Scope and Contents This is an oral history interview of Carol Thompson Cole. She discusses what her membership in the Asbury United Methodist Church means for her. With the encouragement of her parents, she decides to attend Smith College. She reflects on what it was like to be a young African American woman of faith at Smith in the 1960s. Thompson Cole trailblazer new places for African American women in D.C. government, shortly after the city was granted home rule. Thompson Cole would serve 12 years for...

Scope and Contents In this oral history Carol Travis reflects of her life as a lifelong Washingtonian. She was christened at Asbury United Methodist Church. Carl discusses her impressions of Washington, D.C., as it has changed over the decades starting in the 1940s. Topics that she discusses that are related to the city's transformations include gentrification, the 1968 riots, and how increased congestions keeps potential parishioners away. Throughout the interview she often returns to the value of education,...

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Josephine Baker talks most about her involvement with the Charter School movement and shares some of the battle scars gained from those who thought, even after 25 years of a stellar reputation with DCPS, that she must be anti-DCPS to take on this new initiative. She explains her motivation, the importance of educational options in each child's development and what she believes they achieved on behalf of children, who she insists must always come first.