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Brock, Joan
No full textJoan Brock, born 1943, grew up on Bryant Avenue between 173 and 174 Streets in the Bronx. The East Bronx was considered poorer than the West Bronx, split by the Grand Concourse. Both of her parents were born and raised in New York, and they met while they were both working in a tea factory. Her father would get into the business of selling vending machines until Brock was 13 and he bought a hardware store. Her mother never worked after marrying except to help her husband with the store.
Brock describes the neighborhood as predominantly Jewish and Italian, though her school was integrated with some Black and Puerto Rican students by the time she started kindergarten. Everyone in the neighborhood lived in five or six storey apartment houses and shared bedrooms with their siblings, so Brock considered it very luxurious when they moved into a three bedroom apartment and she had her own room. She attended PS 50, which she remembers for having a very tough principal, and Herman Ridder, which was renowned for music and art. Al Pacino lived in her building and attended the same school. Many who attended the school went on to be successful in music and art, and Brock says her love began there and that is why she became a speech, drama, and English teacher. She then attended James Monroe High School.
The major shopping area was 174 Street, where Brock describes stores of all kinds. Once she began taking the bus and subway herself at age 11, she and her friends traveled all over the city, including to Coney Island. Brock explains she did not realize she was poor because everyone around her lived the same way, and it was not until seeing single family homes on television that she came to realize people lived differently. Her family was not kosher, and Brock learned to cook at 13 when her mother began to help in the hardware store. Brock remembers reading from the Bible in public school and putting on shows in junior high and high school. She describes feeling safe outside of a few situations in her youth, though everyone was afraid of gangs, like the Fordham Baldies, that they never really interacted with.
Brock taught for three years at James Monroe before she got pregnant and she and her husband moved to Rockland County. She taught there for many years after. She says that she learned her toughness from growing up in the Bronx and to always fight back. Her mother pushed for her to go to college, as her father saw no need because she was going to get married anyway. Yet, she felt that she needed to teach because her other career options were limited. Brock explains that in her day, the smartest women went into teaching, and because there are more opportunities for women today that is not necessarily the case. Brock describes many of her teaching experiences, from being a 20 year old teacher of 18 years olds to participating in the 1967 Teachers Strike.
Brock felt she never left the Bronx, even in moving to Rockland County, because so many people also came from the Bronx. She describes going back to see her old neighborhood and going back to reunions at James Monroe. Brock proudly shares her graduating class had the first non-white president, Tommy Yi, who was Asian.
Keywords:
Bryant Avenue, 174 Street, East Bronx, race, Black, Herman Ridder, James Monroe, poverty, Rockland County, 1967-1968 Teachers Strike, education, teachin
Rothstein, Richard
No full textRichard Rothstein, born in 1942, was born in Beth Israel Hospital in Manhattan, and lived on Webster Avenue with his parents who initially moved to the Bronx from Manhattan. Rothstein’s mother was a Hungarian immigrant, and he spoke Hungarian at home until the age of eight. The family later moved to Harrison Avenue, where he remembers having many Italian and Irish neighbors but very few Jewish ones. However, as Rothstein’s family was not religious, their lack of Jewish neighbors was not a bother. Rothstein remembers being bullied as a kid by some of his Irish and Italian peers and recalls the difficulties and joys of school.
Rothstein began his education at PS 115, where he attended for his first three years of elementary school before moving to PS 91. For junior high, Rothstein attended Junior High School 79, which he describes as prison-like. Rothstein then moved to California, where he lived with his brother and in-laws in an effort to modify his educational performance. However, he later moved back to New York, where he graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School with an academic diploma. Later in life, he became an engineer and had a long career in environmental testing, even working on the Apollo at one point. Despite his educational difficulties, Rothstein believes that he got a good education and remembers fondly some of the individuals who helped him as a young student.
Additionally, Rothstein remembers the freedom of the New York public transportation system and the availability of free museum concerts, contrasting his experiences in New York to his experiences in California. Rothstein enjoyed the availability of things to do in the city and remembers concerts. movies and shopping with his mother were some of his most formative experiences growing up. However, in addition to the joys of his childhood in the Bronx, Rothstein recalls the fear of arson and riots that eventually led him and his wife to move out of the Bronx.
