Micheal Bell

Actor

In this two-part interview, Micheal Bell, a long-time Bushwick resident and actor, shares his history of the neighborhood where he grew up, the strong community ties he has nurtured over the years and the changes he witnessed that were brought on by gentrification and rising prices in Bushwick. In part 1, Micheal recounts what it was like growing up in Bushwick in the 60s through the 70s, his early schooling and memories of neighbors and family, his time away attaining a college education at Bard, and his return to New York for work and the beginning of his fledgling acting career. In part 2, Micheal talks about his family's arrival to Bushwick in the 60s when his mother purchased their first home, the impact that the women in his family had on his upbringing, the tumult of the 1970s, including the fire of July 1977, the rampant drug use and its effects on the neighborhood, and his return to Bushwick in the 80s to teach in the local public school.