WE ARE THE PEOPLE
OF QUEENS
Photo courtesy Ken Harris, Jamaica, NY circa 1975
The Queens Memory Project is our record of how we got here, who we are, and what we want from our future.
JAY WILLIAMS ORAL HISTORY
Jay Williams describes his family's history settling in Flushing. His father's side came from Virginia via the Underground Railroad. His mother's side was half Shinnecock American Indian from Long Island, half African American from Detroit, Michigan. The Williams family owned a large property in downtown Flushing at 38th Avenue and Union Street that they lost in the 1950's when the city took it over to build a parking lot.
QUEENS MEMORY COVID-19 PROJECT
Help us tell the story of the COVID-19 pandemic in Queens. Call our toll-free number (855-QNS-LOVE) to leave your story, or visit our project page to see how you can share photos, writing, videos, and interviews you record with loved ones and neighbors. The stories we gather today will become a testament to the struggles and resiliency of the World’s Borough.
Upcoming events
Listen to the Queens Memory Podcast
Subscribe to Season Two of the Queens Memory Podcast, The Borough We Became: Queens Residents on Life during COVID-19 on iHeart Radio, iTunes, Podcast Addict, Stitcher, Google or Spotify. This new season will feature first-person accounts from Queens residents living this past spring at the epicenter of the pandemic. New episodes air each Thursday, starting August 6th 2020. Listen here to a trailer for the season. To hear Season One of the Queens Memory Podcast, Memories of Migration, subscribe on Sound Cloud. Season One features Queens residents who moved from all over the world over the past century to settle in the “World’s Borough”.
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