MERIDIAN HILL NATIONAL HISTORIC PARK ORAL HISTORY PROJECT Researchers: Dan Kerr, Maren Orchard, Sierra Solomon Detailed Outline and Work Plan June 28, 2019

Contents Bibliography …..………………………………...………………. 2 Potential Narrators ……….……………………….……………. 16 Oral History Methodology ….…………………….……………. 19 Interview Guide- Template …………………………………….. 21 Project Schedule ………………………………….……………. 24 Release Form ………………………………………….……….. 26

Bibliography

This bibliography represents the research conducted in the first months of the Meridian Hill National Historic Park Oral History Project. Guided by the themes: politics, art, law, and recreation, the researchers have organized their research topically to represent different aspects of the project. There is some overlap in these areas.

Meridian Hill Park: This research area includes sources essential to understanding the development of the park as an artistic, recreational, and community space.

Urban Renewal and Gentrification: City planners designated 14th Street Urban Renewal area in 1969, although plans may have been in place since the early 1960s. This designation produced abandonment and disinvestment in neighborhoods near Meridian Hill Park, especially evident in the 1970s, as the city accumulated property for future reinvestment. In the last two decades, Meridian Hill Park has become the site of a debate over gentrification, impacting how contemporary park users think about this space. Traditionally used by African-Americans in Washington, DC, the park and surrounding neighborhoods are changing as new white residents move in and want to dictate how the space is used.

African American Civil Rights/ Black Power Movement/ Liberation: As a historically black space in the nation’s capital, Meridian Hill/ Malcolm X Park was a site of protest and a gathering place for African American populations, local and national. Different groups, organizations, and movements were using the park in a variety of ways including the Civil Rights Movement, the Black Power Movement, and the African Liberation Movement. The researchers acknowledge these nuances and will seek to avoid treating African American and black movements as a monolith while also understanding the importance of the African American experience to all of these movements. We will pay particular attention to how these struggles are interconnected (see: Interconnected Struggles). This bibliography currently identifies these aspects of the project collectively, but the final deliverables and oral histories will address the nuances and differences based on interviews with narrators.

American Indian Movement: The American Indian Movement orchestrated the Longest Walk from Sacramento to Washington, DC. Meridian Hill/ Malcolm X Park was one of the DC rallying points during the march through the capital, providing an interesting lens for how a national movement used this local space based on its reputation for protest and free speech demonstrations.

Interconnected Struggles: In the 1970s and 1980s, Meridian Hill/ Malcolm X Park became a central gathering place for activist groups addressing a wide range of issues local, national, and 3 global. The park helped give rise to a new intersectional politic that included LGBTQ, feminist, and anti-war protests, in addition to protests against the conditions in local school and rising bus fares. The protests in the park offer valuable insights about the changes taking place in the surrounding community as well as in the nation as a whole.

Drum Circle: Since the 1960s, the Sunday drum circle is one of the most important cultural and recreational activities at Meridian Hill/ Malcolm X Park. Its history is intertwined with the African American experience of the park, the history of protest, and creating community. In recent years, the drum circle is under threat from changes in the city and impending gentrification. The drummers continue to play and to reflect on how the drums are a focal piece of the park and its history.

Bibliography Index: Meridian Hill Park Secondary- Books Secondary- Dissertations/ Theses Secondary- National Parks Service Reports Primary- Archives GW Libraries Archival Collection Library of Congress Primary- Newspapers Washington Evening Star The Washington Post

Urban Renewal and Gentrification Secondary- Books Primary- Newspapers Washington Evening Star The Washington Post

African American Civil Rights/ Black Power Movement/ Liberation Secondary-Books Primary- Newspapers- Baltimore Afro-American The Hilltop Washington Evening Star Washington Post 4

American Indian Movement Secondary- Books Primary- Newspapers Washington Evening Star

Interconnected Struggles Primary- Newspapers Washington Evening Star The Washington Post

Drum Circle Secondary- Dissertations/ Theses Primary- Newspapers The Washington Post

Meridian Hill Park

Secondary- Books Clem, Fiona J. Meridian Hill Park, 2017.

McKevitt, Stephen R. Meridian Hill: A History, 2014.

Meridian House International. Washington Renaissance: Architecture and Landscape of Meridian Hill. Washington, DC (1630 Crescent Pl., NW, Washington): Meridian House International, 1989.

