Nygel White is the current Program Production and Engagement Coordinator at the Hartford Public Library. Growing up right outside of Frog Hollow in the Clay-Arsenal neighborhood, Nygel regularly interacted with the community through friends and family as well as in community events and through his artwork, which includes graffiti, airbrushing, and clothing design. Recently, Nygel has shifted to filmmaking, a medium that allows him to engage more of the senses. Working with Graciela, Nygel played an integral role in creating the “Voices of Frog Hollow” project and he employs his filmmaking skills to capture the stories of Frog Hollow.

Frog Hollow Oral History Research Team

Interview

Trinity College Liberal Arts Action Lab

November 9, 2021

Frog Hollow Oral History Research Team

JPEG, MP3

English

Interview

Art, Frog Hollow, Hartford Public Library, Filmmaking, Community, Neighborhood

Voices of Frog Hollow Video Project

Emeline Avignon, Catherine Doyle

Nygel White

Trinity College Library

Nygel White Interview.m4a



Speaker 1 [00:00:01] He said it any more. OK, are you OK with me taking on NASCAR?



Speaker 2 [00:00:05] Yeah.



Speaker 1 [00:00:06] Vaccinated, vaccinating all that stuff, too.



Interviewer [00:00:07] But actually, yeah, that would be best fo us probably. All right, cool. So first, can you just like state your name and then your involvement with the Frog Hollow community and your connection?



Nygel [00:00:19] So my name is Nygel White, Nygel Demetrius White and my connection to the Frog Hollow neighborhood. More so in addition to just being from Hartford and kind of, you know, passing through occasionally as I grew up, I myself started getting heavily involved with the Frog Hollow neighborhood as I was working at the library, working with a lot of my teens, well when I was working with YOUmedia. There are a lot of the teens that we had that would come from this neighborhood as well as other neighborhoods as well. And I just kind of got to know the Frog Hollow neighborhood through them first, just understanding, you know, what streets they came from and things like that, and then be able to reference those stories or reference those conversations when I'm passing through. And then since then, since switching gears and kind of leaving YOUmedia, not not focused on teens as much. I've been focused on just community and public programing, right? And so I've been doing a lot of support of the Park Street branch as it's transitioned into its new location at the lyric. And I've gotten to know a lot more people in the community that way. I've had a hand in helping to contribute to some of the murals that have gone up in the art box over the past couple of years through the Hartford Changemakers programs. Our most recent one was, well, excuse me, the one from last year was taken down due to, I think there was some construction needs. But again, we'll keep pushing doing more. So that's pretty much what my connection has been thus far. And I'm just hoping to grow it.



Interviewer (Emeline) [00:01:56] Can you explain a little bit more about what YOUmedia is?



Nygel [00:01:59] Yes. So YOUmedia is it's actually a nationally known model. So the model is pretty much a teen and young adult space that runs on another model called Connected Learning. And Connected learning pretty much just means that there are different ways that the staff and facilitators in that space can connect to young people and connect the programs. The young people, whether it be connecting it to their career goals or whether it be connecting it to their academic, you know, circumstances or whatever they're dealing with in school or family life, et cetera. Right. And so excuse me. And so young people come to YOUmedia to, one hangout. And again, this will all wrap up. They come there to hang out again, just hanging out with their friends, being with their friends, playing card games, playing video games, et cetera. They can come there to what we call mess around, right, which means just kind of lightly getting engaged and involved with whatever technology or equipment or games or activities that we have going on there, right? Just to expand their interest levels. And then they can also come there and geek out, right, so that they can take whatever their interests are and turn those into real skill sets or real opportunities for themselves. Whether that means that they're coming to our recording studio, right, which is a full scale, industry based, you know, excuse me, entry level recording studio, and they're learning how to make a beat. Right? But the next thing you know, they're making a for four album or are or they're coming there to learn the basics of photography. Next thing you know, they've done photography and they've learned videography, and now they're shooting the music videos for their peers or or they're building an app or they're building some other type of technology that is grabs their attention from when they came in, they're hanging out. So that's pretty much what you media is very cool space for young people. Yeah. Should check it out.



Interviewer (Emeline) [00:03:57] Yeah, that's really cool. So did you grow up in Frog Hollow?



Nygel [00:04:02] No, I didn't. I'm actually so. I actually grew up between the Clay-Arsenal neighborhood of Hartford on the North End and East Hartford myself. So again for me, the South End was the South End, and particularly Frog Hollow was almost kind of just like a passer. Like I've had family, I've had friends, you know, all my life that have been from this neighborhood. So again, I engaged with the neighborhood previously growing up, but I wasn't from here and I'm not from here. I should say I'm more so from Clay-Arsenal neighborhood.



Interviewer (Emeline) [00:04:36] OK. And so can you talk a little bit more about how you met Graciela and how the voice of the Frog Hollow project came to fruition?



