Abstract A career federal employee who answered the call to ministry in the United Methodist Church later in life, Rev. Irene C. Pierce reflects on her 95 years. This includes her early childhood and a later visit to Pickens, South Carolina; her church life, extending beyond Asbury United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C., to the general church and then pastoring a small Black church in a mostly white town; dealing with racism while trying to climb the ladder at the Treasury and Commerce...

Abstract Dr. Joseph N. Yearwood III reflects on the racial discrimination that caused his parents to send him to Brooklyn, N.Y., in the mid-1940s for his early education; the life he experienced upon his return to the District of Columbia at the age of seven, and his subsequent education and career choices; the joy of service and connection through membership in his fraternity, ROTC, the Masons, and his church, Asbury United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C. He talks about the impact of the...

Abstract Educator, administrator, editor and musician, Dr. Marion E. Hines reflects on her life of 80 years, including her work in the DC Public Schools and two universities; her education in the public schools, then at Howard University and Georgetown University; her approach to teaching languages; her love of travel and music. She speaks in depth about the Wesleyan Choir of Asbury United Methodist Church, what it means to her and to the church; Asbury’s participation in various historic events such...

Scope and Contents

Asbury United Methodist Church Oral History Project features interviews from members of Asbury United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C. These episodes are drawn from oral histories of members of one of Washington’s historic Black churches. Asbury has been at the corner of 11th and K Streets Northwest since its founding in 1836. These church members share their personal experiences with Black history, national history and the history of the Washington, D.C., area.

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.