Welcome to Neighborhood Voices!
Our Goals
Neighborhood Voices (NV), a project of DSNI, engages multiple generations in the documentation and promotion of the stories of families that moved to the neighborhood in the decades following WWII and rebuilt the community across diverse racial, ethnic and linguistic identities.
Why is this important?
To capture Boston neighborhood history
To capture diverse life stories of residents
To arm next generation with history/stories
To inform thinking about present and future challenges
Our Story
Stories cover post-WWII to the 1980s experiences and the journey to the neighborhood.
Themes include:
Housing
Immigration & Migration
Race Relations
Education
Hopes & Concerns
Listen and learn from the stories of the neighborhood, and let’s make sure those voices are heard!
To listen go to Neighborhood Voices at http://blogs.umb.edu/archives/ohc/neighborhood-voices/
Valduvino Gonçalves
Interviewer
“Interviewing my father meant the world to me. As I got older, our relationship and bond grew stronger and I realized that there was a lot that I didn’t know about him. This interview allowed me to do something positive, not only for DSNI and the Dudley area’s history, but also for my personal relationship with my father. For that, I’m forever grateful.”
Valerie Shelley
Interviewee
“My hope is that we get residents to see that they have a voice. To get residents to see not only do they have a voice but they have a voice that can be heard if they get out. You can’t sit home and talk. You have to get out there and talk. You have to get out there and be part of the community. As simple as that. This whole thing would not have evolved the way it did if residents... Look at what five residents did to get this development [redeveloped], it just took five. I would bet in this whole development you had twenty-five families, twenty-five families, I'm not talking about squatters, 'cause there were plenty of them… I'm talking about twenty-five residents that were paying rent to Boston Housing and most of 'em are still here 'cause they refused to move.”
