that was 2005—I had already graduated high school and I was a sophomore at U of I so I was already away at college. So it wasn't like it was a huge shift in my day to day because I was already away and I felt like I thought at that time, that like I can always go back to the G right. Like at that point, I'm driving, you know, we're not living out there, but I’ll always have access to it. So I don't necessarily think that it was a huge shift for me. But I will say, you know, it's always emotional to just transition and know that the house that you grew up in is like, you know, you're not going to have access to it anymore. But I did I think at that point realized that it was for the betterment of our family that we got something larger. And, you know, a space that was more conducive to our growing  family.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=1658.0,1773.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/38","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JR: Do you still have family living there?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=1773.0,1776.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/39","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JC: My granny. Yeah, she's still there. My mom has since passed away. Which hints at the environmental racism piece. But my granny I'm blessed to still have her and she's still in the house.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=1776.0,1791.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/40","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JR: Can you talk about the environmental racism? I know during our pre-interview you said you want to talk about it. I know a little bit about it, but if you—as a former resident, if you could inform me about what that looks like, and how it impacted the community, and also you and your family?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=1791.0,1805.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/41","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JC: yes, so I didn't know like, I obviously didn't have the language, environmental racism, then, that I have now, but it's so funny how we would—Key Key—to the one, the dancer who I said, has transitioned on—he would make jokes all the time, when we would be coming back from the rink or somewhere about like, you know, he would like breathe through his nose and say, “Ah, the fresh smell of shit” like or, you know, whatever, to let us know that we're getting closer to the crib. It's like, oh, we home. That's how we know we home because we smell right what's and so we would make jokes about it a whole time, people were legit getting sick. And so it didn't really occur to me until I remember vividly, we got a knock on the door one day, and my uncle answered the door. And it was somebody at the door saying, “hey, you know, I'm here to give you information about the land fill or whatever.” And, you know, something about y’all possibly getting money as a result of being a part of this case. And my uncle was talking about it and so I guess whatever the details came out was this one, I also realized that it wasn't supposed to be 9 of us can have three bedroom apartment, because apparently, only the people who were supposed to be living there on the lease or something like the adults could get the access to the check and so my uncle and his two boys at the time, along with my grandmother got the check. But then I had another uncle, my mama, some other cou—me at the time, maybe one other cousin that might have been there, we didn't get the check, because we weren't technically supposed to be residents there. So then I'm like, “Okay, why are people getting paid? Like what is happening?” Right, I had all these questions. And they said that it was because of the landfill that we were in the center of apparently. And, and I was like, oh, okay, and I still hadn't made the connection between the smell that we were smelling and the money that people were getting. And also because at that point, it was not visibly clear to me that people were getting sick as a result of it. It was just like, “oh, okay, like, you know, they're paying us money because, you know, this is not supposed to be there, it is, or whatever.” But as time went on, and to be quite clear and honest, I didn't connect all the dots. \n\nSo that was I can't even tell you what year it was. But it has to be before obviously, before 2005, I was still there. So it was before 2003 because I went away to college in 2003. But from that point, up until very recently, it wasn't clear to me that I started making connections because two of my grandmother's children have passed away that lived in The Gardens, my uncle Chet, they call him Red, and then my mom. Now there are some outside factors, I'm sure that contributed but what I do know about my mom in particular is that she had emphysema and COPD and so those are two that impact your breathing very forcefully. And so she, you know, went through a surgery that was supposed to be a routine surgery but the really the really the cause of the death of why she never really made it home was because she never recovered from her breathing after coming back from the anesthesia. And so, you know, I don't want to say that that is the only reason. But hearing all of the stories, particularly Maddog’s story and his mom, you know, his situation makes me make all these connections. And it wasn't until very recently, where I'm like, oh, like we legit were out there dying. And people you know what im saying and so what up what is also crazy is that when I was in elementary school, I had a asthma pump. So I was diagnosed with asthma. And then all of a sudden, I didn't have it no more. And I don't know, I haven't talked to a doctor since but ever since I moved out. I want to say I stopped using a pump in undergrad, like I haven't had one since then. And I don't know if it's connected to that either. But like, I just, I don't know,","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=1805.0,2071.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/42","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JR: too close for comfort","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=2071.0,2072.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/43","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JC: you see what I'm saying? It's kind of like, Why did I need to asthma pump then, but now I don't need one. The doctor was like, “No, you're good. You kind of grew out of it.” And so you know, I would always have an emergency one, but I've never had to use it since then. And again, as a young kid, I didn't know why I needed it or where it came from. But just slowly over time it kind of went away.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=2072.0,2096.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/44","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JR: And you said the checks went out before 2003","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=2096.0,2102.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/45","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JC:  If my timeline serves me, yeah, yeah.