Bill Brown spoke about organizing Brazilians for the Festival in Washington, DC; Cubans in Washington, DC organically starting the Festival; why the Cubans temporarily stopped participating in the Festival; the similarities and differences between the Festival in Washington, DC and Carnival in Brazil; the different groups and countries involved in the Festival; and who organized the different groups and countries for the Festival. He recounted, in detail, notable moments of the Festival over the years, including some controversies and conflict.
Brown explained what the Festival does for the community; how the Festival pulls the community, including different ethnicities and races, together; how Brazilians fit in with the rest of the Latino community in Washington, DC; how Brazilians immigrate to the United States; the voting power of the Latino community in Washington, DC; Mayor Marion Barry has protected the Latino community from immigration authorities; the relationship between the Latino community and the Black community; and the Smithsonian Institution's relationship with the Black community.
Brown also spoke about other festivals in the Washington, DC area and New York City; Brazilians being invited and participating in the Folklife Festival organized by the Smithsonian; his thoughts on the educational panels at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival; and the Brazilian community in New York, New Orleans, Boston, and Washington, DC region.
Brown identified himself as a Black American, born in Washington, DC, with no Brazilian ancestry. He spoke out how he became involved with the Brazilian community; learning Spanish, Portuguese, and about Brazilian and Cuban culture, including Santeria; working in public health as a Peace Corps volunteer in Brazil; and his participation with Santeria.
Bill Brown was interviewed by Olivia Cadaval. Interview is in English and minimal Portuguese. Digital audio files include loud white noise and static, and some loud background noise. Interviewee's voice is intelligible for the most part. During a few small portions of the interview, the interviewee stepped away from the microphone and could not be heard.
General:
Associated documentation for this interview is available in the Anacostia Community Museum Archives.
Title created by ACMA staff using text written on sound cassette, contents of audio recording, textual transcript, and/or associated archival documentation.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity among Black Immigrants in Washington, D. C. exhibition records, Anacostia Community Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).
Eduardo Flores, also known as Eduardo Jesus Flores Hernandez, spoke about his extended family history and ethnic background, which included Canarian, Dominican, and African ancestry; his childhood in Pinar del Rio, and later Havana with his aunt and cousins, including his school experience, Sunday movie matinees, weekly Catholic church, and chores; and what his parents did for work. Note, Flores identified himself as Black Afro-Cuban and Black Hispanic.
Flores explained in detail what happens in Cuba when the government knows you are leaving the country, and why he almost did not leave Cuba. He spoke about his migration and arrival in Miami in 1969, including staying at Cuban Refugee, living in New Orleans from 1969 to 1971, and then migrating to Washington, DC. Flores detailed his school experience, learning English, his first time experiencing discrimination, and the racial and ethnic divisions and tension in New Orleans as well as his high school experience in Washington, DC. He also explained how discrimination and racial identity differed in the United States and Cuba as well as a brief history of slavery in both countries.
Flores explained he joined sports to be accepted; he felt hostility toward Black people because he was not accepted as a Black person in the US; learning about Black history and culture in the United States; and how and when he started to see commonalities between Black people in the US and himself.
Flores explained in detail Santeria, a religion with Yoruba roots; when and why he started to study Santeria; how he became a Santero and his work; and his goal to write a book about the roots of slavery and the roots of Santeria. He also spoke extensively about his mother's death, with a connection to Santeria.
Eduardo Flores was interviewed by Hector Corporan. Interview is in English. Digital audio files include white noise and static. Interviewee's voice is intelligible for the most part.
General:
Associated documentation, including partial transcripts, for this interview is available in the Anacostia Community Museum Archives. The textual transcripts are not verbatim of the audio recordings.
Title created by ACMA staff using text written on sound cassette, contents of audio recording, textual transcript, and/or associated archival documentation.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity among Black Immigrants in Washington, D. C. exhibition records, Anacostia Community Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).
Paul Hawkins, born as Paul G. Harkins, spoke about his childhood growing up in northeast Washington, DC; his father, who was a semi-pro baseball player, Sandlot semi-pro coach of baseball, and founder of a football league; enlisting for the navy in 1952 and his experience stationed in a minecraft base in Charleston, South Carolina, including his introduction to Latin music (Cuban); how and when he learned Latin dance; and participating in dance contests. He spoke about lots of specific Latin and Cuban musicians and dancers. Hawkins explained Jewish people were the main audience / dancers for Latin music and dancing and the main group of people hiring bands; and that Los Americanos, a "Black-oriented Latin sounding group", was "the first Black-oriented Latin sounding group that infiltrated the Jewish side of the fence".
Hawkins spoke about his band, Orquesta del Siglo Veinte, and the composition of the band's audience, multi-racial. He described the many clubs, venues, and dancehalls where his band performed in Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD. Hawkins explained his band hosted dances which attracted, formed, and grew the Latin community, which mostly consisted of Cubans and Puerto Ricans. He also explained this was the beginning of the forming of the political Latin community in Washington, DC and witnessing racial strife and separation within the Latin community as the community was organizing with no Black leaders on either side, Cubans or Puerto Ricans. Hawkins also spoke about the bomb scares during dances because the promoters did not like each other; losing jobs because venue owners did not want integrated audiences in their establishments; and organized fights breaking out during dances.
Interview is in English. Digital audio files include minimal white noise and static; interviewee can be heard clearly for the most part.
General:
Associated documentation for this interview is available in the Anacostia Community Museum Archives.
Title created by ACMA staff using text written on sound cassette, contents of audio recording, textual transcript, and/or associated archival documentation.
Collection Restrictions:
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity among Black Immigrants in Washington, D. C. exhibition records, Anacostia Community Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).
Ezulie (Haiti) ; Retour des Cayes (Haiti) ; Mazurca ; Sutileza (Cuba) ; How long blues (USA) ; How sweet the name (Jamaica) ; I got a lighthouse (Jamaica) ; Roll Jordan roll (USA) ; He's a friend of mine ; Frankie (USA) ; I believe I'll dust my broom ; Leave my love alone ; Vijana Niwambie (Kenya) ; Kenyatta aliiteswa sana ; Maboke nde temoin (Zaire).
Local Numbers:
FW-ASCH-10RR-0105
General:
Folkways 4602
CDR copy; file exists in the DAMS system
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. No duplication allowed listening and viewing for research purposes only.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Restrictions on access. No duplication allowed listening and viewing for research purposes only.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Restrictions on access. No duplication allowed listening and viewing for research purposes only.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Restrictions on access. No duplication allowed listening and viewing for research purposes only.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Restrictions on access. No duplication allowed listening and viewing for research purposes only.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Restrictions on access. No duplication allowed listening and viewing for research purposes only.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
