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Our mission is to preserve, promote, and propel the right of all people to a place where they can live and prosper—a place to call home.

    Cassandra Davis

    Content Warnings: colorism

    Audio Quality Notes: There is some slight background noise during parts of recording

    At a Glance

    Public Housing Residency: Christopher Columbus Homes

    Themes: Gender, gender roles, racial identity, racism, career advancement

    Content Warnings: colorism

    Primary time periods: 1950-1966

    Primary locations: Newark, NJ, East Orange, NJ

    Keywords: Columbus Homes, Bamberger’s, Newark, NJ, downtown Newark, family traditions, racial profiling, working mom, colorism, gender, education, Newark Public Schools, Newark riots, Newark rebellion, opportunity, careers, New Jersey Bell Telephone Company, Newark Slip Company, Choc Full o’Nuts, Kresge’s

    Descriptive Context

    Interview Summary

    Content Warnings: colorism

    During this interview Cassandra “Sandi” Davis reflects on early memories of her family living in the Christopher Columbus Homes (Columbus Homes) on the North side of Newark, New Jersey.  She discusses the multicultural environment and mutual cooperation between residents.   She talks through the challenges of gender in the workforce.  In addition, she reflects on colorism within her family as well as an incident of racial profiling where a girlfriend unexpectedly became an ally.

     

    About the Narrator

    Narrator Full Name: Cassandra Davis

    Narrator pronouns: she/her

    Refer to as: Sandi

    Self-identified race and/or ethnicity: African American

    Biographical Context:

    Cassandra lives in South Orange, New Jersey but says home is wherever her family can be together.

    Life Dates:
    • Birth: 1943
    About the Interview

    Interviewer: a. adenike phillips

    Date of Interview: 2023-10-30

    Method of Interview: remote

    Location of Interview: South Orange, NJ, Plainfield, NJ

    Language: English

    Duration: 00:53:56

    Formats Available: .wav, mp3

    Audio Quality and other notes: There is some slight background noise during parts of recording

    Post-Production by: a. adenike phillips

    Contextual Information Last Updated: None

    Time-Stamped Index

    No index available for this file.

    Access and Use Guidelines

    Access Level: restricted

    Rights Overview:

    Each oral history interview is considered to be co-created, ‘joint work’ among the oral historian, narrator, and, in this case, the National Public Housing Museum.

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    Credits the co-creators (Attribution), and
    Does not make money from the usage (Non-Commercial). 
    Narrators also have the option to apply a No-Derivatives License to their interview(s), meaning that the public is forbidden from adapting the work. These works are published under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Deed).

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    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], 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 Format

    [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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