Bill MacKaye Spanish transcript, 2022-07-12
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: 2022-07-12
Language of Materials
Spanish
Biographical / Historical
Bill MacKaye was born in New York City but grew up in D.C. and lived in D.C. for most of his life. He is 88 years old at the time of this interview. Although he does not live in the neighborhood of Newton Street, he has been an active church member and leader of St. Stephen’s Church, an anchor for Newton Street, since 1962 (for 60 years). He and his wife were recruited by the then-newly-installed Pastor Wendt. The pastor told them he felt a calling to lead an integrated church (the first integrated Episcopalian church in D.C.), and needed young white people like them to start this mixed congregation. This led to Bill’s half century of service promoting affordable housing on Newton Street and the surrounding neighborhood. As part of the church’s affordable housing activist ministry, Bill worked alongside Black and Brown affordable housing community leaders, many of whom were women.
Extent
From the Collection: 1.13 Terabytes
Abstract
Bill MacKaye recalls the early days of his involvement with St. Stephen’s Church, which soon evolved into a lifelong service to developing and supporting affordable housing on Newton Street. He gives a first-person account of St. Stephen’s Church’s transformation into an affordable housing developer and partner in response to the Black Movement’s call for reparations from whites for the enslavement of Black people. He also shares his experiences working with Black and Brown affordable housing community activists and leaders, including many women.
Repository Details
Part of the The People's Archive, Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library Repository