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Library

Jeffrey Dodson

June 22, 2024

|

Hudson, NY

Song

Recorded by

Isvett Verde

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Summary:

This interview with Jeffrey Dodson was conducted at the Hudson Area Library in Hudson, New York on June 22, 2024. Jeffrey was born and raised in New Jersey, and worked with the Newark Housing Authority for 28 years. In the interview, he describes his first impressions of Hudson, which he visited before relocating to the city to work as the executive director for the Hudson Housing Authority.

He tells us that he grew up in public housing Newark, NJ, so this work is very personal for him. He spoke of Bliss Towers and his vision for redeveloping the city’s public housing, as well as the need for more affordable housing. He also shared what community means to him, and the defining moments that have shaped him and his work, including being part of his high school debate team.

This interview may be useful, or of interest, to those who wish to learn more aboutHudson’s Bliss Towers, public housing, income inequality, and working class life.

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Themes:
Education
,
Class
,
Change and Gentrification
,
Friendship
,
Public Housing
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Interviewer Bio:
Isvett Verde

Isvett Verde is a journalist. She was born in Havana, Cuba and was part of the wave of migrants who left the island for Miami, FL during the Mariel Boatlift in 1980. She resides in Brooklyn, where she spends much of her time working as an opinion editor at The New York Times. But her passions have drawn her to write about the Indigenous people leading the fight on climate, how Floridians learned to shop for produce on social media during the pandemic and avocado dyes. These days she often turns to her kitchen for inspiration, where not just cooking, but sharing a meal with friends fills the spaces the written word can't.

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Additional Info:
Interview language(s):
English
,
Audio quality:
Medium

Audio Quality Scale

Low - There is some background noise and the narrator is hard to hear.

Medium - There is background noise, but the narrator is audible.

High - There is little background noise and the narrator is audible.

Permissions: 

This interview is hereby made available for research purposes only. For additional uses (radio and other media, music, internet), please click here to inquire about permissions.

Part of this interview may be played in a radio broadcast or podcast.

Oral history is an iterative process. In keeping with oral history values of anti-fixity, interviewees will have an opportunity to add, annotate and reflect upon their lives and interviews in perpetuity. Talking back to the archive is a form of “shared authority.”

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