”Many of today's youth think the world began the day they were born.”
Reader: These reflections are mine and might not represent the perspectives of other members of the Society...
So said my friend Gregory yesterday morning at the Old Westbury Diner, where we had gathered with other friends from our old South Ozone Park/Richmond Hill neighborhood.
Our West Hempstead Historical Society can benefit our youth by introducing them to a time before their birth date...
We meet on the 3rd Wednesday of ea. month at the sweetest place in town -
THANKS, KARL!:
That's Karl seated in the front row in the second seat from our left. His family business has been serving our community since 1931. And as of 2024, our Historical Society has been meeting for 41 years...
The Value of ORAL History
While school history courses present the past, what's missing is being in the presence of the people who actually lived it.
When I was completing my BA in sociology at Cal State Fullerton in 1975, I took an oral history course. It provided me an opportunity to meet with a woman of Japanese descent, who as an American citizen, was interned during WWII in a POW camp in California.
Hearing her tell her story there in her living room is a memory that will remain with me forever...
Here are places where Eileen and I hear first hand living-room stories of how fellow members have been treated and mistreated because of their race, country of origin, religious affiliation or other reasons…
Multicultural Solidarity of LI Friendship Circles
members of the Baha’i Faith that we get together with regularly near Bayshore, at the Bayard-Cutting Arboretum (weather permitting) and in nearby Valley Stream
As I’ve said, Eileen and I have benefited so much from being in the same living rooms and kitchens with people “different” from us. In these spaces, we’ve discovered how much we have in common…and the outward appearances of the “others” just disappears. We find that we have many similar dreams for ourselves, our families and our friends.
At the same time, we get to experience and share in the fun of discovering new foods, music and lifestyles.
Our Baha'i gatherings often mix food with our fellowship...
A view of the manor house, now part of this state park:
[from the article] "As historian David McCullough said, history is the study of who we are and why we are the way we are.
That’s why teachers in the Memphis-Shelby County public schools, as racially isolated now as they were when the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed school segregation, have launched a curriculum to introduce their students to the 13 children who helped integrate these Tennessee city schools in 1961." MORE at the link.
Meanwhile in neighboring Malverne, school children help address past racist history...
--FYI - the new "Acorn Way" sign has already been installed.
[from the article/my emphasis] ""What began as a project turned into a calling for our students. That calling has now led to meaningful change. There is no greater fulfillment than that," Jason Mach, District Supervisor of Humanities, told Patch. "We are exceptionally proud of our students and of the work they did with the Malverne community."
"It started as a history project by a group of tenacious Malverne High School students, but quickly it became a mission to bring about change..."
The elementary school is located at the end of this street:
"Oaks from Acorns" - The Village motto:
West Hempstead Community: Here are a few of our stories...Come join us and share yours...
West Hempstead Historical Society has displays at our library and post office.
Library
While learning history from the displays, our children can enjoy their personal "flights of fancy" - as they read this story of Berkeley Models - who were located in West Hempstead on Railroad Avenue. With Leslie McAvoy, Historical Society co-president, that's my friend Brian Barry, grandson of Jim Barry, the manager of Berkeley's day-to-day operations.
Post Office
Lovingly and admirably curated by John Schaud, the Historical Society's co-president.
November 2024:
Summer 2024:
Why Share our Stories? My CAReer story...
We have the opportunity to share our stories with today's young people. It would be worth it if only 1 person's life is changed because of our time with them.
I held out this expectation a few years ago when, at the request of Mark, a friend who worked there, I spoke about my CAReer path to future auto technicians in his Nassau BOCES class.
In sharing our stories...HOW WE GET THERE can be as significant as what we ended up doing. This encourages EXPLORATION...EXPERIMENTATION…DREAMS...
Places to Share our Stories: The Family Dinner Table
Family dinners were another place where young people heard family members’ stories - which were prolific in large and extended families like some of my companions at yesterday morning's breakfast. These included 3 brothers who had 10 other siblings under the same roof…around the same dinner table…
While in my home, Herman and Catherine Tittmann set out place settings for me and my 6 other siblings...
Sadly, these are not as commonplace as in the past…
Serving up some Music and Humor for our dessert...
Those who read my posts know that I almost always include #music and often #humor to add to the fun of exploring ideas.
In this first song, feel free to disregard or modify the singer’s closing words about “his” version of “god”…the rest of the lyrics serve up a good message…
Hysterical History films...
In this trailer we laugh…because the script writer while exaggerating…is showing us the results of some of our belief systems…
Now, 23 years later...the long awaited sequel...
To close out this exploration, here's a fitting tune...
Sending us off on our individual and collective journeys of exploration with a song from my youth - performed here by the Playing for Change Band - an organization whose popularity enables them to create schools in under-served parts of our shared globe so children can enjoy the advantages of the arts.
The CSN&Y lyrics tell us of an inter-generational exchange of ideas and experiences - in which each group contributes to the benefit of the other…Since birth, our son John has continued to do his part…
“Teach your children…”
“Teach your parents…”
#music #humor #history #WestHempsteadHistoricalSociety #ReisterersBakery #OldWestburyDiner #friends #MulticulturalSolidarityOfLongIsland #FriendshipCircles #BahaiFaith #Malverne #racism #BerkeleyModels #JimBarry #BrianBarry #LeslieMcAvoy #Gregory #WestHempsteadPostOffice #WestHempsteadLibrary #PlayingForChangeBand #CrosbyStillsNashAndYoung #ZacBrownBand #Mark #NassauBOCES #CalStateFullerton
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