Smith, Kathryn S. Washington at Home: An Illustrated History of Neighborhoods in the Nation’s Capital. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2010.

Secondary- Dissertations/ Theses Dolan, Thomas Wright. “Meridian Hill Park, Washington, D.C.” 1983.

Secondary- National Parks Service Reports United States Department of the Interior, National Parks Service. Meridian Hill Park, National Historic Landmark Nomination. October 13, 1993.

United States, National Park Service, National Capital Region, and Architrave P.C. Architects. Meridian Hill Park Cultural Landscape Report volume 1. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of the Interior, National Park Service, August 31, 2001.

United States, National Park Service, National Capital Region, and Architrave P.C. Architects. Meridian Hill Park Cultural Landscape Report, volume 2. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of the Interior, National Park Service, November 30, 2001.

Schlefer, Marion K, and Historic American Buildings Survey. Historic American Buildings Survey: Meridian Hill Park. Washington, DC: Historic American Buildings Survey, National Park Service, Department of the Interior, 1987.

Primary- GW Libraries Archival Collection Committee of 100 on the Federal City records [Part 1], 2000. Jack Anderson Papers, Meridian Hill Park, 1996 Graphics Collection, 1740-1995 Duke Ellington School of the Arts Collection > Theater Department at Malcolm X Park, 1987 Charles Suddarth Kelly Photographic Collection on the History of Washington, DC

Primary- Library of Congress Land in Hall and Elvan’s Subdivision of Meridian Hill, District of Columbia, for Public Park. United States, Congress, Senate, and Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds. Washington: publisher not identified, 1908.

Primary- Newspapers- Evening Star Andreae, Christine. "An Evening with Washington's Fountains." Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), July 5, 1970: 7.

Lustig, Ray. "Hiding an Ancient Stony Stare." Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), September 24, 1976: B-2.

Mesta, Perle. "Summer in Parks to Open." Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia): July 7, 1968: F-5.

Zabriskie, George, "Park on the Meridian." Evening Star Washington (DC), District of Columbia), October 2, 1966: 7-8.

Urban Renewal

Secondary- Books Asch, Chris Myers and Musgrove, George Derek. Chocolate City: A History of Race and Democracy in the Nation’s Capital. University of North Carolina Press, 2017.

Borchert, James. Alley Life in Washington: Family, Community, Religion, and Folklife in the City, 1850-1970. University of Illinois Press, 1980.

Gillete, Howard. Between Justice and Beauty: Race, Planning, and the Failure of Urban Policy in Washington, DC. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2006.

Jaffe, Harry and Sherwood, Tom. Dream City: Race, Power, and the Decline of Washington, DC, Simon & Schuster, 1994.

Ruble, Blair. Washington’s U Street: A Biography. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2012.

Walker, J. Sauel. Most of 14th Street is Gone: The Washington, DC Riots of 1968. Oxford University Press, 2018.

Primary- Newspapers- The Evening Star "Kalorama Vote Opposes Meridian Hill Change," The Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia,) November 11, 1964: A9.

Lewis, Robert. "Renewal Plan to be Biggest." The Evening Star. (Washington (DC), District of Columbia,) April 8, 1966: C.

Spencer, Duncan. "First Ward is Mixture of Extremes." Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), October 10, 1971: C, C-13.

White, John C. "A Little Park Dresses Up for Company." Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), August 1, 1976: B-3.

Primary- Newspapers- Washington Post Downs, Terry. “Divided IT Stands: [FINAL Edition].” The Washington Post (Pre-1997 Fulltext); Washington, D.C. May 24, 1987, sec. MAGAZINE.

Montgomery, David. “A Walk In the Park With a Past: Why One 11-Foot Air Conditioner Has Stirred Passions and Protests.” The Washington Post (1974-Current File); Washington, D.C. June 30, 2002, sec. Style.

Wheeler, Linda. “Washington’s Jewel of a Park Losing Its Luster to Vandalism.” The Washington Post (1974-Current File); Washington, D.C. February 24, 1990, sec. Metro.

African American Civil Rights/ Black Power Movement/ Liberation

Secondary-Books Asch, Chris Myers, and Musgrove, George Derek. Chocolate City : a History of Race and Democracy in the Nation’s Capital / Chris Myers Asch and George Derek Musgrove. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 2017.