Nygel [00:04:51] So Graciela and I had the pleasure of meeting as we're both employed at Hartford Public Library and we've we've recently started working together more closely because previously when I was in YOUmedia, I don't think opportunity everything presented itself. But with me taking on a new role at the library, which is program production and engagement coordinator, a lot of my focus is switched to bringing different types of digital resources to the library. Obviously, creating productions right out of programs. That's what the first part of my title is about creating productions that are programing right. So that means anything from community engagement, turning community engagement into a short documentary film like Voices of Frog Hollow, or whether that means creating an open source music platform for Hartford based artists, right? So I do those types of things. And then since I do those types of things now Graciela and I, I I think we both had a vision for the types of things that we could bring to the new park branch as it opened up. Me myself, I'm a filmmaker, so I was, I’m always thinking about what's the vision of what's the image that I can put out right to kind of get people's attention and to keep people's attention or to expand people's attention. And so in this case, it was about all three of those things. It was about getting people's attention on the fact that Park Street was going to be in a new location. There were new things coming with that right. It's kind of like a shift of the culture for Park Tree branch of Frog Hollow. And again, maintaining the attention to understand that just because we're leaving from here, because there was a gap in between the branches being open right to the to the old branch, the new branch being open, so we had to be able to maintain attention. So throughout the summer, Graciela and I were able to work together and do some outreach after coming up with the idea of of taking, you know, the average that she had been doing right. The relationships that she had already developed in the community as a branch manager and taking my vision as far as creating a documentary about the stories of the people. And we put those two things together and said, OK, well, we're looking to hear the voices. We're looking to share the voices of the people in Frog Hollow that became the name Voices of Frog Hollow.



Interviewer (Catherine) [00:07:15] Can you describe the more about your experience of like going out into the community and gathering these stories?



Nygel [00:07:20] Yes. So Graciela and I, we did what I like to call a very grassroots and on the ground outreach and engagement for this project, meaning that like there were a few folks that Graciela had already reached out to prior to us even getting on the ground and getting out, you know, walking around and such in the community. But some of those, you know, fell through and we had to kind of pick those up at a later time. Some of them, we kind of just had to wait a little bit. And so in the meantime, as we were waiting, we would meet at the Art Box every Wednesday morning, starting in I believe early July. And we would pretty much just walk down Park Street to these different businesses that Graciela, either she either went to growing up or knew the owner or something like that. She grew up in this neighborhood, or it was somebody that she got connected to it through being the branch manager right at the old branch. Because as far as I could recognize and as far as I learned while being out there, Graciela is very ingrained and very connected to the people in the community, right? The everyday people that the people that are that are in a sense, making that neighborhood go round, right? She's she's she seems to be one of the people at the center of that and making sure that she's keeping in touch with everybody. So again, we we pretty much took those connections that she built and walked the walk up and down Park Street, stopping at these different businesses like Aqui Me Quedo and Monte-Carlo Bakery, right? Hip Stop Urban Clothing Store and Fiesta time, right. And there were a couple of others as well, but those were kind of like some of our main stops, some of our longest stops. And that was pretty much just how we did it. We went down. We asked folks that they were open to talking if we hadn’t already, you know, connected with them prior. And a lot of folks were like, Yeah, you left right before the only time we got no’s was when people were just like, you know, they were, they were very business. Excuse me, they were very busy running their business, right? And it was just like. It wasn't really a no like, OK, if we could just catch up another time, right? Because again, all those folks seem to either recognize Graziella have relationships with Graciela or just be very open to us and what we what we were telling them, we were there to do so.



Interviewer (Emeline) [00:09:52] And so can you like go more into like the process of cat? Well, I'm sorry. Go ahead.



