Gladys Reid Interview 08/10/2024

Gladys Reid Interview Transcription

So I am Natasha Fearon, and I'm here with Gladys Reid. At the Park Slope Old Timers Reunion at 4th Street and 6th Avenue on Saturday, August 10, 2024. Would you be able to spell your name for me, please? Gladys, g l a d y s, like Gladys Knight, and the pips, Mead. Okay. Without the pips. Without it. What is your relationship to Park Slope? So how long have you been here? Did you go on here and grow up?

Since I was 2 years old. I'm 15. Since the age of 2? Since the age of 2. And I'm now 74.

And you were born 19? 49. Do you have a particular powerful or important memory of Park Slope while you were growing up? The fact that it was always community based. Nobody I mean, even though it was predominantly Caucasian, we didn't have any problems. We all got along well. We all had open door policies. In those days, I don't know about now, but in those days, we all lived as a community. We accepted each other's cultures. We accepted each other's, related, cultures and whatever.

Because we had we had Lithuanians. We had we had, what do you call it? Italians. No Asians or Spanish. We didn't have none of that. Mhmm. You know, but we had a lot of different cultures of Caucasians. Okay. You know, so and everybody went in and out of each other's we always shared everything. We dealt with each other as regular people.

Nobody made you feel ostracized or nothing. Alright. Why did you come to the reunion today, Park Slope reunion reunion today? Because, like I said, I was here since I was 2. And I know all the kids.

I know their parents. My kids grew up here, and all their friends are here. So Can I ask where your parents are nationally from? My parents are from Haiti Okay. In the West Indies.

Alright. And they well, you both they came here in what what year? They came here, like, fifties, in 50, 1950, and went back. And I mean, they were here earlier, but then they went back and forth, back and forth. Right.

And they had 13 children. So I was one of I was one of the 13. And they left it with my grandparents, left me with my grandparents Mhmm. And came back here. Okay. And, essentially, I migrated. Alright. They brought me here. What are some of the some things you think people should know about Park Slope or just Brooklyn in general? Well, I like Park Slope because it's community minded.

Always been. And I think it always will be. You know, I don't think it'll ever change. Everybody loves Park Slope. If they can get in Park Slope, they would love to live here. Even if they end up having to move because of because of the economy, they can't afford the rents or whatever. But as long as you're able to make it, people wanna be here. Park Slope has always been, really we all know each other. We all accept each other. I don't know about now like before, but now, you know, we just we're doing.

What are your hopes for the future of the neighborhood? Continue to be the same. People that's here now, they don't wanna move neither, really, tell you the truth. My tenants, they they would be forever. They would be forever, and they like my family. You know? If you live here 10 years and better in my house, listen, they're not going nowhere because we're all family. We do things together. And they're they're not they're for occasion. And we do to they take care of me.

I take care of them. We cook together. We we party together. We hang out in the backyard. We do everything.

We go you know what I'm saying? So and we don't look at color or compare none of that. But you're a homeowner. Yes. Okay.

I will. I will. I will. I will. I will. My last question, when you think of Park Slope and you think of history, what do you what do you believe that Park Slope could give to history, or what could it leave for history? Or is it Park Slope? Is is it history itself? Very, very rich because we've had a lot. You see, that's part of the community. All those kids, they're all home for my kids.

Wow. So everybody everybody's been through my house. Everybody's been they come to my house to eat. They all call me Ma. Everybody comes to the house. There's always food. There's always food. There's always juice. Even if they're coming through, they have to stop and see me. No matter where they lose out to, everybody stops to check up on me or they call me or they FaceTime me.

And we just like that that ongoing spirit of community. And that's what's really important about communities in general, I think. How are you doing? Alright. Well, I thank you, miss Friedi.

You have concluded my interview for today. And your name again? Natasha. And which well, you got my email. You'll send me an interview.