Abstract

Ms. Adwoa Beidleman-Aggrey reflects on her life, training, and involvement as a member and President of the Washington Section, National Council of Negro Women. She shares candid conversations and her insights concerning issues affecting some of the needs faced by women and their families.

Abstract In this oral history interview, Ms. Andrea Turner, a long time D.C. resident, discusses her life and experiences moving from Lumberton, North Carolina, to Washington, D.C. Discussing her early life, Ms. Turner talks about life in Lumberton, reflects on the role the church had in her upbringing, and recalls leaving North Carolina when she moved to Illinois for college. She recounts how she moved to Washington, DC, for a congressional internship and discusses her career first as a...

Abstract Grandmother and retired childhood care provider, Darene “Dee” Johnson, discusses her childhood growing up in Washington D.C. on 11th Street, NE. She recalls playing games in Lincoln Park with her cousins and siblings and enjoyed the beauty of the fruit trees and gardens in her neighborhood. However, during this period in his childhood, Ms. Dee explains the tension in her family, and her mother’s untreated mental and physical illnesses. Moving to Southeast D.C., Ms. Dee immediately...

Scope and Contents From 1992 – 1993, a total of 12 oral history interviews were conducted through the Eastern Market Oral History Project, of which the Washingtoniana division holds resources for 9 interviews. The goal of the project was to capture the undocumented history of the Eastern Market, the last vestige of the Washington market system, which for more than 100 years played a vital role in the life of the city. The stories told by the interviewees show the important role that public markets played in...

Abstract

Ms. Inez Davis reflects on her life and involvement as a member and past president of the Washington Section of the National Council of Negro Women. She holds a wealth of knowledge concerning the organization and the section programs’ impact in the community. Ms. Inez Davis discusses some of the challenges and some changes needed to ensure the future of the organization and section.

Abstract Lawyer and activist, Kemi Morten, begins by discussing her family dynamic and childhood moving between Chicago, Illinois and Baltimore, Maryland. She describes learning the importance of celebrating and protecting her identity as an African-American from the persistent pressures of white-centering cultural influences. Whether it was her Father describing his mistreatment as a journalist during the Emmett Till trial, or her own experiences avoiding threats by white people at gunpoint, Kemi...

Abstract Luke Stewart talks about being born in the Mississippi Gulf Coast and moving to Washington, D.C. in pursuit of music and historical connections to the legacy of radical music and culture in the capital. His approach to performance is that of recognizing musical legacies of the cities, where he is based, and using radical music and culture as tools of resistance and call for social justice. He meets a community of improvising musicians and elders while working at WPFW. Luke continues to meet...

Scope and Contents

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.

Abstract Nathan Harrington discusses pivotal experiences in his childhood and young adulthood that motivated him to found the Ward 8 Woods Conservancy. He recounts his parent’s careers and the serendipitous conditions that lead to his birth. Being the youngest of many siblings, Nathan describes lots of time spent alone with his parents, and with his Mom in particular. Noting his Mother’s untimely and tragic passing in 2012, Nathan recalls special moments they shared and the lasting impact of her...