Allegra Maple Interview 08/10/2024

Allegra Maple Interview Transcription

Good morning. My name is Natasha, and I'm here with Allegra Maple. We are at the Park Slope old timers reunion where we are meeting at Daisy's Diner in the heart of Park Slope located on Fifth Avenue between 9th and 10th. Miss Allegra, can you please spell out your phone number for us? Yes.

My name is Allegra Maple. And as miss Tasha has stated, we are at Daisy Diner, a landmark in Park Slope, located again at 5th Avenue between 9th and 10th Street. So as we start and begin this interview, my first question for you is what is your relationship to Park Slope? Meaning, how long have you been here? Were you born in the neighborhood?

My relationship to Park Slope is a long one. Almost close to and I am not ashamed to say it. Almost close to 65 years and 2 weeks, October 25th. I came here actually when I was about 3 or 4 years old, and we lived practically on every block in Park Slope starting with 4th Street, 3rd Street, 7th Street, 8th Street, 15th Street, and now at 10th Street for 42 years. Same apartment.

Okay. Did you I know that there is a public school liability. It is on 10th Street, a Clark Street, in the Oldstone Hottish House. Did you go to that public school? They said it was a neighborhood one that everyone went to.

Okay. I went to and not too many people know this, and only those of us who are still blessed to be here know this. The school that I first attended was PS 77. PS 70 sevens was located on second Street between 6 and 6 and 7th Avenue. P s 77 was torn down.

In fact, when I went there, I went there for kindergarten and first grade. Then when PS 321 was built, and that's what the school that, miss Tasha is talking about, PS 321, I went there and graduated. In fact, I was the 1st graduating class of PS 321. The funny thing is is that when I went into the 3rd grade, my mother was blessed enough to, be employed at PS 321. So you can imagine, a student at school and having your mom work there.

It was it was good. With so many changes going on in the neighborhood, of course, financial, justification, just the evolution of the neighborhood. What makes you still wanna stay within Park Slope? Is it the community feeling? Is it the family feeling?

Okay. The reason why I'm still here and blessed to be here, I had served in, City of New York for 36 and a half years. Now retired, it'll be 6 years in December. Yes. I've witnessed many of my childhood friends, unfortunately, left Park Slope.

Many due due to gentrification, including my own family, my mom and my 2 brothers, and I was still blessed enough to be here at Park Slope. I live in a building that first was Mitchell Lama, then it went into rent stabilization. And the course of the questionings from friends and some of those friends, had owned houses, and unfortunately, some sold their houses. But people had asked me and said to me, oh, like, well, you're gonna move, and why should I move? I was serving the city of New York, and I always said that if I did move, I would buy a house.

Unfortunately or fortunately, things did not happen that way, but I do believe everything happens for a reason. And, again, I am grateful to still be here. I have seen the changes in Park Slope, many that people wouldn't even think about or know about. In fact, I'm here to talk about it. Good, bad, and the ugly.

So with that being said, what are some things that we should know know about Park Slope? Park Slope is part of the Brooklyn, saying, Brooklyn is the borough of churches, and Park Slope has several churches, several denominations, synagogues. The church that I grew up in was, Park Slope Methodist Church located on 8th Street and 6th Avenue. I also went to Brooklyn Tabernacle that was on Flappish Avenue now downtown Brooklyn. But, again, it was raised in a church.

Reason why Park Slope is, the way it is is because of the brownstones, back in the beginning, it was, and I say was, it was a neighborhood because and even society in itself, it was a village. Everyone looked out for one another. We didn't know color in a sense that until society in itself was changing, then we realized, okay, as children growing up, you know, something is different. Our friends were leaving, some were going to Long Island, Staten Island. So, again, Park Slope had its evolution.

I like Park Slope because of the building that I'm in. There's still some of us who originated from here and still here, and we know our neighbors. It's the unfortunate part now that you have newcomers coming in. Park Slope went into the part where it felt like Manhattan because Manhattan was getting too expensive, so let's let's go to Brooklyn. But again, Park Slope is part of the borough of churches.

