Scope and Contents 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. 'In Part Two of this Oral History,...

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In this interview with Barbara and Martha Saragovitz, the sisters discuss growing up in Lamond Riggs, when the neighborhood was brand new and largely Jewish. They recount their experiences during the real estate blockbusting and their family's eventual move to Capitol Hill in 1963. Martha remembers a few violent incidents after moving to Southwest, D.C., and her time as an undergraduate at American University.

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Michael Swann speaks of his childhood memories, the impact some teachers had on him, friends, dancing and the strong sense of community that he felt growing up in the Fort Totten community.

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Patricia Smith Spencer Lee recalls Fort Totten as being a village with a strong sense of nurturing and belonging as party of her childhood.

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Reginald Rothwell discusses the various D.C. neighborhoods he lived as a child, catholic school education, basketball and academics.

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.

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In this interview, Steve Nelson discusses how his family saved money to purchase a house in Riggs Park during the period of white flight from the neighborhood. Nelson recalls his experiences in the DC Public School system, including at LaSalle Elementary and Bell Vocational High School. Nelson also recounts a crime resulting in the death of his brother, and discusses how Riggs Park continues to evolve.

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Yolanda Lee discusses the Fort Totten neighborhood, the Teenarama dance show, attending Catholic schools, the 1968 Riots and the teachers who had an impact on her.