Interviews - I See My Light Shining

Interviews

836 Hours

Oral history interviews are firsthand testimonies of people’s experiences of history. These interviews invite narrators (interviewees) to talk about their own histories, giving unparalleled insights into life decisions, actions, and experiences that may not already be part of the public record.

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Camelia Adkins

Texas native and civil rights advocate

Farmers Branch, TX

April Reign
Collection

Camelia Adkins

Atkins recounts her East Texas upbringing, navigating racial integration, and her life in Dallas. Atkins also discusses family traditions, including Juneteenth celebrations, her nursing career, and surviving domestic violence.

April Reign collection

Farmers Branch, TX

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Patricia Calhoun

Interior designer, showroom manager, and youth development advocate

Austin, TX

April Reign
Collection

Patricia Calhoun

Calhoun discusses her prolific career in interior design, experiences with discrimination, and pioneering Texas’ Juneteenth understandings. She also reflects on Austin's transformation and her commitment to youth programs.

April Reign collection

Austin, TX

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Stanley Coleman

Pastor, veteran, civil rights activist, and church founder

Tulsa, OK

Caleb Gayle
Collection

Stanley Coleman

Coleman shares his journey through the Civil Rights Movement in Arkansas, detailing struggles against segregation, the pivotal march to a white school, arrests, and the fight for respect and equality.

Caleb Gayle collection

Tulsa, OK

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Juanita Croft

Belle Haven native, educator, technology teacher

Menlo Park, CA

Caleb Gayle
Collection

Juanita Croft

Croft shares insights into East Palo Alto's transformation through her own experiences at Ravenswood High School, the significance of Nairobi College, and her community's resilience and struggle against systemic barriers.

Caleb Gayle collection

Menlo Park, CA

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# Activism and Organizing

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Carol Davis

Detroit native, insurance adjuster, and witness to Tulsa's desegregation journey

Tulsa, OK

Caleb Gayle
Collection

Carol Davis

Davis shares her experiences growing up in North Tulsa, facing racial tensions, discovering strengths through various jobs, raising children with strong values, and breaking barriers in her role at State Farm as a claims adjuster.

Caleb Gayle collection

Tulsa, OK

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Margarette Davis

Long-time Texas librarian and dedicated community historian

Duncanville, TX

April Reign
Collection

Margarette Davis

Davis reflects on her familial origins in East Texas, her educational pursuits, challenges as a Black woman in the '60s to building a fulfilling career in libraries while raising her daughter as a single parent.

April Reign collection

Duncanville, TX

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Glenda Howard

Tulsa native, integration influencer, entrepreneur, and ministry leader

Tulsa, OK

Caleb Gayle
Collection

Glenda Howard

Howard discusses her life journey, including her family's roots in Oklahoma, memories of racial integration, her entrepreneurial ventures, the legacies of Tulsa's Black community, and her hopes for Tulsa's future.

Caleb Gayle collection

Tulsa, OK

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Sylvester Harvey Jr.

Chicago native and retired park police officer

Chicago, IL

Eve Ewing
Collection

Sylvester Harvey Jr.

Harvey discusses his upbringing in Chicago and Brookhaven, Mississippi, detailing his experiences with racial tension, family dynamics, personal growth amidst societal shifts and finding oneself through service and travel.

Eve Ewing collection

Chicago, IL

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Donna Kelly

Portland local, dedicated volunteer, and avid traveler

Portland, OR

Renée Watson
Collection

Donna Kelly

Kelly shares her reflections on childhood, navigating the complexities of identity and race, her career transitions, and the evolving nature of social justice. Kelly also expresses her hopes for her grandchildren's future.

Renée Watson collection

Portland, OR

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Glenda Love

Former Ronald McDonald House CEO and community leader

Tulsa, OK

Caleb Gayle
Collection

Glenda Love

Love shares her experiences growing up in a changing North Tulsa, her family's history, her journey from librarian to leading the Ronald McDonald House, fundraising for Greenwood Rising, and her hopes for North Tulsa's future.

Caleb Gayle collection

Tulsa, OK

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John Love

Historian, councilman, tennis enthusiast, and Juneteenth advocate

Midland, TX

April Reign
Collection

John Love

Love discusses his upbringing, Masonic affiliation, and city council tenure, revealing his dedication to community service, fight against racial injustice, political aspiration, and maintaining a family lineage tied to Juneteenth.

April Reign collection

Midland, TX

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Lenton Malry

New Mexico's first African American state representative

Albuquerque, NM

Ellery Washington
Collection

Lenton Malry

Malry reflects on his life experiences, including growing up on a Louisiana farm, teaching on Navajo reservations, becoming Albuquerque’s first Black principal, and his impact as the state's first Black representative.

Ellery Washington collection

Albuquerque, NM

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Joyce McClellan

Chief Development and Diversity Officer at Tulsa Technology Center

Tulsa, OK

Caleb Gayle
Collection

Joyce McClellan

McClellan discusses her community-centered childhood in Tulsa, education and achievements in adulthood, work at American Airlines, leadership at the Tulsa Technology Center, and future aspirations in educational leadership.

Caleb Gayle collection

Tulsa, OK

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# Queer Kinship

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Natalie Owens

Louisiana-born Pasadena resident and healthcare worker

Los Angeles, CA

Robin Coste Lewis
Collection

Natalie Owens

Owens charts her own life experiences against the changing social and cultural fabric of America, describing her marriages, family dynamics, education, while offering an important glimpse at 20th-century Black life in Los Angeles.

Robin Coste Lewis collection

Los Angeles, CA

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Vada Tate

New Orleans native, government retiree, and world traveler

Los Angeles, CA

Robin Coste Lewis
Collection

Vada Tate

Drawing from a lifetime of experiences, Tate reflects on being a military spouse, raising four children, embracing life in the desert, finding strength in faith, her government career, and her values.

Robin Coste Lewis collection

Los Angeles, CA

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Ruby Watkins

Great Migration participant, community elder, and kindness advocate

Los Angeles, CA

Robin Coste Lewis
Collection

Ruby Watkins

Born in Fort Worth, Watkins reflects on segregation, moving to California as a teen, working in a fish cannery, marrying, nurturing a family of seven in Compton, the power of walking, and the importance of respect and community.

Robin Coste Lewis collection

Los Angeles, CA

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