Park Slope is the brownstones and baby carriages, and a lot of people are dog owners. So, it's a neighborhood. It's still a neighborhood that's not as close as it was before, but to me, it's still home. It's still a neighborhood. I see a lot of changes that are happening.

They're building buildings that is like, wow, the architect is not the same. But just as in life, nothing remains the same, and change is inevitable. And we ourselves, in order to keep up, we have to be part of that change. So just to go back a little bit, do you have any siblings? I do.

I have 2 brothers. In fact, I saw my brother on one of my brothers yesterday. So one of my brothers, he's still here in New York. He lives in Jamaica, Queens, though. And my other brother had left New York.

He was in the military. He's now, in Georgia. I am the eldest of 2 brothers, and I have a sister from, my dad. And I don't call her stepsister hamster. What she's my sister.

And I also I have a daughter, who right before COVID or during COVID right before COVID, she had went down to Miami to take care of business. COVID happened. She quarantined, got married, and I have a grandson who's 3 years old. So COVID, in as much as COVID brought death to our family and many families, COVID also brought a blessing. Unfortunately, my cousin and my dad died of COVID, but my daughter got married and brought life into the world.

So that is we have to look at the blessings and things. Right. Is there anything that you can think of when you were a child growing up in a park slope that remains heavily with you now still? Like, any life learned lessons or just something that was, given to you or not given to you, but told you that you saw as you grew up. It one thing, that my mom being a single mom had always taught my brothers and I that to treat people the way we wanna be treated, to have respect for ourselves and for others, If you can't get along with someone, leave them alone.

It it's funny because I remember as a child, you know, because we used to play outside. Unfortunately, the children of today, their their punishment is to go into their room where they have all these, gadgets. But when we were growing up, we played outside. And how we did it, we knew by the when the street light went on, we knew to be home. We didn't have cell phones then, but we knew where to meet up at.

And sometimes that what comes to me is, like, how do we do that? But the thing that I remember in particular is that I remember playing patty cake with one of my neighbors. My mom used to babysit, 3 sisters. And we were playing patty cake outside. And one of the, young ladies, neighborhood, child, she came around and she wanted to play with us.

Well, we said not now because we had this game going on. It was a tussle. I'm a say it like that. I went upstairs and told my mom what happened. I'm crying.

She said, when you go back down here and you let her know that she can't treat you like that. Long story short, her mom invited me over for dinner. Okay. That was when I was 4 years old. Maybe I'm sorry.

Yeah. Maybe 5 or 6 years old. Do you know due to the reunion that John Lee has, I the reunion, the young lady who we had that tussle with, she came to that reunion, and we talked about what happened. I didn't mean to make her cry, but we both cried of happiness that we've overcame that, and we just talked about our growing up here in Park Slope and growing into the women that we are today. Okay.

So and so just getting from that story, I feel like Park Slope has a lot to do with your identity of who this beautiful person in front of me is today. Thank you. But it has a lot to do with that. So what do you feel what does history mean to you now that you you you've come from such of, a area that is just rich with history as far as, like, time? What I've come through is that I know one thing.

We are all human beings, and I have this saying if I may. We all eat, we all go to the bathroom, and we all are not gonna be here one day. With all that's going on in the world, why don't we just get along? And if we can't get along, just leave the person alone. And a lot of it that I learned has to do with self.

If we don't love ourselves or accept who we are as who we are, no matter the race, creed, color, our our sexual orient, any of that, we are all human beings. We are all 1. Because if you cut my skin and I cut Tasha, we ain't gonna do that here, but we all bleed the same color blood. So let's get along. And it's such a beauty when we do meet up with those who have been in the neighborhood and I'm just blessed again.

I count my blessing. Blessed enough to have served this city for 36 years and to still be in the same apartment that I had when I, started when I first moved out on my own because this is the first apartment I ever had. I moved out when I was 21 years old. And you kept it? And I kept this apartment.

I showed you. I'm starting to tear up. Oh my god. Don't wanna miss a bad girl. Y'all make me tear up.