Carmichael, Stokely, and Charles V. Hamilton. Black Power: The Politics of Liberation in America. Vintage Books, 1992.

Carson, Clayborne. In Struggle: SNCC and the Black AwakeningAwaking of the 1960s. Harvard Univ. Pr., 1995.

Taylor, Keeanga-Yamahtta. From #blacklivesmatter to Black Liberation. Haymarket Books, 2016.

Primary- Newspapers-Baltimore Afro-American GERARD, BURKE 3. "African Liberation Day March Draws Thousands." Afro-American (1893-1988), Jun 03, 1972.

Lewis, John. "BLACK VOICES." Afro-American (1893-1988), May 10, 1969.

Schowers, Mario. "African Liberation Day--no Picnic." Afro-American (1893-1988),Jun 07, 1986.

Tulloch, Patrisha. "African Liberation Theme Draws Mixed Reaction." Afro-American (1893-1988), Jun 09, 1984.

Primary- Newspapers- The Hilltop Staff, Hilltop. The Hilltop 10-17-1969. Digital Howard @ Howard University, n.d.

Staff, Hilltop. The Hilltop 12-4-1970. Digital Howard @ Howard University, n.d.

Staff, Hilltop. The Hilltop 9-12-1975. Digital Howard @ Howard University, n.d.

Staff, Hilltop. The Hilltop 2-9-1979. Digital Howard @ Howard University, n.d.

Staff, Hilltop. The Hilltop 8-31-1984. Digital Howard @ Howard University, n.d.

Staff, Hilltop. The Hilltop 11-21-1986. Digital Howard @ Howard University, n.d.

Primary- Newspapers- Washington Evening Star "1,700 Attend Black Panther Rallies Here." Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), September 13, 1969: A-22.

"5,000 Note African Day" Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), May 26, 1974: B-2.

"Benefit Rally." Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), May 28, 1976: D-5.

"Blacks' Festival Seeks $10,000 For Center Here." Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), August 22, 1971: A-18.

"Black Front Set For Park Rally." Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), October 10, 1968: B-3.

"Blacks March Against War."Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), April 4, 1971: D-5.

Byrd, Earl. "10,000 Demonstrate Peacefully Here." Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), May 29, 1977: B-6.

Conconi, Charles. "Control Over Police Sought." Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), July 18, 1968: A, A-6.

Deutsh, Linda. "Angela, Jurors Have Own Party." Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), June 5, 1972: A-6.

Dunson, Lynn. "Blacks Protest at S. African Embassy." Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), June 27, 1976: E-10.

"Inaugural Protest." Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), January 16, 1973: B-4.

King, Stephen and Ragland, Kathy. "Malcolm X Recalled at Ceremonies." Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), May 20, 1979: C-2.

Lewis, Robert, "Renewal Plan to be Biggest," The Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia,) April 8, 1966: C.

"Mass Rally." Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), June 6: B-2.

Matthews, John and Kalb, Barry. "Solemn Rallies and Services Honor Memory of Dr. King." Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), April 5, 1969: A.

Memorials and Rallies Planned for Dr. King. Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), April 2, 1969: B-3.

"Peace Group Seeks Blacks in DC March." Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), April 3, 1971: A-7.

Pendleton, Edmund. "In support of African Liberation Movements in South Africa." Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), May 25, 1973: E-6.

"Police-Control Proposal Planned by Black Front." Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), July 17, 1968: D.

"Rally at Malcolm X Park." Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), May 23, 1980: B-2.

Robinson, Alma and White, John. "10,000 March in Behalf of Black Africa." Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), A-3.

Trescott, Jacqueline. "Lib Day Links African and US Problems." Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), May 23, 1973: F-1

Trescott, Jackie. "Panthers' Convention Is Still Seeking a Site." Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), November 28, 1970: A-20.

West, Woody. "Plea From Mayor: We are Shocked, Appalled." Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia): July 21, 1968: B.

Primary- Newspapers- The Washington Post Gorney, Washington Post Staff WritersBy Cynthia. “A Great Day for Rallies: D.C. Parks, Streets Alive. With, Marchers, Banners.” The Washington Post (1974-Current File); Washington, D.C. May 29, 1977, sec. METRO Local News/Obituaries/Classified.

