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Title: Through Mother's Eyes: Black Lives Matters Protest, Summer 2020

Title: Karla Jacobsen Squier
Description: 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., Karla Jacobsen Squier was born in Washington, D.C. in 1931 to Charles J. Jacobsen and Norvelle H. Newton. Her parents divorced when she was a child and her father served in the Army Air Corps during World War II and was frequently stationed out of the city. Her grandfather on her father’s side, Christian F. Jacobsen, was the president of the Metropolitan National Bank in Dupont Circle, and she remembered visiting him there as a child. Her great, great grandmother was Elizabeth Heurich Jacobsen, Christian Heurich’s sister who immigrated to Baltimore and encouraged Christian to join her there. Karla grew up in the Petworth neighborhood during the Depression and World War II, but left the city in 1945 with her mother to move to San Francisco, then back to the Washington area, and finally to New Jersey to finish high school. Karla then attended college and worked in New York City in the fashion industry for a few years before moving back to New Jersey. She married Donald O. Squier and the two had two children, Christian and Dawn, but they divorced and Karla became a single mother. She took her children back to see family in Washington, D.C., often and eventually became involved in New Jersey State politics for the Republican Party – working on campaigns for Governor Thomas Kean, Sr., and eventually leading the New Jersey State Board of Elections. Karla retired from politics in 2002 and moved to North Carolina, where she remains active in local politics and serves the community by working at a foodbank.

Title: Patricia Anderson
Description: Patricia Anderson discusses her childhood, adolescence, and adulthood in terms of her family, educational experiences, professional experiences, and extracurricular experiences in Kenilworth and elsewhere., Patricia Anderson is a long-time Kenilworth resident and volunteer with Friends of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens.

Title: The Washington Blade, May 16, 1997
Description: An independent newspaper serving the LGBTQIA+ community. This edition features articles Maine passing a civil rights bill; states banning Gay marriage; serial killers in D.C. and Virginia; teen views on coming out; National Lesbian Political Association Committee honors, including to activist Sheila Alexander-Reid; investigations into the murder of two campers (Lollie Winans, Julianne Williams) and commemorative ‘Take Back the Trails’ Memorial Day weekend event; Lammas Women’s Books and More; the D.C. Rape Crisis Center; AIDS research into triple-drug combinations and the lymphatic system; discharges under ‘Don’t Ask, Don't Tell’; Aide to homophobic former U.S. Rep. comes out; the National Latino/a Lesbian and Gay Organization meeting in D.C.; Lesbianism and motherhood; vacationing in Palm Springs. Local, national, and international news, including: opposition to Cypriot repeal of Sodomy laws; debate over Philippine ban on Gay people in the military; Romanian Orthodox Church criticizes repeal of Sodomy law; U.S. Episcopal Church extends benefits to employees’ unmarried domestic partners; anti-Gay and pro-Gay bills in state legislatures and AIDS-related bills; Chicago man jailed for refusing to pay taxes in protest for treatment of Gay people; Californian city council recognizes Coors Brewing Company as Gay friendly; Chrysler Corporation telephone poll over withdraw of advertising during ‘Ellen’; first openly Gay Republican elected in Texas to city council; actor stopped by police for giving ride to transgender woman previously arrested for prostitution; smoke free nights in Seattle Gay bars. Obituaries for William ‘Tom’ Ritchie, George Oldham Jr., and James Richardson. Letters on the newspaper’s coverage of Bisexuality, the Cherry Jubilee II fundraiser, and the Arlington School Board elections. Reports on events held by the Alexandria Gay and Lesbian Community Association, D.C. Lesbian Avengers, Gay/Lesbian Fellowship of National City Christian Church, and the Coalition to End Prejudice in Our Schools. Advertisements for local business, services, and events. HIV drugs, trials, and support services. Entertainment reviews. Employment opportunities. Real estate. Personals and classifieds. Calendar of events for the Black Lesbian and Gay Pride Weekend., Volume 28, Number 20

Title: Mabel Mitchell
Description: In this oral history interview, Ms. Mabel Mitchell, a long time DC resident, discusses her life and experiences moving from Raleigh, North Carolina, to Washington, DC. Ms. Mitchell discusses her early life in Raleigh, her move to Washington, DC, in the early 1950s, her transition to living and working in DC, and her long career in the government. Ms. Mitchell also talks about segregation and racial discrimination in Washington, as well as gentrification in the city in the 21st century., Born in the early 1940s, Ms. Mabel Mitchell grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. When Ms. Mitchell was only three years old her father died, leaving her mother to raise her with the help of grandparents and extended family. Though Ms. Mitchell was her parents’ only child, she was raised with a cousin who was like a sister. After graduating from high school, Ms. Mitchell moved to Washington, DC, in search of work and lived with her aunt. After working a variety of jobs, Ms. Mitchell secured a job at the Bureau of Navy Personnel beginning a forty-one-year career in the government. Ms. Mitchell retired in 2010.

