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Rod Boggs transcript, 2022-06-10

 Item
Identifier: dcpl_dcohc042_07_tra.pdf

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

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: 2022-06-10

Creator

Biographical / Historical

Rod Boggs was Executive Director of the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs from 1971 to 2016. Under his leadership, the Committee initiated a program in 1978 that involved volunteer lawyers working with D.C. public schools in Anacostia. Three years later, the Committee launched a complimentary project that provided matching grants to parent groups from these schools. In 1981, Rod’s leadership made it possible for the Washington Lawyers’ Committee to provide essential administrative support to Parents United, the advocacy group that emerged to fight a catastrophic reduction in the DC Public Schools budget.

Extent

From the Collection: 1.13 Terabytes

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Rod Boggs summarizes his education from elementary school in Rockville Center, New York through law school at Columbia University. He briefly mentions his work for the Ford Foundation in Africa and for Congressman Allard Lowenstein. The major focus of the interview is the educational advocacy that developed at the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, under his leadership. He talks about programs that preceded Parents United: a project involving volunteer lawyers working with D.C. public schools in Anacostia and another that provided matching grants to parent groups from these schools. He describes the founding of Parents United in response to a catastrophic reduction in the DC Public Schools budget and the continued advocacy of the organization for adequate school funding. He also mentions other issues addressed by Parents United, including school safety and health. The interview highlights the valuable contributions of several key colleagues.

Repository Details

Part of the The People's Archive, Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library Repository

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