Williams, Juan. “African, Arab Groups Stage Rally: Black Activists, PLO Sympathizers Among 3,000 Marchers 3,000 Stage African-Arab March, Rally.” The Washington Post (1974-Current File); Washington, D.C. May 14, 1978, sec. METRO Local News Obituaries Weather.

American Indian Movement

Secondary- Books Blansett, Kent. A Journey to Freedom : Richard Oakes, Alcatraz, and the Red Power Movement / Kent Blansett. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2018.

Johnson, Tony R., Joane Nagel, and Duane Champagne, eds., American Indian Activism: Alcatraz to the Longest Walk. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1997

Josephy, Alvin M., Joane Nagel, and Troy R. Johnson. Red Power: The American Indians’ Fight for Freedom. U of Nebraska Press, 1999.

Primary- Newspapers- Washington Evening Star MacArthur, Rick. "Indians Coming to Renew Many of 1972 Demands." Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), July 11, 1978: B-1.

MacArthur, Rick. "The Longest Walk Reaches DC Suburbs." Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), July 14, 1978: A-1, A-6.

Spencer, Duncan. "Weary Band of Indians Pauses for the Last Leg." Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), July 15, 1978: A-2.

Spencer, Duncan and MacArthur, Rick. "Indian Walk Ends; Protest Begins This Week." Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), July 16, 1978: A-1, A-12.

Primary- Newspapers- Washington Post Valentine, Paul W., and Patricia Camp Washington Post Staff Writers. “Indians March Into Capital: Indians Reach D.C., End Longest Walk.” The Washington Post (1974-Current File); Washington, D.C. July 16, 1978.

Interconnected Struggles

Primary- Newspapers- Washington Evening Star Bolder, Jacqueline. "Jail Rape Victim Rips System." Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), September 9, 1973: B-6.

"Justice Invaded by Communists." Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), May 2, 1980: B-1.

Satchell, Michael. "Hot, Weary Vets Vow to Return." Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), July 5, 1974: B-1.

"School Boycott a Flop, DC Says." Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), May 19, 1971: B-4.

Taylor Walter. "Bus Fare Protests Directed at Capitol Hill." Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), July 15, 1970: B, B-4.

West, Woody. "Rally: 200,000 in Anti-War Protest Here." Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), April 25, 1971: A-1, A-3.

Zon, Calvin. "A Protesting of the Protests," Evening Star (Washington (DC), District of Columbia), January 17, 1973: B-3.

Primary- Newspapers- Washington Post Brandon, Ivan C., and Washington Post Staff Writer. “War Protests Set for April.” The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973); Washington, D.C. March 5, 1971, sec. General.

Connolly, Camille. "A People's Park to Appreciate." The Washington Post (1974-Current File), Oct 18, 2001.

Drum Circle

Secondary- Dissertation/ Theses Ichile, Iyelli. “One Nation Under a Groove: A People’s History of the Drum.” Souls: A Critical Journal of Black Politics, Culture & Society 8, no. 3 (Summer 2006): 160–75. https://doi.org/10.1080/10999940600882962.

Primary- Newspapers- Washington Post Moreno, Sylvia. “By the Beat Divided: D.C. Drumming a Spiritual Joy for Some, Noise for Others.” The Washington Post (1974-Current File); Washington, D.C. September 17, 2000, sec. Metro.

Potential Narrators

The following is a list of potential narrators to be considered for the Meridian Hill National Historic Park Oral History Project. This list is compiled by the researchers based on recommendations from the National Parks Service and from our initial research. We will continue to add names to this list, from which we will determine our final list of narrators. The potential narrators are organized based on the topical organizational structure provided in the bibliography.

Meridian Hill Park/ Urban Renewal and Gentrification

Steve Coleman is a longtime parks activist in Washington, DC and resident of Adams Morgan. He is currently the Executive Director of Washington Parks and People. He began working in Meridian Hill/ Malcolm X Park, and later other parks, to address the outbreak of crime and the negative perceptions people were forming about these community spaces. He started an unarmed, anti-crime organization in Meridian Hill/ Malcolm X Park with a goal to greet everyone and to make everyone feel welcome. Steve Coleman is one of the most knowledgeable people about the park and its last few decades and history.

Darwina Neal was the Chief of Cultural Resource Preservation Services for the National Capital Region of the National Parks Service. She contributed to the Cultural Landscape Report Volume 2: Treatment (2001) and is an award-winning landscape architect. She has worked on projects to restore Meridian Hill/ Malcolm X park since 1972 and lives near the park. She is an advocate for historic preservation in the surrounding neighborhoods and DC generally.