Nygel [00:10:01] I was kind of trying to read your mind just. Are you guys like of capturing the actual? Yeah. OK, so. So, you know, I'll give you a couple of different examples. So the first. All right. So there was one example when we went to Aqui me Quedo, we didn't get a full interview there, right? But for me, I think that interview or that that that footage depicts life as it happens in Frog Hollow and just like it happens in other neighborhoods, right? Whereas Graciela and I walked in and the thing that was off is, obviously, I'm the person had a camera, right? Typically, people don't just walk around with cameras in neighborhoods, you know, like walk along, I guess. I mean, they do, but it's not like you're you're walking around just pointing it randomly, right? People have cameras, but you're not. So I kind of, you know, stood out a little bit. But other than that, we walked in across the aisle, you know, saying hello to folks and I'm doing my best to speak as much Spanish as I know. I know. I think I understand more than I know how to speak. So I'm speaking to folks in Spanish. And Graciela goes to the owner. I forget the gentleman's name, but she goes to the owner and she's just letting folks know, Hello, I'm from, you know, she's from the library and I'm kind of standing back just capturing the whole interaction because for me, the whole interaction is, is, is a part of the story, right? It's a part of the story of how people engage with each other and in this community, right? It's a part of it's a part of understanding the culture of this community. I guess you can say right so Graciela would go and greet, folks. I will go and greet them as well in Spanish. And then, Graciela, she let the owner know that she was from the library and that we were there to do the Frog Hollow, excuse me, the Voices of Frog Hollow project. And we're just looking to speak to the different business owners and about, you know, how they got started, how long they've been there and such, right? And so the gentleman said something to the effect of like, Oh, I’ve been here x amount of years and Graciela was just like like, yeah, I know I grew up right on, you know, on such and such street and I used to come here and my mom used to own this, you remember? And he's like, Yeah, I remember that person. They say, it's my mom. And so to me again, it's not something that I never seen before, but it was it was. I love being able to capture that. I love to be able to just capture that natural engagement that that that, that natural, you know, correspondence, so to speak. I think I've come up with a better word later, but to be able to just capture that and that sense of community, right, that sense of we all connected in one way or another, right? To me, that was like a visual depiction of that. So that's one example. And there was another example where we actually did a full interview and it was this was with Miss Maria's – Senora Maria - at Fiesta Time party shop, and that was one of the folks that Graciela had already connected with and spoken to prior. You know, she had already kind of given us her blessing and invited us to come down. So we we actually met with her and interviewed her right after interviewing her son, who was right next door, right? So actually, let me rewind a little bit the first interview to Iran. Iran is the owner of Hip Stop Urban Clothing Store, right? And he's another guy, excuse me, another person that Graciela had already connected with prior to. You know, I was coming by that day and we had that scheduled. Those that day was probably the smoothest interaction because it was just casual people. They, you know, they they were busy in their in their businesses like it was business to do and things to do. But it was early enough to where I was like, OK, the day hasn't gotten, gotten crazy yet. So we met with Iran. We interviewed him for about 15 minutes or so. And really, the interview was, for the most part, just conversation, right? I mean, obviously, we were curious about his shop about his his journey to be where he is today and where he's gone to. And his story was beautiful and amazing and inspiring. All right. But it was just a conversation. We were we were literally just kind of getting to know each other. And I think ultimately, that's that's what the purpose of this project was right, the wrong kind of project and others like it, I'm sure I know for myself. There's other projects that I'm working on where ultimately that's the purpose for us to understand each other more for us to know each other more for then for us to have a more cohesive society, right? And community. And so I think Voices of Frog Hollow was a prime example of that, especially because of the relationships that Graciela already has developed. So again, we met with Iran and he gave us an interview more like a conversation for about 15 minutes in that time, you know, depending on what's going on with being said, I might be capturing b-roll up of the shop. I know you. Yeah, like a very nice variety of shoes on two different. When we walked in, I followed Graciela with the camera and I'm kind of just seeing her into the shop because I wanted to. There was something to me very important about depicting the process of entering this place of business. I'm not just showing that we're in here all of a sudden, like I wanted people to be able to when they see this film and say, OK, this was the front of the shop, looks like. So I need to go buy the if I don't know that place, I'm going to go buy the one day this. I know to look out for this, right? So we followed Graciela and excuse me, we meaning myself, my camera. And after we, you know, interviewed Iran and got the b-roll shots, his mom, Maria, was pretty much already in his store and we walked in. And so she kind of scurried off through this little side door that connects the two stores right out to her shop. And at the time, I didn't realize it. I just thought she went through a door, right? But after we're done with Iran like, Graciela was like okay we're going to go to party time, I follow Graciela and she goes to that door. And I realize we're in this store, in the store, and I'm like, Oh, she's right next door. That's cool. Like. And so to me, that was again, that that in itself was, I mean, that wasn't a part of the film right, but it was a part of the process of making the film. And in that process, it was just again another reminder of, I mean, this is we're talking film. We're talking a mother and a son, right? But even still, they it's community, right? Family members make community as well. Right. It's the village, so to speak. And it was just cool to see that even more connected, right? Like they're like from my understanding. And I think the film shows this. But Iran had explained how before he had his store, he started Hip stop by say he was selling CDs and tapes right on, you know, on the street as a street vendor.