That but that's strong because you know what? A lot of people don't are not able to even be in the same apartment for so many years. When you said Mitchell Lama, I just thought to my about your dad, my aunt has been in a building that was is owned by Mitchell Lama, and then they have went to rent a stipulation, and then they sold to the city. And my aunt lived there for almost my whole life, actually. Mhmm.

And I'm in my late early forties now. And so I just just the history in itself where I'm she said sing blues. She wanted to buy a house, and, you know, and then just time happened and she didn't even work for the city. Mhmm. You know?

Mhmm. But, like, once she just retired not too long ago Mhmm. And I'm like everybody's like, why didn't you never buy houses? She's like, for what? Like, now that I'm now that I'm older now, she has one daughter, her daughter have children.

Mhmm. So now that she's open now, this is, like, the best place for her. She never moved out of the neighborhood. And so it's like she knows everybody. Everybody knows her.

There you go. And actually, it's just a it's just it's a good type to see. Like, especially if I ever lived in Boston, but I see them, like, boy, that's someone who knows. Mhmm. No.

You come small to teeny to now? And and and that's a blessing and and and not to, interrupt, but the blessing is also, and I look at it as a blessing because it's not only me. My daughter's father was from Park Slope also. His family was one of the, families, black families that owned a house on sixth street. I know the house.

Okay? And, unfortunately, he was killed when I was 8 months pregnant. But prior to that, of course, he was a coach, a basketball coach. He led the YMCA that's located on ninth street between 5th and 6th Avenue to their 1st championship game. People in the neighborhood knew him, so when he passed away, it was, of course, heartfelt.

But everyone knew everyone and that's what made Park Slope a family. We all looked out for one another. If, you needed something and it it wasn't a hesitation, and that's the culture also because there's a lot of cultures that look out for each other. Right? Okay?

And and and and it's it's an unspoken law that you do. If I have, you have. No questions asked. But I'm going today. But unfortunately, due to gentrification, due to the high rise in rent, a lot of parents, a lot of families don't have that nana, that grandma, that abuela to take care of their children.

I had that village when my daughter was born, 46 years ago. My mom being a teacher at 3 21 during the school year, mom, you know, she was able to take care of my child. I had my aunties, the titties. I it was again a village. And unfortunately and I say to be honest and in a home, New York has lost that.

Not just Arkansas. Okay? It's Brooklyn in itself. Brooklyn in itself. What I call New York is I call New York baked unseasoned chicken and that's another store.

But that flavor is gone because unfortunately, you have people that they don't we don't they did that connection is not there, you know. The connection is gone. The connection is gone. And, unfortunately, COVID caused that even more because you're walking around with a mask, and we don't know who that person is. So you see the eyes.

The eyes are important because the eyes are the window to the soul. But that human connection, they can talk about AI, machines, technology. There was a study what happens to babies born in a nursery. They did a group of babies who were not held during their birth and those babies that were held. If we understand and learn from that study, we know that we need each other.

We're all connected. You're all connected. Okay. Given my history here. Sometimes when we look back on our life, we don't we don't understand that we've gone through something and you'd be more appreciative that you went through.

Because you'll be able to encourage other others. So I like I was telling, miss Tasha that I had the school that I went to. Public education, he has 77, he has 321, IS 88, New York City Community excuse me, IS 88, Climbaud High School Dental Assistant, then New York City community New York City community, and it was New York City Tech. They changed it now. Then York College, graduate as a social worker.

I don't know how I did it because I worked full time for one of the largest city agencies in the country and it is HRA, Department of Social Services. Was a kind, ended up being a social worker there. That's another damn time. Then going to school part time from Brooklyn to, Queens, I've done a lot, but I know that I've been through it so I can encourage others. Because not only did I lose my daughter's father, but I met a wonderful man in 1990, we got married in 95.

Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with cancer in 1998. He died at Wednesday before Thanksgiving in 1999. And I tell people, and this is the other part, when you're in the neighborhood, when you know people that know what you've gone through, that connection, that hug that you see when you're walking down the street. Hey, you still alive. I'm starting to hear what happened this that and that's what makes Park Slope, Park Slope.

And even the people in the building that I live in, that's what makes Park Slope, Park Slope. Mhmm. We were taught we were taught to speak to one another. My thing is don't look at me and not speak to you. I met the person whose mother owned that other black house on fourth Street between 5th and sixth Avenue.

So there were several families, who owned houses in Park Slope, but you also had those who because the city in itself was changing. The city was changing. You had greedy landlords that came in. It was a house on 13th Street and Seventh Avenue, and it's a known fact that many landlords purposely burned their buildings down so they can get the insurance money. Okay?

Yes, Parks Club had their, race issues several blocks you would not cross because you knew not to. So you had the Irish, you had the Italians, you had then I remember when the Puerto Ricans were coming into the neighborhood. Now, historically, Park Slope has been divided geographically into 4 sections. Northwest from Union Street to Flappish Avenue Mhmm. 4th Avenue to 6th Avenue, Northeast from 5th Street to Sterling Place, and from 6th Avenue to Prospect Park West.

Southwest from Prospect Park Avenue to Union Street, and from 4th Avenue to 6th Avenue, Southeast from Prospect Avenue to 5th Street and from 6th Avenue to Prospect Park West. Now, I did a report on Park Slope. It's dated 1987. I could tell you right now due to politics, this division of Hawkslope has been changed. And yes, Hawkslope has a lot of political issues, whether it be good, bad, and difference.

But I do remember again the Puerto Ricans when they came in. I could just break this down. Each of Park Slope's 4 sections in their early history was inhabited by specific ethnic groups, the Dutch, German, English, and Scottish families lived in the wealthier eastern portions. Mhmm. The Irish families lived in the mid slope, and the Italian families lived closest to the Gowanus Canal.

However, between 19301950, most of the Dutch, German, English, and Scottish families have moved. The islands then moved up closer to the park. The Italians took mid Clarksville. By the 19 fifties, blacks and Hispanics moved into blocks bordering the Gowanus Canal. Upward mobility experienced by the arms and the towns went as a natural process, continue on to the blacks and Hispanics who were moving into the slope.

However, this did not happen because between 1950 1970, changes began to take place that are shaped by the National Political and Economic Forces. During this time, New York City's manufacturing base began to disappear. So this city, Holstoke in particular, had a lot of blue collar workers because of the change in economics and the factories, moving away. There's a a clock factory on Seventh Avenue between 13th and 12th Street that is currently, condo. But that was the famous Ansonia, clockwork factory.

Basically, Foxlope is, a residential area. The heart of Foxlope, I would say, there was a division between like 9th Street, Union Street. So there are certain blocks that divided certain, nationality. Yes, back in the day, Hardslope had 0 drug wars. They had, they had, gangs.

Park Slope is also noted for a lot of entertainers live in this area as well. A lot of writers such as myself, I'm the author, live in the neighborhood. And I do believe my friend, Phillips Hernandez, WBGO 88.3, I do believe he still lives in Park Slope. I know he did it one time, but, Park Slope is a diverse neighborhood. More more diverse than other neighborhoods, I must say.

Okay. So miss this is cool. You mentioned Tasha. Miss Connie Fenton. Yes.

Miss Connie Fenton was Park Slope's Avon lady. Miss Fenton lived on Fourth Street. That's the one of my family who lived on Third Street. And my mom would give me a note, money, and the, order that she wanted from miss Fenton. And I would go around the corner, give her the money, give her the order, and I would get my mom's Avon.

And the best thing for the mosquitoes was that soft and soft and skin so soft skin so soft, lotion not the lotion. Oil. The oil. That's what we thought. The oil right off the mosquitoes.

It's Kylie Fenton, small world. Her and my mom worked at p s 21 together. And we are so blessed as the product of the children to know that she is still with us. And in fact, tell you how small the woman is, because she has now lived in New Jersey, she lives right across the street in Jersey from one of my daughter's relatives and one of her cousins. Yeah.