Brianne Nadeau is the DC Councilmember for Ward 1 and has been on the council since 2015. She is a resident of Columbia Heights and lives near Meridian Hill/ Malcolm X Park. Brianne is a community activist and has long been active in the Meridian Hill area to make the neighborhood safer.

Michael Zwelling was an interpretive ranger for the National Parks Service. He led tours of Meridian Hill/ Malcolm X Park and is familiar with its history. His perspective may be useful for considering how this space was used for community building through the National Park Service, including tours, education, and programming.

African American Civil Rights/ Black Power Movement/ Liberation

Bob Brown was a leader in the All-African People’s Revolutionary Party (AAPRP). From 1967 to 1998, Brown worked closely with Kwame Ture (Stokley Carmichael) and various movements and organizations which advocated for human rights and ideologies associated with socialism, peace, and anti-repression, including Black Power, national liberation and unification, and Pan-Africanism. In 1986, Brown served as the Master of Ceremonies for the annual African Liberation Day. The event attracted thousands of supporters and several national leaders in the Black and Red Power movements.

Angela Davis is a political activist, educator, author, and feminist who was a prominent member of the Black Panther Party and Communist Party in the late 1960s to 1970s. Davis’ outspokenness as a counterculture activist, gave her an international platform to speak on Black Power and Liberation. In 1969, Davis spoke at a rally in Washington, DC where she publicly proposed to rename Meridian Hill Park to “Malcolm X Park.” This gesture was meant to honor the late Civil Rights leader and mark the space as a symbol of “Black Pride.” Davis remains a respected scholar and active voice against institutionalized racism today.

Abdul Alim Muhammad is the Minister of Health and Surgeon for the Nation of Islam (NOI). In 1986, Mininister Muhammad was a leading speaker at the annual African Liberation Movement hosted at Malcolm X/Meridian Hill Park. That same year, he also founded the Abundant Life Clinic of Washington, a health clinic that specializes in treating AIDS patients. The clinic is still open serving patients in Southeast, Washington, DC.

Dr. Owusu Sadankai is a Civil Rights activist, education reformist, and academic with over 40 years of work dedicated to education equity in African American communities. He adopted his African name in the early 1970s after his introduction into Pan-Africanism. In the same era, Sandankai became a co-founder of Malcolm X Liberation University, the first of many actions Sandankai would take to improve academic institutions and make higher learning accessible to all students. Later, Sandankai organized several African Liberation celebrations across the country. In 1972, Sandankai was the Chairman of the African Liberation Day celebration in Meridian Hill/ Malcolm X Park. This demonstration attracted thousands of supporters to the park and featured several influential national Black Power leaders.

American Indian Movement

Bill Means of the Pine Ridge Reservation of South Dakota, was a leading official in the American Indian Movement. In 1969, Means had just arrived back in the United States from Vietnam and was introduced to the founder of AIM, Dennis Banks. They met at an occupation of Alcatraz Island, demonstrating for Native Rights. From that moment, Dennis and Means remained good friends and allies in the movement. Means later become a national official for AIM and traveled across the country to participate in speaking engagements. One of these engagements was the annual African Liberation Day at Meridian Hill/ Malcolm X Park in 1986.

Francis Gray was a Tribal Chairman of the Piscataway Conoy Tribe. Gray has advocated for the rights and re-establishment of the Piscataway people in the DMV area. One of his most notable protests was against the National Park Service’s demolition of ancestral ossuaries located on National Park land.

Drum Circle

William Taft is the head of the drum circle at Meridian Hill/ Malcolm X Park. He is one of the permit holders for the weekly gatherings.

Doc Powell is the musical director of the Malcolm X Drummers and Dancers in Meridian Hill/ Malcolm X Park. He started the formal group in 1975, emerging out of an existing tradition of drumming in the park every Sunday since the 1960s. In previous interviews with newspapers and online publications, Powell has drawn connections between the civil rights movement and the history of the drum circle. He remembers hearing drums during protests in the park and making connections between the drum circle, the culture of the park, and the African American experience in the park.

