The Black Syracuse Project

Archive for February, 2011|Monthly archive page

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Connie Carmille Davis

In Oral History Interviews on February 25, 2011 at 10:20 am

Connie Carmille Davis grew up in Syracuse.  Here she is talking to Tasneem Grace Tewogbola about community life in the 15th Ward.  The 15th Ward was destroyed by the 1960s as a result of Urban Renewal.

The men and women that were older than us, I mean, were our seniors.  Now, I’m not saying old, old.  Like when they came in my aunt’s restaurant, there was a dance and some of the kids couldn’t afford it.  They would buy the tickets and leave them with my aunt and say “whoever wants to go to that dance, just give them a ticket.”  They looked after as.   Read the rest of this entry »

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People’s AME Zion Church: Ann Tussing remembers Reverend Proctor

In Oral History Interviews, People's AME Zion Church on February 23, 2011 at 10:22 am

Ann Tussing is the wife of Dale Tussing, former Professor of Economics at Syracuse University.  They are Quakers and participated in the civil rights movements in Syracuse in the 1960s.  Both were active in CORE, the Congress Of Racial Equality,  an organization that was considered radical at the time for its activities.  CORE had been meeting at Grace Episcopal Church until the church got a fire bomb threat for allowing CORE to meet there.  Reverend Proctor of People’s AME Zion Church opened his church to CORE and invited them to meet at People’s.

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People’s AME Zion Church: Ann Tussing singing Union / Civil Rights songs

In Oral History Interviews, People's AME Zion Church on February 23, 2011 at 10:18 am

Ann Tussing is the wife of Dale Tussing, former Professor of Economics at Syracuse  University.  Both were active members of CORE, Congress Of Racial Equality, and participated in the civil rights movement of the 1960s in Syracuse.   Among other CORE activities, they organized a march on Syracuse’s City Hall to protest the destruction of the 15th Ward, a dominantly African-American and Jewish community.

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Richard Breland Photography

In Photographs on February 10, 2011 at 1:04 am

George “Bebo” Singleton in 1956

Rufus Kearse & friend in 1956

Laff & Howard in 1954

Digital History Fair

In Events on February 7, 2011 at 10:27 am

 

The Digital History Fair was held on October 23rd, 2010 in Beauchamp Library in Syracuse, New York.  It was a collaborative effort organized by the Black History Preservation Project in which community residents brought in their family photographs and documents to be scanned and added to the shared collection.  Volunteers interviewed the participants and filled out metadata forms, recording as much information as possible.  The Black Syracuse Project was one of several participating organizations to help out that day, besides the Onondaga Historical Association, Syracuse University’s Library, and Light Work Community Darkroom.

 

Suzanne Preate, Digital Initiatives Librarian at Syracuse University’s Library, scanned the photographs and documents.

 

Here Vernita King, left, is interviewing Marshall Nelson on the family photos he has brought in.  The framed image is Mr. Nelson’s brother-in-law, Marvin Belt, who was tragically the first Syracusan casualty in the Vietnam War.

 

Richard Breland Exhibit Reception

In Events on February 4, 2011 at 1:00 am

Richard and friend

Richard Breland, pictured on the right, is a long time resident of Syracuse.  Between January 27th and March 4th, about fifty selected photographs from his personal collection are on display in the Panasci Lounge of the Schine Student Center of Syracuse University.  Mr. Breland’s photographs spans eight decades and document his life, from growing up in the 15th Ward of Syracuse to years in the service during the Korean War to settling back down in Syracuse, working for General Electric and staying active in the community.