Title: Bernice Pitts
Description: In this oral history interview, Bernice Pitts, a long time D.C. resident, discusses her life and experiences moving from Laurinburg, North Carolina to Washington, DC. Ms. Pitts discusses her upbringing in North Carolina and the farm work she did with her family before talking about her move to D.C. and the transition to city life. Ms. Pitts talks about finding work in the city, working for the government, and retiring after a workplace injury. She also reflects on raising her children and grandchildren and gives some advice to future generations., Bernice Pitts was born on April 13th, 1939, in Laurinburg, North Carolina, and was one of Mary Magdalena McCoy and Dan Mclean’s ten children. After her mother died in childbirth, Ms. Pitts and her younger siblings were sent to live with relatives. In 1956, at the age of 17, Ms. Pitts moved to D.C. to stay with one of her older sisters. After initially working different jobs as a cook and housekeeper, Ms. Pitts secured a job doing custodial work for the federal government. After moving to Washington she also married her husband, Nathaniel Pitts, and had seven children. Eventually, Ms. Pitts was forced to stop working for the government after a workplace injury. Since that time she has worked in the home, spent time with her husband until his passing, and helped raise her grandchildren. Ms. Pitts has a passion for cooking and baking and now spends her days cooking cakes and spending time with family.

Title: Darene 'Dee' Johnson
Description: 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 experienced heightened stress, uncomfortable living conditions, increased litter, and aggressive Police jumpouts. Herself a survivor of sexual and physical abuse, Ms. Dee describes the family members and teachers who protected her when her self-confidence seemed nonexistent. In later years, having had few role models who believed in and encouraged her, Ms. Dee was determined to provide safety and supplementary learning for the children under her supervision. She closes by describing the importance of Nature and of wildspace for improving her own physical and mental health. This oral history interview was conducted under a grant from the Humanities Council of Washington, DC to the Ward 8 Woods Conservancy., Born in Washington D.C., Darene “Dee” Johnson grew up on 11th Street, NE. Describing herself not as a victim but as a Survivor of sexual and physical abuse, she found support from her Grandmother, as well as her older sister, Pam. Moving to Southeast D.C., Ms. Dee struggled to stay positive among persistent stress, gun violence and the anguish of systemic poverty. Leaving high school at the age of 16 to raise her newborn child, Ms. Dee had to grow up quicker than most of her peers. During this time, shouldering the burdens of motherhood and homelessness, her sister, Pam, was a consistent emotional support. Eventually seeking guidance from the Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative, Ms. Dee later earned her GED from University of the District of Columbia. Throughout her 20-year career in early developmental child care, she worked at various child centers in D.C. but was oftentimes shunned by her coworkers for an unwavering commitment to the children’s wellbeing. She received her Child 90-Hour Certification in 2003 and completed her Child Development Associate (CDA) training in 2012. She lives in Ward 8 with her family.

Title: Ethel Delaney Lee
Description: In this interview, Ethel Delaney Lee discusses how she first came to live in D.C. as a young adult in the 1950s and her eight-year employment in the Woman’s Bureau of the D.C. police department. She witnessed the treatment of musician and activist Nina Simone and Aretha Franklin, and of the opera star Lillian Evanti, after they were arrested. As a woman officer, she was mostly responsible for cases related to domestic violence and child neglect. Ms. Lee also discusses the neighborhood of North Portal Estates, where she lived for much of her adult life, and her children, including her son’s career as a football player and then as the owner of a physical therapy practice with several locations in the D.C. area. She concludes the interview with a recounting of her brother’s murder in North Carolina by a drug-addicted relative., Ethel Delaney Lee was born in Bordentown, New Jersey in 1926 and grew up in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York, the daughter of a Methodist minister. In 1947, she graduated from Howard University, where she met her future husband, and she moved to D.C. in 1952. In 1954, she and her husband bought a house in D.C.'s Petworth neighborhood, where they lived for nine years. They were among the first Black families to move to the 400 block of Delafield Place NW. In 1963, she and her husband moved to North Portal Estates. Ms. Lee worked as a D.C. police officer from 1954 to 1962, and spent the rest of her career with the D.C. Public Schools, retiring in 1990 to work in her daughter’s dental practice and help care for her granddaughter. Ms. Lee died on Jan. 28, 2022.