Keywords:
Webster Avenue, Harrison Avenue, PS 115, PS 91, Junior High School 79, DeWitt Clinton High School, white flight, Cross Bronx Expresswa
A Review of Mental Health in Humanitarian Workers in South Sudan. What Does Mental Health and Wellbeing Mean to Humanitarians’ Workers, and Can Humanitarian Organisations Better Support Their Staff?
No full textA review of mental health in humanitarian workers in South Sudan. What does mental health and wellbeing mean to humanitarians’ workers, and can humanitarian organisations better support their staff?Dissertation directed by Andrew Rasmussen, Ph.D.Humanitarian work is stressful business, often it involves emergency situations and dealing with traumatic events and chronic stress that can take its toll on those who work in this field. South Sudan is considered one of the most dangerous countries for humanitarians to work with a long history of conflict and violence. There is little research that exists of the topic of mental health in humanitarian workers in this context.This study reviewed the mental health perceptions of humanitarian workers in South Sudan, what is currently in place and what they suggested could be done better.An interview process was conducted using five questions that were used to answer the broader question. Using a qualitative thematic analysis these questions were compared and reviewed with similar research on this subject.Ten participants from a large international humanitarian organisation were interviewed, all of whom are currently living and working in South Sudan. The answers from the participants were in line with comparable research.The results of this research suggest that humanitarian workers in South Sudan experience significant work-related stress which effects their mental health. Although the organisation for whom they work are committed to improving staff mental health and supporting their employees there is still much to be done to improve and more study needed to determine how this can be done better
Seperson, Susanne
No full textSummarizer: Reyna Stovall
Susane Seperson was born in Germany to Polish Holocaust survivors, Annie and David Bleiburg. Due to sponsorship from extended family living in New York, Seperson’s family immigrated to the United States. The family’s first home was on Tiffany Street and Seperson remembers being taken in a carriage to Crotona Park as a young child. Later, the family moved to an apartment above Seperson’s father’s cleaning store on 355 East 187th Street off Fordham Road and the Grand Concourse.
Seperson’s family remained in the 355 East 187th Street apartment through her elementary and junior high school years in PS 85 and Junior High School 115 where she was in the SP program. Seperson also attended Hebrew school at the Jacob Schiff Center. However, Seperson’s fondest memories are of swimming with her friend Francis at the center’s community pool. For high school Seperson’s family moved to Pelham Parkway and she attended the High School of Music and Art, which she recalls with fond memories.
For entertainment Seperson would often visit the Bronx Botanical Gardens and the Museum of Natural History with her family as well as various places around Manhattan such as the Wollman\u27s Memorial Skating Rink. Seperson remembers growing up in a kosher home and visiting kosher restaurants both in the Bronx and the Lower East Side of Manhattan with her family.
Seperson recalls the social movements occurring around the US as she grew up such as the Civil Rights Movement, Women’s Movement, and the Vietnam War. Overall, Seperson looks back on her growing up in the Bronx with fond memories and a feeling of freedom.
Key Words: Crotona Park, Tiffany Street, Fordham Road, Grand Concourse, PS 85, Junior High School 115, Jacob Schiff Center, Pelham Parkway, High School of Music and Art, Bronx Botanical Gardens, Kosher, Yiddish, Vietnam War, Civil Rights Movement, Women’s Movement, Pelham Parkway Jewish Center, Co-Op City, Freedom Lan
Robin
No full text“Robin” was born in 1944. Her parents were both born in the United States, with her mother’s family immigrating from Ukraine. “Robin” grew up on 205th street in an apartment until she turned 12 and her family moved to a two-family home on 208th street. While the 205th street area was both Irish and Jewish, the 208th street neighborhood was mostly Jewish. She attended PS 56, which was considered experimental because they learned Spanish in 6th grade. “Robin” remembers biking, playing basketball, and taking ballet classes.
“Robin” traveled with her family to beaches such as Fire Island, Rye Beach, and Orchard Beach. Within the Bronx, they dressed up to go to the Bronx Zoo or visited the Botanical Gardens, while doing their shopping on Fordham Road. “Robin”’s father was an electrical contractor and her mother stayed home to take care of “Robin”’s sick aunt. She did not enjoy school as she got older, wanting to focus on her dancing and acrobatics. In high school, she was able to get a job as a key punch operator. “Robin” enjoyed going down to Greenwich Village for the music and the art shows.
