Meet the Collective

The National Public Housing Museum Oral History Collective (previously known as the Corps) is the group of Museum-trained memory workers who contribute to the Oral History Archive, whether through new interview collection and processing, conducting post-production on backlogged interviews, or review interview materials with narrators.

Many Collective members are also a part of the Archive Working Group, which has a more structural role in shaping the overall infrastructure of the archive (policies, practices, tools, and presentation).

Looking for someone else who supports the Oral History Programs?

Meet the Educators and Advisors

cosmo

(they/them)

OH Collective member, Working Group member, Narrator

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cosmo

(they/them)

currently: a town just outside of austin, texas home: chicago, illinois

[What identities are central to you?] black, queer, non-binary, venusian, artist

[Describe home to you] i’ve always lived in a Full house. Full of mouth-watering aromas from holiday feasts, and faint traces of bleach from communal cleaning every week. Full of song and dance, laughter and joy. Full of babies playing with [sometimes obnoxious] toys. Full of life and spice, like cayenne, curry, cinnamon—or heated debates at a Full table on family game night. Full of reveries, Full of grief, Full of people with similar faces yet varying identities. my home has always been Full of people who love and were made for me.

[Relationship to public housing, and why NPHM?] my family & i have lived experience in public housing from before i was born up until the present day. i’m involved with the NPHM OH programs because i admire the art of storytelling. being apart of creating and preserving memories is so important and necessary, it feels rewarding that i’m able to do something in this lifetime that will live beyond me!
jellystone

(he/him, they/them)

OH Collective member, Working Group member, mentor & facilitator

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jellystone

(he/him, they/them)

Chicago, IL

[What identities are central to you?] Black, Trans-agender, Lesbian, Autistic, Sibling to 7

When I need to reconnect to my heart, I dance like wild around my apartment and sing so everyone in the neighborhood can hear me and tell me to shut up or go head on and then I write and pray and take a bath and talk to or cry with my ancestors. After that, I go be with my loved ones.

[Relationship to public housing?] Former Resident
Nedra

(she/her/we neutral)

OH Collective member, Working Group member, mentor & facilitator

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Nedra

(she/her/we neutral)

Atlanta, GA

[What identities are central to you?] Black, human, nature lover, lowkey chill, like books and art alot, Auntie

[Share a dream of yours, literal or figurative] Recently I had a dream about my grandmother, my Big Mama, my mom’s mother. Not sure if I was a child or an adult but she was coming to live with us. For me to get home had to climb up the road which was a huge mud hill. The people standing at the top were standing there like everything was normal. Climbing included a full body event, dragging myself up the wall. When I arrived at the top, dusted off and kept walking to hurry home and help prepare for her arrival. The first dream of her in a while, her coming to live with us was always my dream. She died 2013.

[Relationship to public housing?] Family lived in public housing
Alex Mello

(she/her)

OH Collective member, mentor, narrator

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Alex Mello

(she/her)

Northampton, MA

[What identities are central to you?] I’m a third-generation immigrant on my father’s side. He was deeply affected by growing up in a mill town with immigrant parents that needed to leave school as children to work in the mills during a time when there were few to no social safety nets and there was little opportunity offered to these communities. I’m a single mother and my son is an indigenous Mexican. His story has been shaped by immigration policy and the impact it’s had on generations of families. My undergraduate degree is in International Human Rights and Social Change which gave me the opportunity to study in Southeast Asia, Europe and Central America. I’ve dedicated my career to working in social change despite the fact it has yet proven to pay a living wage.

[What are your gifts or areas of wisdom?] I’ve been told that people feel comfortable sharing their stories with me. I consider myself an empathetic and compassionate person and that I grow from each story and experience I encounter.

[Relationship to public housing?] My grandparents were immigrant mill workers and lived in public housing in the 1950’s. As a single parent, I’ve had to rely on Section 8 to be able to afford to live in the town I grew up in. I see myself as an “intersectional professional” as both my lived experience and expertise has informed my many years of work in local communities. Becoming an Oral Historian through the Beauty Turner Academy has made me keenly aware of the importance of the stories of the past and present as we shape narratives around so many important social justice issues including the shame and stigma of being low-income.

[Why work with NPHM?] I’ve been so grateful to NPHM for their programs that have given me the tools and confidence to try something new that I now love which is oral history work. I feel this incredible connection to the past, present and future through this work and love learning more every opportunity that I have.
Troy

(he/him)

OH Collective member, mentor, narrator

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Troy

(he/him)

Humboldt Park, Chicago

[What identities are central to you?] All of the above.

I dream about writing stories that are not told often.

[Relationship to public housing?] Former Resident of the Robert Taylor Homes.
adenike phillips

(she/her)

OH Collective member

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adenike phillips

(she/her)

Plainfield, NJ is where I live but Newark NJ is always where my heart beats.

[What identities are central to you?] Black, feminist writer. Dendrophile & seed saver.

[Describe home for you.] Home for me is always the place where I can take off my shoes and listen to the hum of the house: the people I love who can be loud, radically honest and accepting. We tell stories to each other about each other and for each other. This is our quilt that keeps us grounded and strong from one generation to the next.

[Relationship to public housing, and why NPHM?] My paternal grandparents moved into public housing in Newark, New Jersey as one of the first families of the Baxter Terrace Housing Project which first opened in 1941. Becoming involved with NPHM and oral history has given me an opportunity to become the best version of myself and to help generate some good in this world. I believe that “we are the ones we’ve been waiting for.” – Alice Walker.
Ammie Kae Brooks

(she/her)

OH Collective member, mentor

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Ammie Kae Brooks

(she/her)

Chicago, IL

[What identities are central to you?] Black woman, granddaughter of Ammie and Kay

[Share one of your dreams, literal or figurative.] My dream is for Black women and girls to feel celebrated in their families and communities and have their healing centered in community, national and global conversations regarding mental and physical health [What do you do to reconnect to your heart?] When I am feeling disconnected from self or my heart, a practice I always like to implement is washing and detangling my hair. The process itself is long and meditative, allowing me to stop and truly think through what I am feeling, but I also love the imagery of detangling through my anxieties.

[Relationship to public housing, and why NPHM?] Provided therapy to youth and families living in public housing in the past. I am involved in NPHM Oral History Programs because I recognize that our narratives are a valuable part of how we heal ourselves and protect the next generation.
Sedrick Miles

(he/him)

OH Collective member

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Sedrick Miles

(he/him)

Salvador Bahia Brazil

[What identities are central to you?] Black, poor, bastard, father, artist, intellectual, community member

[Share one of your dreams, literal or figurative.] My dream is to create a space program in Brazil.

[Relationship to public housing?] Former resident, I’m from the hood
Francesco De Salvatore

(they/them, he/him)

Former OH Collective Member

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Francesco De Salvatore

(they/them, he/him)

Washington, DC

[What identities are central to you?] I am a white, 1st gen, queer abolitionist, who is a trained circus clown, and aspiring public historian and healer.

[What do you do when you need to reconnect to your heart?] I feel most connected to my heart whenever I am building collective care and community.

[Relationship to public housing?] I have various family members who currently/formerly have lived in public housing in both the United States and Italy.