Nygel [00:17:35] Yeah, I’d like a little kind of just like a little tabletop thing. Where is this stuff spread out? And he had a sign that was sitting right next to a street that had an image. You know, it was painted at a stop sign on it. And it said Hip Stop. That's how you would get cars to stop. All right, so. So again, it was right, right? In regards to stopping it, you would go sell them tapes and CDs. You know, he's got clothes. Next thing you know, he's got a store. And I think this was his second location. And now a second location is right outside his mom's shop, right? And he used to it is when he was the street vendor, he would do his vending outside of his mom's shop. So to me, that was a full circle moment. That was that was very important to capture. So again, we went on with Maria and then we capture her. And if she was very Maria is very vibrant. Maria is is she seems like a lot of just vibrant energy like you can't I couldn't stop laughing on our interview with Maria. You know, there are some of the things that she would say in Spanish and like I might, yeah, a little piece of it and then be able to make out the rest. Right? And you can. I would start laughing, and she thought she found it funny that I recognized what she said. So it was for me again, it was it was something that I appreciated because I'm one that growing up in Hartford, I'm African-American. And so growing up after, there's always been an abundance of West Indian culture and Latino culture, right? And Hispanic culture, right? And so I've also I've always wanted to make sure that I got more of an understanding of those cultures as well. Because though, yes, I'm African-American, but I also live among I have a bunch of friends and extended family members that right that that are Latino or our West Indian or etc etc right. So at the end of the day, it's for me, it's important to be able to connect to, you know, the people that that that that that speak Spanish, even if I'm not a native speaking Spanish speaker, right? It's important to be able to to expand my curiosity or kind of feed my curiosity around different cultures, foods and such as the ones I can like at Aqui mi Quedo. For me, that was important because on an authentically arsenal, we have Aqui Mi Quedo as well, right? There's that same place. And so it was cool to be like, Oh, I know I can make it all I work on here. I get them my football games or go to or you mean? And so it's just important to be able to connect throughout the city or throughout the state or throughout the country to different people that they are already connected to us in ways that we might not even recognize. So again, I think working with Maria and interviewing Maria kind of gave me that feeling right gave me that gave me the feeling of of of enjoyment, of not enjoying enjoyment, but of of appreciation for other people's cultures, right? And in and a desire to want to engage right. Not not to take their coaches or to kind of take it as my own right. And I'm just a visitor. And it's that in a sense. But being able to just understand what what Maria is saying, even when she didn't necessarily expect me to hit it, seeing her enjoy that, I understood it. That was something that I really appreciated about that time. And then beyond that, again, Maria just has an abundance of knowledge in history about the Frog Hollow neighborhood. She told us about, you know, the Park Street festivals, and in all of these things of of, you know, yesteryear, so to speak, that I think are very valuable for today and for the future, because I think some of those things are things that we can kind of either bring back right or even if we don't bring them back, we kind of use those as platforms to belong to new ideas. Right. And I think it's a lot of a lot of information that folks like Maria have that the greater community needs to know and have access to. And so hopefully again with the Voices of Frog Hollow can be one of those things that will help people start to gain some access to it, even a little piece of that information. Right. So that was another example.



Interviewer (Catherine) [00:22:04] You have touched on this, but you mentioned earlier filmmakers. So why was it important for you to use videos as the medium in which you guys are presenting this really kind of idea or this sepcific approach to this project?



