Barbara Ehrlich discusses moving to Washington, DC and her time spent living in Southwest; her educational background and work experience, especially in Public Health; her involvement with local organizations and events such as the Southwest Neighborhood Assembly’s Southwest Arts Festival Committee, the DC Arts Commission, the Washington Waterfront Association, and the National Cherry Blossom Festival; changes and developments in the neighborhood; and the concept of aging in place.

Between 1993 and 1997, Service Employees International Union Local 82, the DC branch of a union representing mainly custodial workers, conducted a total of 13 oral history interviews with union members as part of the Service Workers’ Oral History and Education Project. Interviewees were current and former union members of all ages, some who had taken part in union leadership. Topics include work experiences, union politics, interviewee experiences in union leadership, and health.

The Damu Smith papers document Smiths' involvement in activism and community organizations. Among the records are biographical material, notes, photographs, audiocassette tapes, and research files. The research files cover Angola, South Africa, Korea, Iraq, the environment, and organizations such as the French Street Umoja Connection, Louisiana Cancer Alley, and the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.