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=2102.0,2106.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/46","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JR: And that landfill is still there today.?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=2106.0,2109.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/47","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JC: Now today, I don't know, to the to, to this point. And to be quite honest, in the last few times that I've gone out there, I actually was just out there last Tuesday volunteering and teaching some kids how to footwork. I don't recall smelling anything. But also, we didn't smell it all the time. So I don't know. Like I have not honestly followed it in the recent years to know if it's still there or not. So I can't speak to but now that you asked the question, I don't recall smelling it the last few times that I've been out there.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=2109.0,2152.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/48","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JR: Okay, so you already just brought up being an educator, can you tell me about when you went out there last week? And what was that like? What was it for?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=2152.0,2160.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/49","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JC:  Yeah, so my friend Tika, who also I grew up with out there, and we went to undergrad as well together. She started a nonprofit organization called Transcend. And her goal, she's a licensed social worker, but her goal is to deliver therapy to young people, “the dope way”. That's kind of like her slogan, like “therapy the dope way.” And so she finds all of these really creative ways to help young people cope, right with everyday life. And so, you know, she's done swim therapy, she actually, you know, obviously does talk therapy. And then she called my session—so I did like a four week series, around footwork, and so like using dance as a form of therapy. So yeah, like me, being an educator is like something separate from this. This is just me volunteering and giving time back to an organization and community that's dear to my heart, but it's through her hard work. So she is the executive director of that nonprofit, and they meet at the Children's Building, and we, you know, they get togethers after school program. And so I did some community circles with them and taught them some footwork routines,","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=2160.0,2229.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/50","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JR:  Yeah! that sounds cool. Can you tell me a little bit about how you—I know you said, you met ShaDawn through two Final Phaze, can you tell me a little about that relationship and where it's grown, how was got to to where it is today? And if, you want to go into Footwork Saved My Life.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=2229.0,2246.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/51","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JC: For sure. So I met ShaDawn like I said at Cole Park. She lived in the area and was a part of Final Phaze. And then she started out going to Whitney Young but realized that she should have been a Mustang and so then she transferred to Morgan Park, where I was a student, so we had Final Phaze, but then she also we had developed a pretty tight relationship. So it was almost kind of like, my bestie was coming to Morgan Park to be with me and like, you know, great because she gets to be a Mustang too. And so we ended up going through high school together, we went away to separate colleges, but obviously stayed in touch. And then of course, outside of so—then she and I we had high school together, but then we also had dance stuff outside of that, right? So kept in touch throughout college, we would come home every Thanksgiving, get together at her house, take group pictures, that same core group of you know, girls that I talked about, no matter where life took us, we would always come back together, you know, through births or marriages, like we were all down to at Angellee’s wedding and like, you know, all of the the life changes, we were a part of one another's life changes. And so yeah, and so over time, so I became an educator. I'm a former teacher and principal. And so she obviously went into higher ed as well and so I think there was that connection there. \n\nAnd we spent a little bit of time like apart like not being tight. But I think over the last couple years I've just became a part of her family like her auntie is my auntie, her mama that's my mama, like they were, you know, ShaDawn’s mom came to my mom's funeral, my mom and her mom were good friends, like, it just was like a family thing. And so over the years, it's just kind of always been that. And then recently, we just started really connecting more about, you know, civil unrest, things that were happening in the community. And then obviously Footwork Saved My Life, she started working on that. And so she invited me out to a couple of events or interviews or roundtables around that, given that I was a part of the culture when she was and so then, you know, we I just started connecting with her she's, you know, connecting resources to her people that I know my mentor sharing, you know, ways that I thought I could be helpful to her work and so here we are. So now I'm like the co-planner for her for the PSW project that's through the National Public Housing Museum now. And so yeah, we just kind of taking the trip back down memory lane to all of the things that we used to do and why we're here.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=2246.0,2410.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/52","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JR:  Yeah,  I love that! Can you tell us, for those who don't know, like, what is the Footwork Saved My Life project, and the PSW? Because I don't think I know what that is. \n\n[Laughter]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=2410.0,2421.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/53","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JC: Okay, so Footwork Saved My Life is a docu series around footwork, right, the culture, and so ShaDawn is doing a great job of breaking up the different generations. So if you study the footwork culture in the movement is what she calls it. They're kind of like different generations, right? I think she, I think we're in the second generation–don't get me to lying—but we came around the second generation and, you know, there are several, you know, obviously, a generation before us that started footworking, where it all came from, and, you know, then there's tracks, you know, house music/tracks that you know, play a huge part of that, which is how you get DJ Clent and EDUBB and all those people and Boo, that were a part of like the movement and so she's doing like a chronological series around the footwork, culture and the movement. And so that is Footwork Saved My Life, the short Docuseries. Now because ShaDawn is the Artist-as-Instigator resident for the museum, she is working on a subset of that Footwork Saved My Life project called Place, Space and Werkz. So that's PSW. And that is going to be a short film around footwork and the culture, right, we are engaging young people in this work related to different parts of you know, the city and the community and, and how footwork actually saves lives, but also through the the lens of like different places and spaces around the city, coupled with footwork in terms of like that being the art form that we communicate what it is we experience in the city. So that is a short film that's kind of like a subset of the Footwork Saved My Life Docuseries that we will be creating with young people over the course of the next year, with the generous help of the museum.