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    Crystal Palmer

    Content Warnings: death, drug/alcohol addiction, domestic violence, colorism

    Audio Quality Notes: there is an ambulance alarm around 18 minutes and 11 seconds. The interview ends abruptly, but it is assumed to be mostly finished.

    At a Glance

    Public Housing Residency: Henry Horner Homes, West Haven

    Themes: overcoming adversity, Drug Addiction

    Content Warnings: death, drug/alcohol addiction, domestic violence, colorism

    Primary time periods: 1960s-2000s

    Primary locations: Chicago, IL

    Keywords: teen pregnancy, Thalassemia, hospital, surgeries, transfusion, homelessness, janitor, crossing guard, demolition, family, bully, sobriety, strong women, Local Advisory Council

    Descriptive Context

    Interview Summary

    Content Warnings: death, drug/alcohol addiction, domestic violence, colorism

    In this oral history Crystal describes her experience growing up in the Henry Horner Homes and having a challenging and tragic childhood. Crystal eventually begins working in Chicago Public Housing as a janitor, and ultimately becomes the president of her Local Advisory Council. Despite her challenges, Crystal says “I stand here today in greatness as a product of public housing.” and remembers the people of the projects that laid the foundation for her character and success. 

    About the Narrator

    Narrator Full Name: Crystal Palmer

    Narrator pronouns: she/her/hers

    Refer to as: None

    Self-identified race and/or ethnicity: Black/African American

    Biographical Context:
    None
    Life Dates: None
    About the Interview

    Interviewer: Raymond “Shaq” McDonald

    Date of Interview: 2017-07-31

    Method of Interview: in-person

    Location of Interview: Chicago, IL

    Language: English

    Duration: 00:47:52

    Formats Available: .wav

    Audio Quality and other notes: there is an ambulance alarm around 18 minutes and 11 seconds. The interview ends abruptly, but it is assumed to be mostly finished.

    Post-Production by: Shakira Johnson, jellystone robinson

    Contextual Information Last Updated: None

    Time-Stamped Index

    No index available for this file.

    Access and Use Guidelines

    Access Level: public

    Rights Overview:

    Each oral history interview is considered to be co-created, ‘joint work’ among the oral historian, narrator, and, in this case, the Museum. In joint works, the creators are considered joint copyright owners, who have “an equal right to register and enforce the copyright” (Rich Stim, Stanford Libraries, “Copyright Ownership: Who Owns What?”). Standard copyright law grants a number of exclusive rights to each of the copyright owners, including: the rights toreproduce, distribute, adapt, perform, and displaythe work(s), privately and publicly. NPHM manages these components using Creative Commons Licenses. All interviews are shared withAttribution and Non-Commercial 4.0 International licenses (CC BY-NC 4.0 Deed), meaning that they can be reproduced, distributed, performed, and displayed for the general public if the user credits the co-creators (Attribution) and does not make money from the usage (Non-Commercial). 

     

    Please contact the NPHM Oral History Programs Manager if you’d like to download a copy of any of the interview materials (audio file, transcript, or finding aid contents).

    Citation Guidelines:

    When using an interview from the NPHM Oral History Archive, use the narrator’s full name the first time you reference them. Use the narrator’s “Refer to As” name in additional mentions of their name. 

     

    Please use the following formatting when citing the interview in academic settings:

    Bibliography Example

    Pegues, Janetta Sue. Interviewed by Francesco De Salvatore. National Public Housing Museum Oral History Archive, [insert URL/DOI], recorded June 18, 2018, accessed June 2, 2024: pp. 10-15.

    Bibliography Format

    [NarratorFullName in Last First Middle order]. Interviewed by [InterviewerFullName in First Middle Last Order]. National Public Housing Museum Oral History Archive, [insert URL], recorded [write out full date of interview], accessed [write out full date of most recent access]: pp. [pages of transcript cited]. 

    Footnote Example

    Janetta Sue Pegues, interviewed by Francesco De Salvatore, National Public Housing Museum Oral History Archive, [insert URL], recorded June 18, 2018, accessed June 2, 2024: pp. 10-15. 

    Footnote Form

    [NarratorFullName in First Middle Last Order], interviewed by [InterviewerFullName in First Middle Last Order] National Public Housing Museum Oral History Archive, [insert URL], recorded [write out full date of interview], accessed [write out full date of most recent access]: pp. [pages of transcript cited]. 

     

    Transcript and Supplemental Attachments
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