Nygel [00:22:16] Um, well, I'll answer your first part of that question. For me, it's important to use that medium because for me, films or video, right? However, you want to look at it to me, those give you the most. They they feed them. They feed more of your senses than a lot of other mediums. I think, right? And I say that meaning like when whenever somebody is watching a film, if somebody if that film can depict, let's say somebody picks up a rose, right? Or, you know, the character in that film is is smelling roses, right? You can't necessarily smell with that person smelling in that moment, right? But you know the idea of what a rose smells like. Right? So in a sense, it's not impacting that sense in that moment. But it's it's engaging the thought or the or the understanding or the concept of that scent, so to speak. So I think it's engaging. The concept of smell is engaging. When you see somebody, you can be watching a silent film, right? And if somebody has their mouths wide open, they you know, they're straining right? And you and in your mind, you can tell that they're yelling. Right. So in a sense, it's not. No, you're not hearing anything, but it's still engaging the concept of that sense. Right. And so for me, obviously, you can see you can hear things more times than not. But for me, it just feeds the more senses, and therefore it allows us to engage in ways that I think other mediums may be limited, right? So that's for me. That's I think that's what. That's what makes me enjoy creating films, right? I think I became interested in filmmaking simply because of wanting to make sure that I was able to tell the story of black and brown people and its entire truth or security depict the story of black and brown people in their entire truths. And in addition to that, I think just other films that I've seen before for me have inspired me just I'm sure they have for other filmmakers. One of them being my favorite film of all time “Do the Right Thing” thing right by Spike Lee, which again, that's that's another example of a film that so truly depicts the experiences or some experiences of black and brown people in America, right? And not just black or brown people, either. But for me, that was my focus. That's that was one of the films that show me like, like, you can have a story, right, that you in a sense quote unquote made up, but tells the truth about somebody who gives it, gives somebody's narrative, so to speak, and you can be creative in doing so. So for me, I've I've been an artist since I was in like seventh grade and actually I was I started out well. I started out as an artist when I was in middle school, the summer before eighth grade and I was at like a summer program right down the street from Trinity College at the learning corridor. And I remember that summer I was I finished all my work for the program, for the classes early. And next thing you know, I was just drawing my name. So I started from that point, right? And then into the school year. And then throughout the next couple of years, I started my artistic journey with graffiti, right? And for me. I just liked I loved. For me, I love cities. I'm a city boy. I love the urban community. All the little nuances that make the urban community there, urban community, right? Even some of the stuff that that isn't so quote unquote good, right? And so for me, I am loving that. Also, I would love a very huge passion for hip hop, the culture of hip hop, right, and the origins of hip hop, right. And one of those one of the nuances that kind of speaks are contributed heavily right to that. To what hip hop is and what it became. Is New York City right in New York City's urban culture and the graffiti and all that stuff. So for me, I was just intrigued by that because of my interest in hip hop. And then from that from from drawing graffiti and drawing my name, I went into eighth grade drawing everybody's names all my classmates names. That's how I made money as an eighth grader. I was buying my cookies at lunch because I was able to draw somebody's name two periods before, and then I went from graffiti to wanting to make sure I wouldn't be pigeonholed, so to speak, and that I could do more than just graffiti. So in high school, I was drawing everything. I was drawing everything, and then I went from drawing to airbrushing. And then that's how I really started making money from art. I remember the first time to this day, I remember the first time that I believed that I could actually make a career or make money from art was. The what they call it, when you have the pep rally..spirit week, spirit week, right? And I made the first day to spirit week. I made like two hundred eighty dollars. Right. And this is and this is at school for a, you know, seven hours or so. I made eighty dollars that day and I hadn't even done any of the work yet. Like, this was all people pay me stuff before I even. And so from that point, I think I just that's where I fell into art as as interesting as something that I could. I enjoyed doing write them that I started to love, but also I had something that could create opportunities for me and for those around me, right? And after that, you know, after graffiti and airbrushing and all of that stuff, I kind of dabbled in fashion design a bit. And then in 2015, myself and my then best friend, we created a clothing brand called Years of Progress YOP Clothing. It's still around, actually. And the purpose of that was to create urban clothing, right? As I mentioned earlier, to get gain people's attention. Right? Because the clothing and fashion and what people you know, looked at as cool, whatever you want to call it, young people. That was what had their attention. So whether it's fashion, whether it was social media, whether it whatever that was going to have their attention right. And so for us, it was about incorporating positive, uplifting, progressive messaging into the fashion that would already get the young people's attention simply because of the design. Right? And so we did that with my YOP. That was a huge success. We thought we had, you know, a weekend at Salvin's when Salvin’s was still here, the legendary Salvin, I should say, and we sold out. We had a collection of like a couple of hundred pieces and we sold out. We were supposed to be there Saturday and Sunday. We sold out Saturday. We had events that, you know, Jago Stadium, we sold out. Then, like the YOP was great. And so long story short, I've kept going. From there. I moved on beyond right, not beyond, but just kept going for a while. And because of my YOP, I picked up a camera, right? Because I wanted to make sure that I had quality photos for our marketing and things like that. And so I taught myself photography with the help of some of my peers, my friends and such. But I taught myself, for the most part, started. I shot my first film, I guess, for that brand when I shot like a little commercial. I think it's there. Of course it is there day. And after that, once I left YOP, I was like, OK, what's next? As far as my creative plan, my journey, so to speak. So I captured in photography or street photography because for me again, I reverted back to what I originally caught my attention as far as art, right? But now it was just through a lens. And I love photography. I still shoot photography regularly, but I realized as I started developing stories in my own mind or understanding what I wanted to share and what I wanted to tell the world. Through my images, I realized that I needed more. I needed to give it to engage more senses, right? I need to be able to do more than just show a still image because I think it's harder for some people to capture an understanding or a meaning behind a still image than it is obviously motion pictures. So that's how I landed on filmmaking, and all the other inspiration that I mentioned is what keeps me going.



Emeline [00:31:14] Very cool. I have like a few like sort of detail questions about the learning corridor. Was it like a school program or it was like an art program?



Nygel [00:31:21] No, it was, I think, was like a summer school type program. My mom had put me in because I was, yeah I needed to stay busy. So my mom put me in that. I mean, it's like something to do. But I was so mad at her, I was like summer school??? I



Emeline But soemthing good came out of it



Nygel I mean, yeah, I I'm very thankful to my mom for that because everything happens for a reason. I understand that now.



Emeline [00:31:44] And would you do graffiti around like the learning corridor?



Nygel [00:31:48] No,s honestly, when I started, it was just like at that point, that was literally the beginning. Like, I was just on a piece of paper doodling. You know, if I could look at that stuff now, I'd probably look back and be like, Oh my God. Right? But that was again, that was in a sense the essence the essence of my artistic journey, so to speak. But I but I got to high school. That's when I started getting up, so to speak, on what I was like, you know, doing throw ups and pieces. Even I did one or two piece, I wont say where, but I did want to do pieces when I was in high school, like out and about that was very exciting. Those were fun.



Emeline [00:32:34] Yeah. So was there kind of the graffiti community that you interacted with at all or not?



Nygel [00:32:45] Not really, no. Because at that time I was at at that time, I wasn't as connected to the Hartford art scene as I am now like, because really, when I was in high school, like middle school, in high school, growing up, I was more of an athlete than an artist. Like, I played basketball all my life. And so when I started becoming an artist, I was still playing basketball, you know, traveling and all that stuff. So that I think that was sports was still my focus as far as extracurriculars. It wasn't the art, I just kind of did it when I wasn't doing anything right, when I was just kind of sitting there not thinking too much. And then again, I started doing it for money. But for me, it was more like it was time to work right and I enjoyed working. But it was just it was time to work my free time, as far as organized and intentional extracurriculars was sports.