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=2421.0,2531.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/54","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JC: Yeah, we love that good free nonprofit money. [laughter] Something I'm really interested in as a person from the projects myself and like a different generation. I hear a lot of former public housing residents and current public housing residents talk about relationships that they had with people when they were kids, and how they have sustained through adulthood and through til death and I just wonder if you have any thoughts on what—I don't know—what was it about the culture of public housing that led to these relationships sustaining—and even though conflict is also what I'm thinking about is how, like, we fall out and then somehow we back friends? Yeah, just if you have any thoughts on that.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=2531.0,2583.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/55","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JC: Yeah, and I don't know if that's more indicative of the public housing space more than it is the resilience of black folks. Right? Like we all we got at the end of the day. And so, you know, we could beef, we could fight we argue we could do whatever. But when it comes down to it, we all we got. And so I think that is not to shortchange my experience, being a public housing resident in that, like, it was like I started off saying it was a strong sense of community and my door was unlocked, people who come in and out, like, you know, Jackie's granny was my granny like it just was that feel. And I still keep in touch with many of them today, you know, thank God through Facebook, some of them are still living out there. Some of them are not. And some still living some not, But to your point, relationships continue through transition, right, like so. And I think, you know, the truth of the matter is like, struggle does unify us in a way, right? And then if we're being all the way honest, there's a such thing as trauma bonding, too, right? So you've experienced the same kind of trauma I've experienced and so we share that commonality you get me I get you, which could explain why relationships last long, but also could explain why some of them don't last as long, right? If we were only bonded over our trauma, and you know, we've grown since then and gone one step separate ways. We no longer have that shared identity to bond over, then that could explain why some of the relationships have been severed as well. But I think that, to, like I said, to my earlier point, that's, that's what black folks do. Right? And I think that's both in and outside of public housing spaces.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=2583.0,2680.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/56","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JR:   Can I ask how your identity or intersecting identities as a dancer, foot worker, also a public housing resident? Have they informed you as an educator at all?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=2680.0,2692.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/57","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JC: Oh, for sure. I tell people all the time, and I'm also a believer like I'm a strong woman of God. I wouldn't be where I am without that, my faith. We often talk about everything happens for a reason, but when I tell you, I am the epitome of God turning tragedy into triumph, because my experiences living in the hood, in the projects, my experience, seeing my brother get killed at 14, my experience in the footwork community, just as a kid from Chicago and a kid from Altgeld made me a more relatable educator. Like I've seen, and I would tell young people all the time, there's nothing you can tell me that I have not seen done or heard. And it was from a space of like, I get it, I understand, let me help you problem solve. And so I think it made me a powerful, and an effective educator, like I'm an award winning teacher and principal and I'm not saying that to boast to brag, but I'm saying that to say it's nothing but God, He gets the glory, because every single thing that has happened to me helps me to be that. I have a way with young men when I was an educator. And I know that it was because I developed that affinity for young men, because I didn't want to see them go down the same path that my brother did. Had that not happened, I can't say that that would have been my affinity or what I spend my time, energy and resources towards, right. So I just think that, you know, and obviously, my mother was super dope, and how she parented me with having a voice and being able to speak my mind and opinion and ask questions, right? I didn't come from a very rigid, you know, black family where it was, like “be seen and not heard.” No, my mother was always very open with me, honest with me, allowed me to ask questions.\n\nSo all of that my upbringing with her and my granny being strong women, with all of the things everything I saw on the projects, everything I did, and, you know, obviously probably experienced sooner than I probably should have. I have zero regrets. Because it really has shaped me into the educator I am today, you know, me walking into my school as a principal with mikes on or, you know, my kids being able to say “Ms. Carew, I saw you on YouTube! You was footworking!” Or me having a pep rally at the school and actually like teaching the footwork routine to my kids and like performing it with them. I ain’t have no footworking principles! [jellystone laughs] I don't have like forget footworking, do you even know what a track is? Do you even know? Right? And so talk about culturally relevant pedagogy, right? Like this, to me, is all a part of how you develop into an effective educator or anybody that in youth development for that matter. So thank you for that question. Because I'm very passionate about it and I always say, you know, I am successful not in spite of growing up in the G I'm successful, because I grew up in the G–be clear about it. Like I have degrees and all the things, but nobody can pay for the experience, my lived experience that makes me who I am. So when you put me in any room, I'm the smartest person there, because unless you you came from where I come from, what we talking about, right? My cultural and social collateral is going to outweigh your piece of paper, because I can go get that, you can’t get what I got. And so I'm very proud to say that I was a resident of Altgeld and it's undoubtedly made me who I am today.