Endia DeCordova talks with her mother, Gem DeCordova, about how her late father was introduced to the West Indian community in Harford after immigrating to the States from Jamaica. Gem shares how the West Indian Social Club was born out of those early community gatherings and the legacy of kindness and inclusion her husband left behind.

“When they get a day off, this is where they go. It was like a party house for everyone to meet, and that kind of hold them together as Jamaicans knowing there are other Jamaicans they can rely on.” – Gem DeCordova on the role of the West Indian Social Club in their lives.

“Daddy was one to really lead from his heart. He epitomized the idea that we are all one. He really lived by that motto ‘one love.’” – Endia DeCordova

“He was such a giving man. A giving man until the day he died.” – Gem DeCordova

Credits:

• Interview Facilitated by: StoryCorps Mobile Tour
• Connecticut Public Producers: J Holt, Megan Fitzgerald, Catie Talarski
• Music by: Niamh

This conversation was recorded in 2021. 

For more, visit StoryCorps CT