Join us as we delve into stories spanning from 1943 to 1993. Experience the thrill of late-night basketball games, memories from an Olympic-level boxer, and more about the power of sports. Storytellers for this episode include Lee Roy Murphy, Olympic boxer of the Robert Taylor Homes; James Purgatorio of the Jane Addams Homes; Gil Walker, the former director of programs of the Chicago Housing Authority; Tanisha Wright, former WNBA player of Mon View Heights; Tommy Woods of the Lathrop Homes; and Byron Dickens of the Jane Addams Homes. Read the transcript ..read more

"Bringing the Outdoors In: Community and Recreation in Public Housing", originally aired on April 30, 2020, shortly after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Needless to say, this period required the world to drastically reimagine how we interact while also keeping our neighbors and broader communities safe. Thinking back to those first few weeks of the pandemic, one of the most immediate and disarming changes was not being able to commune with our friends, family, classmates, and colleagues.  We shared this episode with that mentality in mind, hoping to bring listeners closer to ..read more

When considering what “love” is, many varieties come to mind. Romantic love and platonic love dominate our TV shows, movies, and music, but these are only two pieces of the picture. What about love of a place, love of a people, or love of a purpose and principles? This episode, “The Act of Loving,” shares stories of all sorts of love in public housing, expanding our definition of what love means. The oral history narrators for this episode include, JL Gross, who has lived in Chicago's Lathrop Homes from 1987 to the present day, Reverend Marshall Hatch, who lived in Chicago's Jane Addams Homes ..read more

In this episode, “There's So Much Magic in a Place,” we uplift a range of experiences of public housing residents from across the country, featuring narrators from New York City,  Milwaukee, Cleveland, and Chicago. These narrators share stories of how their relationships to home and place have shaped, and have been shaped by, their identities as individuals and communities. Read the transcript here. Sources: https://trace.tennessee.edu/rgsj/vol10/iss1/3 https://illinois.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/east-lake-meadows-stereotyping/east-lake-meadows-a-public-housing-story-video/ https://b ..read more

This episode, "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love," celebrates a resident from the ABLA (a group of public housing projects consisting of the Jane Addams Homes, Robert Brooks Homes, Loomis Courts, and Grace Abbott Homes) community, the late Mr. Wilbur Farley. If that name sounds familiar, perhaps it is because he has appeared many times in different ABLA oral histories we have gathered.  Known as “Mr. Fix-It” for his ingenuity and helping neighbors with small repairs, Mr. Farley was such a hugely influential and important member of the community that “Mr. Farley Day Back to School Cele ..read more

In this episode of Out of the Archives, we're revisiting Episode 12, "Full of Life," and have added more historical context behind the stories narrators share! This episode feature stories about finding yourself through the arts and recreation, reclaiming and growing after trauma, and more.  A special thanks to the storytellers from this episode, including Marquita Gandy of ABLA Homes, Nekia Herron of the Robert Taylor Homes, Olga Molina of the Lathrop Homes from 1969 to 1995, Sokeo Ros lives in affordable Housing in Providence, RI, and Henry Warfield, who lived in Altgeld Gardens and th ..read more

In this episode of Out of the Archives, “It's Certain Things That I Think Are Human Rights,” we celebrate National Fair Housing Months with an array of current and former residents from Chicago public housing. The oral history narrators in this episode include Reverend Marshall Hatch who lived at the Jane Addams Homes from 1960 to 1974, Nakia Herron who lived at the Robert Taylor Homes from 1978–1982, and 1994–1998, Dr. Richard Morgan who lived at the Robert Taylor Homes from 1967 to 1989, Allen Schwartz who lived at the Jane Addams Homes from 1943 to 1953, and Juanita Stevenson who has lived ..read more

In this episode of Out of the Archives, “Pressure and Time Makes Diamonds,” we celebrate Black History Month with a selection of narrators sharing a range of their complex experiences living in public housing in New York City. The narrators in this episode include Jayah Arnett, Bonnette Bryant, Domingo Morales, and Pamela Phillips, all of whom have lived or are currently living in the Bronx and Manhattan. The stories span from 1958 to the present day. Read the transcript here ..read more

Legally Stolen is a 3-episode podcast produced by the National Public Housing Museum and Artist as Instigator Tonika Lewis Johnson as part of her project, Inequity for Sale, a virtual and physical exploration of homes sold on Land Sale Contracts in the 50s and 60s. Episode Two takes listeners on a journey through present-day Greater Englewood, exploring how legalized theft in the past directly contributed to present inequity in Black communities. Featured guests include Alderman Stephanie Coleman of the 16th Ward, Englewood residents Lolita Hughes and Patricia Porter, author of Family Properti ..read more

Legally Stolen is a 3-episode podcast produced by the National Public Housing Museum exploring Inequity for Sale, a virtual and physical exploration of homes sold on Land Sale Contracts, by social justice artist Tonika Lewis Johnson. Episode One is a deep dive into the history and research that sparked Tonika’s idea to create Inequity for Sale. Featured guests include co-author of the Plunder of Black Wealth in Chicago report Amber Hendley, author of Family Properties Beryl Satter, author of The Color of Law Richard Rothstein, and housing activist Athena Williams. Read the transcript here ..read more