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Clarence Robertson

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@ Weeksville Heritage Center

Clarence Robertson, Kaitlyn Greenidge

Description

Clarence Robertson was born in 1940 in Brooklyn. His father was born in Brooklyn, and his mother was born in Clinton, SC. She moved to Brooklyn in 1937. Clarence’s parents met because their families lived in the same apartment house, on Schenectady Avenue between St. Marks and Bergen Street. Clarence’s grandfather was a trustee at Siloam Presbyterian Church; every Sunday, he would visit his grandparents on Schenectady Avenue to attend church with them. He also remembers that his grandmother made papier-mâché flowers, which Clarence would sell on Sunday afternoons. Clarence recalls that another errand he ran for his grandmother was to deliver food to elderly residents; he says his grandmother called them ‘people from slave time’. Clarence recalls that they lived in small wood-frame houses, set off from the rest of the street. Since there was no public assistance or welfare at the time, Clarence’s grandmother would send extra food or groceries to elderly neighbors to help them out. He recalls that these houses were located along Atlantic Avenue and Bergen Street. Clarence recalls that many of the older people were from Brooklyn, and that, in his memories, nearly all of them had a copy of a print depicting the story of the Amistad. Clarence’s family had a strong sense of pride in black history, and he recalls learning black history during family meetings, though never in school. The Robertsons’ have an annual family meeting once a year, involving tens of descendants, where things such as what college children should...
Type:
Oral History Wav
Contributors:
Clarence Robertson, Kaitlyn Greenidge, Meron Tebeje
Created Date:
1940 2006
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Record Contributed By

Weeksville Heritage Center