Wilhelmina Goff index, 2021-06-05
Scope and Contents
D.C. Oral History Collaborative (DCOHC) is a citywide initiative to train community members in oral history skills, fund new and ongoing oral history projects, connect volunteers with oral history projects, and publicize existing oral history collections. DCOHC is a project of DC Public Library, HumanitiesDC, and the Historical Society of Washington, D.C. This collection contains oral history interviews, transcripts, and indexes produced by DCOHC grantees.
Dates
- Creation: 2021-06-05
Creator
- Banks, Adelle (Person)
Language of Materials
English
Biographical / Historical
Wilhelmina Goff is a native of Columbia, South Carolina, who worked in elementary education and college roles in Ohio before moving to the Washington, D.C., area. She was employed in Washington as a manager for the National Council of Negro Women and the deputy executive director of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., before becoming a school counselor in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Her roles at Asbury United Methodist have included chairing the church’s child development center, serving on the church’s trustee board, co-chairing its 175th anniversary celebration and twice serving as president of Asbury United Methodist Women. Her volunteer involvement with Delta Sigma Theta has included serving three consecutive terms as Midwest regional director, serving on the sorority’s Heritage and Archives Committee and working with the Washington, D.C., alumnae chapter.
Extent
From the Collection: 1.13 Terabytes
Abstract
Wilhelmina Goff describes growing up in segregated Columbia, South Carolina, where her father became one of the first Black men to register to vote. After experiencing segregation on buses in Columbia, she becomes involved in the Morgan State College student sit-in movement that desegregated stores, lunch counters and a movie theater in Baltimore. She starts her career as an educator in Ohio, where she also served as the Midwest regional director of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She begins attending Asbury United Methodist Church after making a career move to Washington, D.C., and becomes president of the church’s United Methodist Women and co-chair of Asbury’s 175th anniversary celebration. Goff describes her employment in the D.C. area at the National Council of Negro Women, at her business, WG Resources, and at Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. After her first retirement, she starts working for Prince George’s County Public Schools as a counselor. She recalls her work on the Black Family Reunion, with events held on the National Mall, and describes the building of houses for families in Ghana with her sorority. This interview was conducted virtually.
Repository Details
Part of the The People's Archive, Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library Repository