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=2692.0,2898.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/58","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JR:  Yeah, Period! Thank you for that. I just have a couple more questions. What do you hope for—I'm gonna like freak this question a little bit—What do you hope for the future of kids who live in public housing, and more generally, just like young people who live in this city?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=2898.0,2926.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/59","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JC: I want nothing more than for our young people to be free. And when I say free, I'm talking about free physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, like free, right, like, to not feel like they have to make decisions that will impact the trajectory of their lives, because they gotta eat. You know what I'm saying? I want them to be free in a way that is absent the adult gaze—there's this idea that adultism is this because I'm older than you, you don't know nothing, I'm gonna tell you how to live your life. We have to see young people as the leaders that they are, they will be leading this country. They have the power to do that now and so they need to be empowered in that way. I really hope that all young people feel seen, valued, heard and empowered in a way that will lead to positive outcomes for our city. \n\nRight, because this whole you know, “They're savages. They don't value education” Since when? Our people died trying to read books, it's in they blood, it's who they are right? But these narratives, these antiblack narratives that we've created specifically around young people are detrimental. And so my only hope and desire is that they be free, they get to be free. And that is not without consequence. I'm not saying that right. But I think that there, as an educator, I believe in natural consequences, right, like not a forced punishment or, you know, punitive in that way. It's like, No, you made that choice. You gone have to lay in the bed that you created right? But not this whole “I told you. So and, you know, I'm better than you, I know more than you, because I'm an adult” let's be thought partners with young people, let's bring them to the table, let's empower them to be the leaders that, that we know that they are and will be and so goal is for them to be free.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=2926.0,3041.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/60","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JR: Yeah. Thank you. Um, what would you want to grandchildren or other descendants to know about your experience?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=3041.0,3054.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/61","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JC: [Jillian exhales] That's a really great question. I want them to know that struggle breeds process—progress and sometimes, you know, progress is good enough. And that's like, sometimes the process is the product, right? Like, when I think about the measure of my life, I was just saying this to somebody the other day, I told, actually somebody that grew up in The Gardens, he's a really near and dear friend to me. He said, he loved me and I said to him back, I love you and he said, I really can feel it. And in that moment, I felt such a proud, like accomplishment, not because I have a master's degree or got all this money or drive this car. I don't, that—nothing measured to that experience of him verbally telling me that he feels loved by me, not only because he's a black man in this country, right? But because I value my integrity, like if I say I do something I'm going to show up in that way and so I want my descendants to know that that is what I value, like how people experience me, like my daily prayer is that, you know, I make an impact, a positive impact on every life I touch. And my presence, my presence should be felt in a place should be better because I was there, right? A person should be better because I had an encounter with them. Right? I believe in leaving people in places better than I found them. And that is not to say that when I found them, they were not already excellent, but I should have it—people should know, that I have been in a space or with a person. So that's what I want them to know is that I, you know, struggled for sure, but I never gave up on myself or my people and that the real measure of effectiveness in terms of my life's work is around how many people are loved by me.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=3054.0,3181.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/62","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JR:  Yeah! I want you to know your prayer was answered today because because I felt so much of what you saying and I thank you so much for sharing your life history with us. The last question is just that is there anything else that I, or the historical record, needs to know about you or Altgeld or footwork that I didn't ask about?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=3181.0,3204.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/63","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JC: I would just say overall, there's this thread of like, obviously, footwork saved our lives. And I think that I want people to know and understand that there's a very real reason why black folks struggle, right? And that struggle could look different in different ways. But I want us to be thinking about productive ways that we can help unite one another in the struggle. It's not to say that I'm looking for people to come save us because nobody's doing that but more so understanding, I think if we can meet people with understanding and compassion, we can unite people across struggle, which could generate more progress. So I think I just want the world to know that the best is yet to come. And I just want people to approach it with that lens that our best days are ahead of us and there's a strong power of one, right? Oftentimes, we get discouraged about what we can't change with everybody else. But if we just start with one, like if I can say I impacted one life or impacted my own in a positive way, then I'm doing my part and so I just want people to be encouraged. And yeah, keep fighting.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=3204.0,3287.0"},{"id":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668/transcript/83689/annotation/64","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"JC: Well, Jillian, thank you so much for sharing your story. I'm going to end the recording now.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://nphm.aviaryplatform.com/collections/2733/collection_resources/150728/file/278668#t=3287.0,3287.99125"}]}]}]}