“Robin”’s family was not very religious, and kept only certain kosher-style rules, like not eating milk and dairy together. She began working after high school and worked in architectural firms and interior design. While she moved into Manhattan, she often returned to the Bronx for shopping and stayed with her family, sleeping in her old room. “Robin” shares she has pleasant memories of growing up in the Bronx, spending time with her family and making lifelong friends.
Keywords: Ukraine, Westchester, Fire Island, Greenwich Village, art, PS 56, JHS 80, Evander, friendshi
Any Villanueva
No full textIn her interview, 67-year-old Peruvian transgender woman Any Villanueva shares her life defined by courage, resilience, and authenticity. Transitioning at 24 in Brazil, Any\u27s journey to embrace her true identity was marked by hardship and triumph. Despite facing rejection and trauma in Peru, Any found safety and acceptance upon immigrating to New York City in 2021, where she discovered a vibrant LGBTQ+ community. Any\u27s expressed her love of making clothes and attending galas, where she celebrates her beauty and individuality. In their conversation, Any expresses mentions that LGBTQ activist Lorena Borjas is her inspiration and where she found support after being diagnosed with HIV. While she embraces her life in New York, Any remains committed to advocating for visibility and acceptance for older transgender women and hopes to inspire others with her story of resilience and self-discovery. Through her journey, Any showcases the possibility of finding authenticity and joy, serving as an inspiration to Latin American members of the LGBTQ community. This interview was conducted in Spanish. } data-sheets-userformat= { 2 :769, 3 :{ 1 :0}, 11 :4, 12 :0} style= font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; \u3eAbstract prepared by Jordin Arnead-Wilson In her interview, 67-year-old Peruvian transgender woman Any Villanueva shares her life defined by courage, resilience, and authenticity. Transitioning at 24 in Brazil, Any\u27s journey to embrace her true identity was marked by hardship and triumph. Despite facing rejection and trauma in Peru, Any found safety and acceptance upon immigrating to New York City in 2021, where she discovered a vibrant LGBTQ+ community. Any\u27s expressed her love of making clothes and attending galas, where she celebrates her beauty and individuality. In their conversation, Any expresses mentions that LGBTQ activist Lorena Borjas is her inspiration and where she found support after being diagnosed with HIV. While she embraces her life in New York, Any remains committed to advocating for visibility and acceptance for older transgender women and hopes to inspire others with her story of resilience and self-discovery. Through her journey, Any showcases the possibility of finding authenticity and joy, serving as an inspiration to Latin American members of the LGBTQ community. This interview was conducted in Spanish
Trajectories of Cognitive Aging among American Indian and Alaskan Native People with and without HIV
No full textThis study described trajectories of cognitive aging among AI/AN adults with and without HIV and the role of biosociocultural factors longitudinally. To accomplish this, we characterized trajectories of cognitive aging in a sample of 333 American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) and 309 non-Latinx White (NLW) adults who were followed longitudinally for up to 20 years by the HIV Neurobehavioral Research Program (HNRP) across six U.S. satellite sites. After assessing missingness and multiple imputation convergence, growth curve modeling with autoregressive lag-1 structures with heterogenous residual variances were used to assess the role of ethnoracial identity, HIV status, HIV clinical indices, education, and language upon decline in trajectories of cognitive aging. Age was used as our continuous metric of time. This study found that AI/AN adults demonstrated earlier and steeper decline in normative trajectories of cognitive aging on tasks of processing speed and timed tasks of attention/working memory, executive function, and psychomotor speed in comparison to NLW adults. Mechanisms of risk seemed both shared and unique across AIAN subpopulations, such as the greater risk for an amnestic profile among Latinx AI/AN populations. Accentuated trajectories of cognitive aging were evident in HIV in comparison to HIV- controls and are primarily driven by the role of immunosenescence. Disparate trajectories of cognitive aging in set-shifting abilities remained evident after adjusting for educational differences between AI/AN and NLW adults. Broadly, AI/AN adults did not benefit equally from the protective effects of greater years of education upon set-shifting abilities in early adulthood in comparison to their NLW peers. HIV status influenced the effects of education upon trajectories of cognitive aging, such that those with fewer years of education and weaker immune systems had steeper slopes in decline on set- shifting tasks. Regarding the effects of language, monolingual Spanish-speaking and bilingual English/Spanish-speaking groups had steeper slopes of decline as they aged in comparison to monolingual English-speaking groups. Language status significantly influenced the effects of HIV status upon performance on tests of executive function, such that Spanish-speakers poor performance was exacerbated in the context of immunosenescence. In conclusion, the interplay of biosociocultural factors explain significant variance in AI/AN disparities in trajectories of cognitive aging
