Nancy Shia interview, 2022-09-30
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: 2022-09-30
Creator
- Adair, Kristin (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
This interview must be accessed onsite at The People's Archive. Please contact us at peoples.archive@dc.gov.
Biographical / Historical
Nancy Shia is a photographer, political artist, neighborhood activist, and long-time Adams Morgan resident. She received her B.A. in Sociology (with a minor in Photography) from City College of New York, her M.A. in Social Work from Columbia University, and came to Washington, D.C. in 1972 to attend Antioch School of Law (from which she received her J.D. in 1978). She has extensively documented the Adams Morgan neighborhood through photography since the early 1970s. She later worked for the Federal News Service and was elected to serve as Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner from 1982-1984 and again from 2007-2010.
Extent
From the Collection: 1.13 Terabytes
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Photographer and activist Nancy Shia reflects on her background and pathway to activism through photography in Adams Morgan and D.C. more broadly. She speaks about her early years in the community, the diversity, and changing characteristics of the neighborhood over time. She also discusses specific protests and campaigns to preserve public space in Adams Morgan and ensure access to housing for diverse groups of community members. Nancy also served two terms on the Advisory Neighborhood Commission in Adams Morgan, in the early 1980s and again in the mid-2000s. She reflects on her service and her role in the community as both a neighborhood leader and an artist and photographer documenting and telling the stories of Adams Morgan and its people.
Repository Details
Part of the The People's Archive, Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library Repository