Title: Bobby Jean 'BJ' Wills
Description: Bobby Jean 'BJ' Wills describes her early life, schooling, education, career, family and her experience as a resident of the Barry Farm Housing project, Bobbie Jean 'BJ' Wills is a D.C. native, she is a mother and grandmother, now retired BJ's faith and family keep her going, she continues to reside in southeast D.C. after being displaced from Barry Farm.

Title: Michelle Hamilton
Description: Michelle Hamilton describes her early life, schooling, education, career, family and her experience as a resident of the Barry Farm Housing project, Michelle Hamilton is a D.C. native, she has a strong passion for her family and for working with children, she now resides in southwest D.C. after being displaced from Barry Farm.

Title: Petrina Williams
Description: This oral history interview was conducted with Petrina Williams by Kristin Adair in Washington, D.C. Petrina Williams was born in 1967 in Washington, D.C. She attended Spelman College and later moved to Washington, D.C., in 1998. She talks about moving to D.C. to live with her aunt and developing a drug addiction. She talks about having two children during that time, and she was pregnant with her third child when she was convicted of a non-violent narcotics-related crime. She gave birth to her son while incarcerated, shackled to the bed. She served 2.5 years in prison. When she was released in 2007, she had to fight for custody of her son. She has since obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and a Certificate in Clinical Mental Health Care, from University of Maryland, University College. She graduated from Catholic University with a Master’s Degree in Social Work in April 2017. She is a homeowner in Ward 8, where she lives with her youngest son. Petrina currently serves as the Addictions Counselor for Christ House in Washington, D.C. She is also a Licensed Social Worker with the non-profit organization the WIRE (Women Involved in Reentry Efforts)., Petrina Williams was born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Augusta, Georgia. In her oral history she speaks about abuse that she experienced while growing up, and a drug habit that she developed in her early 20s. She also talks about her knack for academic work and achievement, time in prison, and how her experiences and education continue to inform her work at the Women Involved in Reentry Efforts (WIRE).

Title: Saundra Sanders
Description: This oral history interview was conducted with Saundra Sanders by Kristin Adair in Washington, D.C. Saundra Sanders was born in 1962 in Washington, D.C. She talks about being raised at 19th and Maryland Ave NE. She gave birth to her only child, a son, just after her graduation from Dunbar Senior High School in 1980. She discusses how she became involved in drug use and criminal activity. In 1984, she was incarcerated for the first time, serving six years. She talks about how she came to spend a total of 20 years cycling in and out of the judicial system due to addiction. Saundra has been clean since 2004 and her last incarceration ended on July 5, 2005. She was released from parole supervision in February 2008. Her adult son has also spent time in the judicial system. Saundra shares how she dedicated her life to giving back to those that share her lived experience, including as a founding member of the Women of the WIRE., Born in Washington, D.C., Saundra Sanders is a founding member of Women Involved in Reentry Efforts (WIRE). She was born and raised in Washington, D.C., where she is currently works with a wide range of programs dedicated to improving the lives of people who suffer from narcotics dependencies and to aid formerly incarcerated women with their re-entry process. Having struggled with addition and spent time incarcerated herself, her life is now in dedicated to helping those who currently struggle with these issues.

Title: Easter Brown
Description: Ms. Easter F. Brown was born in Marshville, North Carolina, on April 28th, 1941, to Zenni and Frank S. Claudle. Ms. Brown grew up on a farm with her parents and ten siblings, where her father worked as a sharecropper. The whole family helped raise crops, and Ms. Brown began working in the field after school by the age of six. Though there were few recreational activities in her childhood, Ms. Brown did go to the movies, an activity she enjoys to this day. She attended Piney Grove Elementary School and graduated from East Union High School in 1959. Tired of the difficulties of farming life, Ms. Brown made the decision to leave North Carolina after graduating high school. Her parents were supportive about her decision and introduced her aunt, who lived in Washington D.C. Riding the train, she made the decision to join the Great Migration crowd and came to Washington D.C. When first arrived, she lived with her aunt and had a job as a babysitter for a white doctor. She was responsible for taking care of 4 children, 7 days a week but was only paid 25 dollars per week. In 1962, Ms. Brown got married, and she went on to work at the record store owned by her then husband for several years. After their divorce, Ms. Brown began a career in the food industry, where she continued until her retirement in 2004. She has over 25 years of experience in the industry and worked at the White House for 7 years. Ms. Brown is really into movies–some influence from her youths; it is a huge source of happiness in her life. Besides watching movies, she is also likely to travel around. Despite living in Washington for over five decades, Ms. Brown still considers herself as southerner and will sometimes go back to visit. She recently went back to North Carolina to attend her relatives’ funeral.

