We’re excited to announce we’re nearing the completion of the Community Action for Safe Apartments (CASA) Oral History Project! This project seeks to document, preserve, and share CASA’s rich history of struggle while amplifying the voices of its members and leaders. At the same time, it aims to support the organization ongoing work by increasing its visibility and inspiring reflection on its past as a tool for strategizing in the present and future. CASA, an initiative of New Settlement, has been organizing tenants in the Bronx since 2005. This membership-driven tenant organizing project aims to protect and maintain affordable and safe housing through collective action. It advances this mission through running local campaigns to protect affordable housing and prevent displacement, organizing tenant associations, providing monthly tenants’ rights workshops and legal clinics, holding regular community building and leadership development programs, and being actively involved in city and state-wide policy campaigns.
This oral history project was a true collaborative effort, initiated by Zolberg Institute Fellow Diana Zacca Thomaz in the summer of 2023. Diana had established a relationship with CASA leaders, who have been organizing for tenants’ rights and the preservation and expansion of affordable housing in the Southwest Bronx. Leaders were eager to participate in this project to share their struggles and fights with other tenants and housing advocates. Diana conducted all the interviews except for those in Spanish, which were conducted by Gabriela Rendón, founder and director of the Housing Justice Lab, and research assistant Xavier Moysén Alvarez.
After completing her fellowship, Diana was appointed as full-time faculty at the Department of Sociology at the University of Amsterdam. From there, she began the task of transcribing and indexing the interviews, which became quite challenging as she adjusted to her new role and life in a new city. Shortly after, our team was approached by Natalia Shevin, a fellow at the Urban Democracy Lab at NYU, who was eager to contribute to the Housing Justice Oral History Project. She was preparing to teach Rent, Tenants, and Housing in 20th Century New York City at NYU in Spring 2024, and thought her students could contribute to processing interviews while learning about the history of housing and tenants in the South Bronx Thanks to this collaboration, we were able to tackle the intensive work of transcribing, describing, and indexing the interviews. This collaboration was coordinated by Lynn Lewis who provided training and advice to facilitate following the ethical and technical guidelines necessary to make public oral histories at the Housing Justice Oral History Project’s online platform.
With all the material almost ready, we are excited to take the next step and make the narratives public in the coming few months at Housing Justice Oral History Project, which primary goal is to amplify and connect the memories and voices of New Yorkers who have been integral in shaping the city’s housing movement, both through past and ongoing organizing efforts.
TEAM
Diana Zacca Thomaz, project leadership and interviewer of English oral history interviews
Lynn Lewis, project coordinator and advisor
Gabriela Rendón, interviewer of Spanish oral history interviews
Xavier Moysén Alvarez, interviewer, transcription and indexing of Spanish oral history interviews
Natalia Shevin, interview transcription and indexing coordinator
Students from course Rent, Tenants, and Housing in 20th Century New York City ( IDSEM-UG 2221/Spring 2024), interview transcription and indexing
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