Transcript of oral history interview with Jack Kowalski
Description:
Oral history interview of Jack Kowalski by an unnamed interviewer. Kowalski describes growing up in South Boston, where his parents moved to after immigrating from Poland in 1951. He discusses the major period of global immigration and emigration created by World War II and the large number of Polish immigrants that came to reside in Boston after the war. Kowalski describes the importance of the war in his family history, recalling his mother’s experience in a concentration camp and his father’s experience fighting with the Polish underground. Reflecting on his time in Boston, Kowalski describes in detail the Polish community of South Boston, noting its size, its cultural dynamics, and various organizations, both secular and religious. He talks at length about the neighborhood’s Polish Catholic Church, Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish. In his opinion, the church served as an important unifying force for the Polish immigrants in Boston. Kowalski also describes his educational upbringing in the neighborhood and his engagement with polish youth clubs. Kowalski then goes on to talk about his transition to a career in local politics and gives his opinion on the state of Polish-American political participation. He briefly comments on the Boston school integration crisis, saying that it has little impact or interest among the Polish community. The interview concludes with Kowalski’s comparing parochial and public education. Parts of this transcript are missing keywords and phrases. Other topics mentioned include Pleasant Street, Dorchester Ave, Summer Street. Andrews Square, Columbia Road, Boston Common, Catholic Boston College High, Boys Latin, South Boston High, Boston 200 Polish Affairs committee, Mayor Kevin White, Mayor John F. Collins, Dorchester, Upton Square, Cleaning women, machinist, immigrant sponsorships, World War II, Daniel Pokoski, Louise Day Hicks, Polish American YOUTH Organization, University of Massachusetts, Irish Immigration, Lithuanian immigration, Italian immigration, The Soviet Union, Josef Stalin, Auschwitz, Nazi Germany, parochial schools, St. Mary’s Parochial School, Polish American Congress of Massachusetts, Polish American Veterans of Massachusetts, Polish Legion of American Veterans, Polish National Catholic Church, Polish Falcons, Polish Eagles Jamaica Plain, Dorchester, Polish language.