Title: Letter from Mary Tillinghast Hine and Bessie Hine to Mamie Hine on July 27, 1885
Description: A letter from Mary Tillinghast Hine her daughter Mary (Mamie) Hine. Mary is very excited to have heard from Marnie recently, and lets her know how much it is appreciated. She provides some tips for housekeeping, and then turns the letter over to her daughter Elizabeth (Bessie). Bessie describes what she's been doing, including going to church and playing with friends.

Title: Letter from Mary Tillinghast Hine to Mamie Hine on August 1, 1885
Description: A letter from Mary Tillinghast Hine to her daughter Mary (Mamie) Hine on August 1, 1885 from Chicago, Illinois. Mary updates her daughter on how things are going in Chicago, including recently going for a long ride, attending a concert, and exploring the area a bit. The weather remains very hot in Chicago, but it does not seem to put a damper on the experience of Mary and the younger children.

Title: Letter from Mary Tillinghast Hine to Mamie Hine on August 11, 1885
Description: A letter from Mary Tillinghast Hine to her daughter Mary (Mamie) Hine on August 11, 1885 from Berlin Heights, Ohio. Mary is extremely content at the beginning of this letter. She feels very 'restful' back in her hometown and remarks on how pleasant it is there, stating that 'every green thing is so green'. She reports on who she saw at church the past weekend, and checks in on how things are progressing with Mamie in Washington, D.C.

Title: Letter from Emeline Otis to Mary Tillinghast Hine on April 19, 1885
Description: This letter is written by Mary Tillinghast Hine's sister Emeline Otis from Chicago, Illinois on April 4, 1885. In the letter Emeline thanks Mary for hosting 'Marg', who is likely her daughter Margaretta. Elmeline then writes about a trip to Florida she took with her daughter Winifred where they met up with Mary's husband Lemon, who is described as good looking and charming. Emeline writes that they called on him again later in their trip. Emeline and Winified also called on Mary's brother-in-law Daniel Hine's family and mention that his wife Marinda has been quite ill but is improving in Florida. Later Emeline writes of her children, her own health, and that the family have all returned to Chicago expects for the 'married daughter'.

Title: Letter from Emeline Otis to Mary Tillinghast Hine on May 11, 1885
Description: This letter is written by Mary Tillinghast Hine's sister Emeline Otis from Chicago, Illinois on May 11, 1885. In the letter Emmeline remembers burying their father a year ago and how they placed apple blossoms and lilacs in his hands. She writes that a woman named Lizzie remembers that apple blossoms where in bloom when Mary and Lemon were married. Emeline goes on to write about her children, that Lucius traveled to New Orleans and brought back a person name Clarence, and that Adella (Della) made a large bouquet of fresh flowers.Emeline writes that she is happy the weather is improving and that spring is turning things green. She writes about dresses for Winifred, Margaretta (Mag) and Grace (Gracie) and that she is through the time of sewing small dresses.

Title: Letter from Emeline Otis to Mary Tillinghast Hine on June 16, 1885
Description: This letter is written by Mary Tillinghast Hine's sister Emeline Otis on June 14, 1885. In the letter Emeline writes that she has a headache. She describes Children's Day at her church and that their mother was in attendance. She then writes about her daughter Winnifred and her sister-in-law Eliza (Lirrie) Tillinghast are traveling together. Elmeline writes that their mother is is good health and is stronger than this time last year. She writes about an engagement and the upcoming wedding. She finishes the letter with updates on family and friends.

Title: Letter from Emeline Otis to Mary Tillinghast Hine on June 28, 1885
Description: This letter is written by Mary Tillinghast Hine's sister Emeline Otis from Chicago, Illinois on June 28, 1885. In the letter Emeline congratulations her sister on bringing up her family well and reflects on raising daughters, opportunities to travel, and an observation that Mary's husband Lemon may not always be able to work as hard as he currently does. She always writes about family friends or relative Clarence, Lizzie, and Lucy. Emeline also writes about Mary's daughters Blanche and Elizabeth (Lizzie), their mother Ruth, and other family members, including her children Adella (Della) Margaretta (Mag), Winnifred, and Grace (Gracie).She also writes about fabric and dress making.

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