Mountain, Toni – ca. 2008

Ms. Toni Mountain’s interview begins with her Caribbean upbringing in Bahamas to immigrating in the 1950s to the United States and residing in Liberty City, Florida. Over the years, Ms. Mountain witnessed the growth, prosperity and then the gradual decline of Liberty City. One of her most vivid memories centers on the death of Arthur Lee McDuffie and the riots that erupted in Liberty City and Overtown. Also, the interview highlights racial tensions, such as segregation and desegregation; strain between Black Community and the Police; divisions within the Caribbean community; and the between conflict African Americans and the Caribbean immigrants. Most importantly, Ms. Mountain notes the importance of family and church.