But lovely woman. And that just brings my point as far as the intersectionality where we still have someone who is 94 years old. We have someone sitting in front of us, miss Allegra, who actually remembers miss Fenton, rem remembers who she was in the neighborhood. And that's just going to show you the community as far as Park Slope, how they were so intertwined that even decades later, you still stretch such an action. And the most important thing that I need to say, Breon, there was a saying no man or or woman is an island to themselves.

Back in the day, your name meant something. Who are you? Oh, you're Ernestine Maples' daughter? Oh, you're Ernestine Maples' son? I saw my brother yesterday, and he even said he's I'm Ernestine Maplesone.

When we walked out of that house, we represented our family. So if you get something more, oh my goodness. You got it from that neighbor, the family that knew your mom. Tell you a quick story. I'm dating my daughter's father.

We was my daughter's father was supposed to go to the cops to babysit his name. He didn't get there, and I was supposed to be at a young people's meeting. I didn't get there. Got home. My mom said, so, Michael, what happened?

And back then, that's when McDonald's on 35th Street in 4th Avenue first opened. I said, oh, me and Lenny went to McDonald's. And she said, why aren't you supposed to go to the young people's meeting and you weren't there? Don't lie. I looked at I said, how do how do you know?

She said, because Minh's Park and another family, African American family come on the neighborhood. We all they all looked outside. And as children, we knew we had to walk them straight and narrow because we knew whatever we did, it was gonna get back to our parents. And back then, our parents respected the that neighbor, that elder, that adult, that teacher, that if their child did anything, it wasn't one of, oh, they're lying on you, or you or you're not going to respect that other adult. Children of today, for whatever reasons, and there's a lot of reasons, that respect is lost for elders.

And the first adult that a child comes in contact with are their parents. Mhmm. But society has there's a lot of issues behind that. Don't have enough time in the day to talk about it during this interview, but, that's another that's another interview. If you can sum up in just maybe a paragraph or maybe a sentence of what Park Slope means to you or what just what Park Slope is, what would you say?

What would you say? So to answer to your question, what Park Slope means to me, Slope means my entire life. My okay. Yes. Park Slope is, to me, my my entire life, my whole 65 years.

With my daughter, I was blessed to have my daughter. I also had my princess. I had a Bijon poodle mix. I had a, Bijon poodle mix. I never got a strong What's up?

I had a, Bijon noodle mix who, unfortunately, she passed away, last year. I am also a World Trade Center survivor. Life, even though I went through what I went through, because I always say that life is 10% of what happens and 90% of how we deal with it. And I refuse to have the devil have its way. I refuse to have anyone come into where God has blessed me with to try and take it away from me.

If anything, I'm here to teach people. I know my purpose on earth is to give hope to people, to let them know that you may be down, out, or what have you, but you don't have to stay there. Some people say, well, under the circumstance, what are you doing under there? Get up, push yourself off, and start all over again. I love Crossland.

It's taught me a lot. I am a product of the New York City Public School System, and, again, proud to have been service to the city of New York for 36 and a half years. That part of me being a social worker, you never retire from that. I had some paperwork that needed to be notarized the other day, And just so happens, the notary that came to notarize those papers, she works for the agency as well. So I'm proud.

And, I love Cross Slope. I let people know, hey. We're here to have a good time. We may not be here for a long time, but we're here to have a good time. And that concludes our beauty.

Oh. Oh. I almost forgot. We are here in the lovely Daisy Diner. Daisy Diner is an establishment that has been here since 1935 with 3 owners, and miss Tasha will speak to the current owner.

Daisy Diner is a diner that back in the day in the eighties nineties when we were partying and before we went home, we had breakfast. And this was the diner where we had breakfast at, then we went home. And or, if some of us can remember, we party on that Thursday night, Friday. We were at work. Thank you, miss Tasha, for your time.

I hope I did I hope I did well. You did very well. And that concludes our interview with miss Allegra Maple. Thank you so much, ma'am.