Emeline [00:33:44] So and you have talked about how like you worked on fashion because like it drew people's attention and like this idea of drawing people's attention with art? What do you think draws people attention from Frog Hollow?



Nygel [00:33:59] What do I think draws people's attention? I like um, I think it depends on the person. Yeah, I think for one, I think if we're talking about the people that that live in Frog Hollow. People come to live or people have come to live in Frog Hollow because it already provided them with a sense of community before they even settled in. You know, a lot of folks from I mean, again, if we're talking history, a lot of folks who came toFrog Hollow neighborhood, the Clay Arsenal, et cetera, they all came as a result of the tobacco field work, right? And then they stayed, and then their families grew. And then generations and generations, they've been here and we've been here. Right. And so I think again, that's that's kind of the origin. But then you have folks that are not necessarily a part of this community that come here for anything between the food, right? Because you can find so many different types of food and just Frog Hollow, right? And or for food that some people come for, just actually like some people love city life in the hustle and bustle, right? And so Park Street is some somewhere where you can you can find music playing somewhere. You can find right. You can again, you can find food at some cool or delicious or lively restaurant somewhere. There's, you know, shops all over the place. And so I think there's again, depends on what what someone is looking for. But I think there is something for everybody in Frog Hallow, right? I mean, we're right in Frog Hollow at Trinity College, right? So I think a lot of folks that are new to the community, right, get introduced because they might have come to Trinity. Right. And so they've been introduced to the community in that way, which I think is a great thing because I mean, I think that happens at all of these other colleges, like any college, that people are not from right there. They're getting exposed to this new this new place. And now the value of that place is is more widely known right its more widely appreciated and valued and etc. So I think typically, as long as people are entering a community, obviously it's OK to benefit from this community, right? You can. You can come here and benefit simply by getting a meal, or you can benefit simply by having a conversation with somebody. But I think as long as people are there to benefit the community and the people that have made that community what it is, I think that there is something here for everybody. So I hope that your question.



Catherine [00:36:47] OK, so turning back to the Frog Hollow story telling project. Were there any like recurring themes or ideas that came up across the different people you talked to? You have touched on the story you just said but could you just expand a little more.



Nygel [00:37:00] Yes. So there was I actually I'll start with this. There was a person's name that kept coming up. It was a gentleman. I haven't had the chance to actually excuse me, there are a couple of names, but first, I'm going to shed light on this gentleman. Selestino. No, I did not have the pleasure of meeting him. I honestly don't know that much about him, but I do know that everybody that I've heard his name from since we started this project in early July, they've praised that guy. They praised whatever work that he's done in this community, right in and from my understanding. He is and was a beacon of light for his community, right? He is somebody that uplifted everyone around him as much as he could and as often as he could. And he was not shy about building for, fighting for uplifting for, this community. And so to me, even though I didn't have the chance to meet him, it's it's a continuously hear his name during the filming of this. All right. Maria, excuse me, Senora Maria, from Fiestatime she mentioned them, a gentleman that we interviewed, I believe, I think it was Favorita barbershop, he mentions the Latino right. And when that guy heard that has been passed because I guess he didn't know Selestino had just passed in the past like two years due to COVID. Right? And so when he heard about it, he's just like, you know, he was able to hold it together as such. But he was just like, you could tell he was like, Why is like, why is this Selestino, you know, no way like, because like, that guy changed my life. He's the reason why I'm who I am and all this other stuff. So for me, it was it was beautiful to be able to hear that right? Because I didn't I didn't know this guy. I never heard the name before. And so I think that not that his name is a theme, right? But he's just somebody that continuously came up. But other than that, I would say. And then there were other names again, as and our is that the the Adesis Cottos right, who I know very well. She's my supervisor and a huge supporter of of the goals that I have and things that I look to do at the library and through the library. And she's a hero of this community, as she was named this past weekend as well. But in addition to the names and the people, I would say one theme that continuously came up and I was continuously mentioned, right? It's kind of I hate to be redundant, but the theme of community right there was Seniora Maria from yesterday. I mentioned a lot about how there are a lot of different initiatives in that, you know, in the past and still to this day that people came together on, right? So as she talked about the again the Parkville festival, she talked about how different people pitched in and different businesses pitched in for the sake of thatfestival. So the whole community. So all the people from from Frog Hollow could benefit, right, and enjoy that day together. They talked about the types of meetings that Adesia and Alfaro and other folks would have at the Old Park Street Branch Library, right for the sake of advocating for a new branch right that we now see. Right? I mean, You heard a lot about again with with with Iran, right? Iran talked about folks that would come by his his his street vending spot, so to speak. Right. When you started and those folks, they'll come to the shop today. Right. It is these stores in brick and mortar today. So it was a sense of community that was a recurring theme, right? I mean, I think that's that's even the reoccurring theme now. Like, that's the whole reason why we're doing this. That's the reason why, you know, Trinity College , you know, have come together to do this project to uplift and contribute to community and expand expanded understanding and the notion of community here. So that was the utmost reoccurring theme.



