Margaret Alexander
section: Interviews
Margaret Alexander was born on September 20, 1924. She attended Alexander Street School and graduated from Second Ward High School in 1942. She continued her education at the North Carolina College for Negroes, which is now North Carolina Central University in Durham, and graduated in 1946. She lived in first ward with her family and moved to Brooklyn in 1947 after she married Kelly Alexander Sr. She lived in Brooklyn and raised her two sons, Kelly Jr. and Alfred, there until 1962 when they were forced to move because of urban renewal. The family moved into a home in the University Park area, which Mrs. Alexander and her eldest son, Kelly Jr., still live in today. The whole family was very active in the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Their involvement in the organization may have been the reason their home was bombed in 1965. Mrs. Alexander’s interview is very personal in the sense that the listener will hear the story of a Brooklyn family. She offers information on clubs and organizations in Brooklyn and Brooklyn community itself.
Tape Log
Tape Log: Oral History Interview with Margaret Alexander
Interviewed by Nicole Glinski
| Time | Description of Interview Contents |
|---|---|
| 0:03 | Opening of interview |
| 0:30 | Mrs. Alexander explains her experience in Brooklyn. (What her house was like) |
| 4:16 | She explains her opinion on whether Brooklyn was blighted or a slum |
| 5:08 | Background on her moving to Brooklyn in 1947 |
| 6:40 | Urban Renewal (How people found out and how people reacted.) |
| 10:25 | The Brooklyn community |
| 13:15 | Her family’s use of the Brevard Street Library |
| 13:56 | NAACP Activities (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) |
| 18:20 | Brooklyn clubs and organizations |
| 21:24 | The Brooklyn community |
| 23:09 | Bombing of her family’s home in 1965 because of their activity in the NAACP |
| 26:04 | Family’s involvement in the NAACP |
| 28:14 | Mrs. Alexander expresses her feelings about Urban Renewal (her history of being “removed”) |
| 29:34 | Lessons to be learned from Urban Renewal |
| 30:06 | Mrs. Alexander talks about the building of Independence Boulevard through Brooklyn in the 1940’s. She tells a story about her father-in-law being hit by a car. |
| 33:27 | Happy memories of Brooklyn |
| 36:29 | Closing of the interview |