Japanese Foreign Policy in the Shadow of Hegemonic Shifts
No full textThis thesis investigates whether Japanese foreign policy has changed in response to the shifting power dynamic between Japan’s longtime ally, the United States of America, and China. In recent years, U.S. influence in the Asia-Pacific has waned while Chinese influence has inversely grown. It was hypothesized that Japanese foreign policy would become more agreeable with Chinese attitudes as a result. With that in mind, this study explores the term “hegemony”, how it affects the formation of foreign policy, and how it is present in the relationship of these specific actors. A historical analysis is performed to demonstrate and understand Japan’s current state of foreign relations. Ultimately, an examination of Japan’s modern foreign policy finds that it does not begin to skew towards China but instead acts as a hedge against U.S. decline
Remember the Hand: Manuscription in Early Medieval Iberia
No full textRemember the Hand studies a body of articulate manuscript books from the Christian monasteries of northern Iberia in the tenth and eleventh centuries. These exceptional, richly illuminated codices have in common an urgent sense of scribal presence—scribes name themselves, describe themselves, even paint their own portraits. While marginal notes, even biographical ones, are a common feature of medieval manuscripts, rarely do scribes make themselves so fully known. These writers address the reader directly, asking for prayers of intercession and sharing of themselves. They ask the reader to join them in not only acknowledging the labor of writing but also in theorizing it through analogy to agricultural work or textile production, tending a garden of knowledge, weaving a text out of words.
By mining this corpus of articulate codices (known to a school of Iberian codicologists, but virtually unstudied outside that community), Catherine Brown recovers these scribes’ understanding of reading as a powerful, intimate encounter between many parties—authors and their text, scribes and their pen, patrons and their art-object, readers and the words and images before their eyes—all mediated by the material object known as the book. By rendering that mediation conspicuous and reminding us of the labor that necessarily precedes that mediation, the scribes reach out to us across time with a simple but profound directive: Remember the hand.
Remember the Hand is available from the publisher on an open-access basis
The Card Games Ended After the Towers Fell - The Post-9/11 Transatlantic Novel: From Postmodernism to the New Sincerity
No full textIn the weeks that followed the events of September 11, 2001, articles and essays appeared in many major American and British newspapers and magazines suggesting that the attacks had accelerated an epochal shift already under way in cultural values away from irony and towards sincerity. Ultimately, the task of pivoting the transatlantic novel from literary postmodernism to the new sincerity was taken up by authors such as Jonathan Franzen in Freedom, Don DeLillo in Falling Man, and Ian McEwan in Saturday. This project grounds the new sincerity textually and historically, charts the transition and its margins, and ultimately seeks to establish the cartography of a movement that is nascent, or perhaps even short-lived. Authors of the new sincerity emphasize mimesis, verisimilitude, and narrative continuity in order to create palatable, humanistic stories. Amid the convoluted, tectonic jostling of governments, corporations, and other large, powerful organizations (arguably the hallmark of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, exhaustively explained, critiqued, and co-opted by the postmodernists), it is necessary to re-center the recognizable, inhabitable human subject. What values do readers seek in post-9/11 novels? To what degree do readers want to be challenged by the complex geopolitical realities of the times, and to what degree do they want to be reassured that the soft assurances of empathy and beauty are still intact? By examining three marquee, realist novels published between 2005 and 2010, I demonstrate that the vulnerability felt after 9/11 disabused readers of the idea that cleverness, irony, and ever more complicated webs of allusion and pastiche are fulfilling substitutes for straightforward, humanistic, and unassuming stories that are relatable without being obnoxiously self-aware or overly didactic. 9/11 revealed that the West, for all its pretensions, is vulnerable, and the literature produced in its wake exemplifies this vulnerability, this return to fictions that are not the final, detached, cynical word on a subject, but rather affective, intensely human exercises in empathy