Emeline[00:41:25] And was there anything surprising in the process of like that stands out? You've touched on a little some moments that stood out to you, or maybe that you also talked about this a little bit. Any other moments that really impacted you or that you learned from?



Nygel [00:41:46] um, oh, yes, um. Something that impacted me very heavily was the first interview that we did, and that was with a lady named Imelda I, I'm forgetting her last name right now. Forgive me for that, but I know that she runs the, it's and it's kind of like a almost like a thrift shop, right? But I believe it's free for community members at the St Ann's Church or St. Anna’s church, I believe And Graciela had given me some, you know, insight, though she was prior to us arriving. I don't know if she's undocumented, I don't care. Can I be clipped?



Emeline Y eah. You don't have to say her name.



Nygel [00:42:47] Yeah, I don't know her last name anyway, so we will protect that. Yeah.



Nygel [00:42:51] And she's very protected in the community as well. So it's not again, I think, yeah, I'm just trying to figure out trying to mitigate to do that. But not sure she's she's somebody you met as somebody from the community that. That risked a lot to give herself her family and those that she loves that opportunity and a life in this community, right in this in. And frankly, you know, she's somebody that the community has ultimate and an enormous respect for ultimate, an enormous appreciation for because the mother, per my understanding, has fought for the community, has spoken for the community, as has given to the community tirelessly and continues to do so. Again, she runs the shop and for is, and she is one of those people that knows everybody. All right, she makes her business to build these relationships so that the people that she's engaging with that may need help know that it's OK for her OK to come to her for help, OK, and receive help from her the same way that she's allowed other folks to help her. Allowed other folks are protecting our build up. So for me, that was something that stood out because despite the circumstance in which Imelda exists here in Frog Hollow, right? She's a powerhouse like she's she's To me, I look at ,I'm going to go on a rant. I look at, I tend to look at folks who do the work in the community, who do the work for the people who, as I say, as I tend to say, who are of for and by the community, right? I tend to look at those people as giants. Right, I didn't look at those people as an instance, in some cases, mythical figures. If I didn't know, right, if I didn't know Adesia Cotto and Lennie, you know what I heard about her during during the presentation on Saturday? I might have that. That might have had me looking at her like, Oh my goodness, right? Like, Who is this person? Right? But thankfully, I've had the pleasure of knowing and being under her tutelage, right? In recent times and continue to. And so whenever I hear of people or when I meet people like Imelda that right after hearing a story about them, I mean, I meet people write like, for me, you know, on a note in Clay Arsenal, one of the giants for me is a lot of folks may know, and I'm sure he's he's had an impact on Frank Hollow as well or worked with Frog Hollow. In some ways, right? Is a guy we call brother Carl. Right. And Brother Carl is one of the elders as far as I'm concerned in just like the Lennie’s the Alesdias just like the Alfardo, right? Just like the of Selestinos, etc., etc. And again, there's a million names I can. I can, I can put out there. But just like that from me, I look back But Carl is a giant because of the work he's done for the people right and the community. And so I'm meeting, you know, I'm meeting right, having this relationship with Lenny. Meeting Maria, right? Who's who's been at the center of all of this right and is the keeper of stories is the keeper of truth is a keeper of truth, I should say. For me, I was in awe. Like during this, during this project, I live for communities. So during this project, I felt like I was at home, right? I mean, aside from getting getting out of bed in the morning, I felt like I was right at home right away. So. I was. Humbled by the opportunity. I'm going to be very appreciative.



Emeline [00:47:09] And so now that you have spoken a lot about how it's impacted you. what impact do you hope it has in the community and for people outside the community?



Nygel [00:47:21] the impact that I hope it has on the community that our voices to highlight the impact that I hope the voices of Frog Hollow documentary has on the community, on our community, on the frog community. I hope the impact is that of greater understanding, right? Meaning greater understanding of one another. I hope that, you know, my my, my African-American my West Indian people can see this film and see them see their own communities in it, right? We can help the people in Clay Arsenal and the people in Upper Albany can see themselves in Frog Hollow, right? Because it's the same way it's the same as just a mile or two apart. I hope that with that understanding, we can within Hartford, right? First, I mean, I want this for the world, but within Hartford, you know, for us that we can go to a greater sense of cohesion, a greater sense of togetherness as opposed to feeling like we are we are competing right. There are powers that be in our city, around our city, outside of our city, even that benefit from our community, Right? And that's OK in some cases. But I think ultimately our community needs to benefit a lot more first. And so I'm hoping that the powers that be can be either hopefully just inspired, but if not inspired, pressured by other folks who are inspired by this film, right? to contribute to the positive change for the people who are in this community who have made this community what it is, and not just for the people who are looking to come to this community, right? To just benefit off of this community and not give back to the people who made it what it is. So I'm I'm I'm hoping that this film will create change and inspire change through cohesion, understanding and Yeah, those things, cohesion and understanding.



