I moved to Washington, D.C. 20 years ago, with my 1-year-old daughter in tow, on a quest to learn more about African American history and my own family’s story through the practice of oral history and poetry. I had been to D.C. a few times, visiting relatives in the area, but it was still very new to me. Learning about the history of the nation’s capital via oral history interviews has been like opening new window after new window onto this region’s rich past.
Oral history is a great way to bring the generations together and introduce your children to the idea of living history. History is not just a topic we can learn about in books; it is literally walking around with us! Here are some important D.C. figures you and your kids can learn about through their oral histories.
When I worked as a special collections librarian in the Washingtoniana and Black Studies division (now People’s Archive) of the MLK Memorial Library, I implemented the U Street Oral History Project and the 50th anniversary March on Washington oral history project. They introduced me to individuals in this area who were involved in the social justice movements of the 1960s and 70s. For the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, I interviewed several people who were there, including A. Peter Bailey and Sondra Hassan.
Malcom X Follower and Journalist Inspired by King’s Speech
A. Peter Bailey, a self-described “Malcolmite” (follower of Malcom X), attended the march with a bit of skepticism, but ended up being inspired by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech, especially the part where King refers to the “bad check” written to African Americans. His interview opened my eyes to the diversity of opinions represented in the crowds that showed up that hot August day in 1963. Bailey went on to become a prolific journalist who remains a Malcolmite, committed to the struggle for human rights.
Activists, “Love Pioneers” and All That Jazz
Sondra Barrett Hassan was a Howard University student who became active in SNCC (the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee): She was asked to escort Malcolm X to the march. Prior to that interview, I didn’t even realize that Malcolm X had attended the March on Washington. A third-generation native Washingtonian, Hassan is also a renown quilter. She has also been married to local jazz historian and radio personality, Rusty Hassan, since 1969. Married only a few years after the passage of Loving v. Virginia, the Supreme Court case that legalized interracial marriage in 1967, the Hassans are love pioneers, still married after 55 years. For the U Street Oral History Project, I turned to Rusty Hassan and several others with vivid memories of the storied cultural corridor known to some as, “Black Broadway.” Rusty brought the jazz scene of the 1960s to life with his memories of seeing legends like John Coltrane and Ramsey Lewis at Bohemian Caverns.
Sister Pioneers in Civil Rights
The U Street Oral History Project also introduced me to sisters Alva Lorena Marcus and Jeannine Smith Clark, fourth-generation Washingtonians. These dynamic women, who have since passed on, recalled attending the historic Marian Anderson concert at the Lincoln Memorial on April 9, 1939. I was intrigued by the contrast between them, both proud and outspoken women who were pioneers in the fight for Civil Rights in Washington, D.C. But Alva Marcus was a Democrat, while the more conservative Jeannine Smith Clark was a Lincoln Republican. Clark also held the distinction of being the first Black docent within the Smithsonian Institution, when she joined the National Museum of Natural History in 1968.
Cultural and Political Activists
Most recently, in my role as museum specialist in oral history at NMAAHC, I had the pleasure of training up-and-coming oral historians for the Social Justice Conversations Oral History Project. For this project, each talented intern was paired with a veteran social activist. They conducted conversational oral history interviews in four locations, including Washington, D.C. A. Peter Bailey, ever-enthusiastic about educating a new generation, answered the call to participate, but we also worked with Ibrahim and Carole Mumin, Paul Coates, Joyce Ladner and Frank Smith.
The Mumins share a lifelong commitment to grassroots political and cultural activism. Carole Mumin has written many plays addressing local and national historical themes, including Where Eagles Fly. Ibrahim Mumin began his activism as a teenager when he was arrested for protesting the segregated library in his community in Georgia.
Coates, former head of the Baltimore chapter of the Black Panthers, is the founder of Black Classics Press, and a passionate collector of books by and about African Americans. Joyce Ladner and Frank Smith are also veterans of SNCC, and lifelong community activists. Ladner is a prominent sociologist and author and Smith is the founding director of the African American Civil War Museum, with a planned reopening this spring after major renovations.
The DMV boasts many landmarks, historical sites and museums that illustrate the significance of this area with its storied avenues, monuments and memorial parks. But equally as impressive are the many individuals walking amongst us who have been witnesses to and played integral roles in some of the most important events of the last century, folks who put their lives on the line to make our world a better, more inclusive place.
Kelly Elaine Navies is the museum specialist in oral history at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. She is also a published writer and poet. Navies has resided in Washington, D.C. for the past 20 years and her daughter is a proud graduate of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts.
Where to Find Local Oral Histories
- Oral Histories from the DC Public Library
- Oral Histories at the National Museum of African American History and Culture
Liam McCrickard holds a B.A. in creative and professional writing from Goucher College. He is former assistant editor at Washington Parent. He works as a freelance designer, writer and editor of tabletop role-playing games.
Kelly Elaine Navies is the museum specialist in oral history at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. She is also a published writer and poet. Navies has resided in Washington, D.C. for the past 20 years and her daughter is a proud graduate of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts.
