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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    # Gender Identity

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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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    # Activism and Organizing

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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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    ‘Consent is sexy is what I learned.’
    Tina Valentín Agurrie
    curtain