Emeline [00:49:32] And how do you see the future of the project



Nygel [00:49:36] so the project, Graciela, and I actually already have plans for the project to continue. We actually this past Saturday during the Heroes celebration at Park at the Park Street branch, I had the pleasure of interviewing Luis cotto. That's going Adesias brother, and he's another gentleman from the community, from the Frog Hollow community That, from my understanding, is known very well, has had a huge impact on the city and this community as well. He's still somebody that contributes to this community, even though he's not right, you know, right here all the time. And so, yeah, I had the pleasure of meeting him and interviewing him. Some of his interview, as well as others that are still to come, will be put out in an episodic method, so to speak. So the plan is for as I as I wrap up this partnership partnership with HBATV, who will be broadcasting, you know, a number of Hartford public library programs and, you know, announcements and public service announcements and such. The plan is to get the documentary that you have seen, I think clips of to that the HBATV, because they can broadcast it and premiere it to the community on one of the local channels and then beyond that, whatever interviews that we get. I like to in a sense like but two interviews together, so to speak, make an episode out of those right with more B-roll that introduces the overall city and continue to put those out through HBATV and whatever other platforms we can get them to. Because I think the more the more we can add, the more we can get them, the more platforms that we can get. Voices of Frog Hollow to obviously, the more we have a chance of more people singing and therefore impacting more people positively.



Catherine [00:51:41] So those are all kind of general questions we have. Is there anything else that you wanted to share with us,



Emeline if we could go back to just the beginning? So you grew up in Clay. arsenal, but what were your kind of like perceptions or interactions with Frog Hollow and growing up?



Nygel [00:52:05] So my perceptions of Frog Hollow growing up was interesting because I didn't I didn't know the different neighborhoods outside of Clay Arsenal and I didn't know the neighborhoods names. And so I became a young adult when I came back to the city after going to college and such. But but um, my perception, I think I always looking at the south and as this out there, right? And so for me, my perception of like, OK, that's that's the south side of town where most of our Latino people live. That's why I can go get and but not here, because I love and empandias is like for me. I added, I have a thing for beef patties. Excuse me, are Jamaican beef patties specifically and empanadas, or empanadias. And they're very similar. Right? So that's funny. But long story short, I knew I could always come to the south saide of town. Specifically, I came together to get the empanadas right. And then as I got older into my teen years, I would come here and and hang out with friends. And for me, it was it was just hard for me. It was the side of town that I didn't grow up on right there. I just was either curious about at times, depending on what was going on or that for me, it was just kind of provided a different culture, a different perspective, because the fact that I was, you know, predominantly Latino, right, and on the flip side, where I was from was predominantly African-American and West Indian, right? So I think it was just it was a different perspective. It was like, OK, I I was in high school. I dated a couple of girls that at different times, at different times. I dated a couple of girls that lived in or right outside of frog hollow. And so again, for me, as I I did when I was younger, girls, moms always loved me like I was. That was that was the nice young guy and stuff like that. And so I would be the I would always get food whenever I went to, you know, a girlfriend or a friend's house or something like that. I was always getting food and I was always getting full. And any time I would go home after I have dinner done and I wouldn't be eating stuff because I'm full already of empanadas or rice and beans or platinos, etc., etc., etc.. And so it was just a night for me. It represented another side of Hartford that represented Hartford having even more to offer. Right? But again, as I learned about the neighborhood names I was just I just was very curious about how these names came to be, how these neighborhoods came to be, what they are, how these neighborhoods came to have The culture is that they have right. And I'm still curious about some of that because a lot of it, I still don't know. I know a lot more than I did, but I'm just still very curious because I'm I'm very intrigued by how someone's story can turn into , can develop somebody else's story, right? Like, all of our stories are created because of somebody else's story who was created then by somebody else's story and so on. And so for me, I'm always very intrigued about understanding how and where and why we come from. So. That's my assumption, ah, that was my perception. And to answer your other question, I don't think I had any other things to mention or answer, I don't think. Yeah, that was it. I hope I answered all your questions. Yeah, yeah.



Emeline [00:55:49] No, this was really it was really helpful like you gave us. So much was pretty much like really looking forward to check in and see how the project continues. When is that document really like, you know, like, I have a date?



Nygel [00:56:13] Yeah, you know, be you. It will be in a premier before the end of the year and as long as HBTV doesn't have any other things by the end of the year. It will be episodic. I mean, that was the last episodes will start shooting goes for the next half of the year. Yeah. And those ones will be a lot better organized and they won't be as big as they call a running gun are going to be the shooting as we go and kind of be as government means, we're going to have the space where folks are sitting. Yeah. Makes my progress on both of these things, right?



Catherine: Yeah. How many people have you guys like, interviewed so far or done?



Nygel: Seven.



Catherine: OK



Nygel: We did seven official interviews but we also had those kind of like in between transitions like I didn't get all right, which wasn't a full interview, but that was the interaction that I'm going to keep as transitional pieces. You know, I think altogether, there may be 10 or so people on film in that project but interviews there may be seven.

Audio Recording

57 minutes