Scope and Contents Denise Rollins, current Chair of the Board of Directors at Dance Place, reflects on her life and relationship to the DC African dance community. Rollins speaks about her professional trajectory that began in public policy, which led her to spend a number of years working for the African American Institute and eventually USAID. Rollins recalls the early years of Dance Place and DanceAfrica, DC and how each remains important to her life today as Dance Place celebrates its 40-year anniversary...

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This is an individual interview of Duane Sylvestre in which he discusses his experiences as an bar professional, reflecting his Trinidadian heritage in his approach to mixology, the visibility of Black bartenders in the industry, and how the service industry has changed as a result of COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter protests.

Abstract President of both the Fairlawn Citizen Association and the D.C. Federation of Civic Associations, Graylin Presbury, describes the Covid19 pandemic and its disproportionate impact on Black residents of low-income and elders in particular. He recounts various adventures as a volunteer for the Student Conservation Association and the majestic wild spaces he witnessed. He also regales harrowing experiences in which both he and his Father (on separate occasions) were arrested due to racial...

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Karla Jacobsen Squier discusses her childhood in Washington, D.C. during World War II, her early life and career in fashion, her later career in Republican politics in New Jersey, her current life and COVID, her Christian faith, and memories of the Jacobsen family.

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This is an individual interview of Lauren Paylor in which she discusses her experiences as a Black mixologist and bartender, being a part of the local Shaw community, and the community of Black bartenders in D.C. during the COVID-19 pandemic and 2020 protests.

Abstract Layne Garrett discusses growing up in a typical household in Tennessee and spending his childhood, visiting family on long road trips to Texas. While interest in music was always present in Layne’s life, it was in high school that exposure to outsider literature and open tuning in guitar brought him to be a part of music projects and pursue creative expression. He reflects on four years of living in a new city in Phoenix after college, where lack of social engagements got him to experiment...

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This is an individual interview of Mimi Evans in which she discusses being a Black mixologist, mother, and small business owner in the D.C. metropolitan area, and the effects of gentrification, the COVID-19 pandemic and 2020 protests on her personal and professional life

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This is an individual interview of Paul Taylor in which he discusses his bartending experiences in Virginia and D.C., his knowledge of cocktail history, the impact of gentrification in Shaw, and the effects of COVID-19, political protests, and complex issues of race and equity and inclusion on the local bartending community and broader service industry.