Plat map of Oakland subdivision in Northeast Washington, bounded by 42nd Street NE, Foote Street NE, 47th Street NE, and Glen Court (Eads Place) NE. Shows square and lot numbers, alleys, and dimensions. 1:24,000 scale inset showing location of neighborhood with radial distances from the Capitol in red. Charles L. Shank, owner, Washington, D.C., Paper mounted on fabric; G. Anonymous in pencil in lower margin
Mapped by the Geological Survey 1913-1915 revised in 1941-1942. Contour interval 10 feet. In lower margin: Washington east, Md.-D.C. Text on verso, dated Nov. 1937: The topographic maps of the United States., Mounted on fabric Stamped on verso: Public Library Apr 4 1946 Washington Copy 1 mounted on fabric Copies 1 and 2 stamped on verso Public Library Apr 4 1946 Washington Copy 1 digitized
Melvin Deal reflects on his work performing, choreographing, managing, and promoting African dance, which he has been involved in for over half a century. He speaks about how when he started dancing it was generally understood that you had to do ballet, if you wanted to be successful. But he was drawn to African dance and decided to follow that desire. At the time, decolonization was happening in Africa. Part of his work was fighting stereotypes about Africa. He reflects that at the time they were being romantic about being Africans. His interests brought him to take his first trip to Africa in 1969. Many of his former students were at-risk youths that credit him with having changed the direction of their lives. Through his African Heritage dancers, he won legitimacy for African culture in the community and the larger city. He speaks about educating a Washington Post writer about Africa dance and how the resulting articles led to a large uptick in attendance at African dance events. He expresses concerned about young people’s sense of personhood, “I feel like I am someone now”, is the feeling he wants young people to feel., Melvin Deal has been an integral part of the Washington, D.C. African dance community for over five decades. He is a Washington, D.C. native that started dancing in 1959. He graduated from Howard University in 1965. His contributions include having trained countless at-risk youth in dance, residencies at all the major Washington, D.C. area universities, helping to found the Duke Ellington School for the Arts, and work with the DanceAfrica festival.
In this oral history interview, Rev. Irene Pierce, a long time D.C. resident, discusses her experiences moving from Pickens, South Carolina, to Washington, D.C. She reflects on her family life and upbringing in Pickens, her move to D.C. at age eight, and her educational experiences in Washington. Rev. Pierce also discusses her career in government as well as her church life and work in the ministry., Rev. Irene Pierce was born on August 28, 1926, in Pickens, South Carolina. Rev. Pierce’s father was killed shortly after she was born, and she and her two older siblings were raised by her mother, grandparents, and extended family. At age eight, Rev. Pierce came to Washington to live with her aunt and uncle. After graduating from Cardozo High School in 1943, she began a forty-year career with the Federal Government. During her time in the government, Rev. Pierce worked for the Department of Treasury, the National Production Authority, and the Department of Commerce. Rev. Pierce grew up attending both a Baptist and a Methodist church and comes from a long line of Methodist ministers. She began attending Asbury Methodist Church in 1945 and, after retiring from the government, went into the ministry and became a pastor in 1993. After pastoring her own church, she returned to Asbury as an Assistant Pastor. Rev. Pierce has a daughter, two granddaughters, and one great-granddaughter.
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 departments; coping with the challenges women faced in trying to be considered for positions within the church, from usher to pastor. She speaks in depth of her esteem for and work with Africa University, a higher education institution in Zimbabwe, founded by the United Methodist Church; as well as missionary engagements around the world including one involving meeting Mother Teresa. In addition to Asbury’s history, the interview also covers Rev. Pierce’s thoughts about the present-day congregation and what the future may hold for it. This interview was conducted virtually., Born in Pickens, South Carolina, in 1926, Rev. Irene C. Pierce moved to Northeast Washington, D.C., at the age of nine. She lived with an aunt and uncle but also formed a strong bond with a couple who later introduced her to Asbury United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C., where she has maintained a lifelong presence. A graduate of Cardozo High School, she was recruited into the Treasury Department in her senior year and began a 40-year career with the federal government, later working at the National Production Authority and the Department of Commerce. After a lifetime of service to the United Methodist Church, inside Asbury and around the world, always with a strong interest in women’s issues and education, Rev. Pierce was finally able to answer a call to the ministry. She received her license to preach at the age of 68, when she became the pastor of Elijah United Methodist Church in Poolesville, Maryland. At the age of 72, she retired from this church and returned to a paid position at Asbury, working on congregational care and various projects. Today, Rev. Pierce continues to volunteer with Asbury, and is a member of the Africa University Advisory Development Committee. She resides in Largo, Maryland, and has a daughter, two granddaughters and one great-granddaughter and one great-grandson.