Oral History Methodology

The researchers will conduct a minimum of ten oral history interviews with narrators who are knowledgeable about “social historical activity” in Meridian Hill/ Malcolm X Park and the surrounding Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights neighborhoods. The researchers will define and categorize “social historical activity” as: politics, art, law, and recreational assembly.

We will document our process for identifying and selecting narrators. Final interviews should include narrators representative of the diverse uses of the park, representing all of our research areas and the many stakeholders and groups connected to Meridian Hill/ Malcolm X Park. Conducting more than ten interviews will help the project and the final deliverables to be more inclusive, thorough, and representative of the multifaceted use of the park in the second half of the twentieth century into the present.

Organizational Structure

Each potential narrator will have a biographical file detailing their connection to Meridian Hill/ Malcolm X Park and surrounding communities. The file will cite related primary and secondary sources, age of narrators, any previous interviews, research notes, and other related materials. The researchers will develop a general interview guide, based on relevant themes (see: Interview Guide- Template). Based on the biographical files, background research, and existing literature, the team members will create individual interview guides to use during interviews with each narrator. The narrators will be contacted by phone and email for an introduction and interview request. In ideal circumstances, pre-interviews will take place to complete background information, informing the development of individual interview guides.

Conducting Interviews

For these oral history interviews, scheduled face-to-face interviews are preferred. They will be completed from August through October (see: Project Schedule). The team members will travel to meet narrators at designated locations for interview sessions. Release forms will be made available for a preliminary signature and then a post-interview signature. These forms will be collected and included in the narrator’s complete project file. All interviews will be recorded by an audio recorder, made available by the Humanities Truck. In limited cases, we may also do a video recording. 20

The team will adhere to the following audio/visual standards specified in the Scope of Work for the project. We will use an H4 Zoom Recorder with two external Shure Electro-Voice 635A interview microphones. We will record Master audio files in WAV PCM format with a sample rate of 96,000 kHz and a file bit-depth of 24. Photographs will be taken with a Sony Alpha A7 III digital camera. Master image files will be saved in RAW format and taken in 24 megapixels and 14-bit. Any video recordings will be taken with the Sony Alpha A7 III digital camera in a XAVC S HD file format with a record setting of 24 p 50M.

Processing Interviews

Following the interviews, the researchers will begin processing the interviews. All files will be renamed with the narrator’s name and the date of the interview. The researchers will ensure that all interviews are fully transcribed. Following transcriptions, the researchers will do an audit of the transcripts. As transcriptions are completed, the researchers will create the metadata and indexes following a standard, established organizational structure, overseen by one team member for quality control. Once transcripts are completed, narrators will have an opportunity to review them with a deadline of thirty days to return any corrections or comments. Once the transcripts are completed, a copy of the audio file, transcript, and all photos will be given to each narrator.

Interview Guide- Template

This interview guide provides questions based on themes relevant to the Meridian Hill National Historic Park project. The researchers will use this template to create interview guides for each narrator, based on background research on the narrator, their involvement with any national movements, and interactions with the park. Each interview guide will be circulated among team members for input and approval prior to conducting the interview. Interviewers should pursue any important leads as the narrator introduces new topics.

Themes: politics, art, law, recreation ○ Historic Context of Neighborhoods ○ African American Experience ○ Evolution of the Urban Park

Introduction: It is [Month] [Day], [Year], and this is an interview of ______ [narrator’s name] by ______[interviewer’s name] for the Meridian Hill National Historic Park Oral History Project recorded at [location].

Ask the following: 1. Do I have permission to record this interview? 2. Could you give me a brief introduction of who you are? 3. What’s your connection to Washington, DC? a. (If applicable) How long have you lived in Washington, DC? What neighborhoods? i. (If not a native) What brought you here?

First Memories of Meridian Hill/ Malcolm X Park: 1. Do you remember the first time you came to the park? 2. What did you call the park at that time? 3. What or who brought you there? 4. What were your first impressions of the park? 5. Which spaces in the park were you most drawn to? 6. What do you remember about the people who used the park at the time? a. How did they use the park similarly? Differently? 7. What were the surrounding communities like at the time? a. Washington, DC in general b. Adams Morgan/ Columbia Heights specifically

Activism in Meridian Hill/ Malcolm X Park: 1. Did you ever use the park as a space for activism, speakouts, protests, or other mobilizations? a. Could you tell me about these times? 2. Why was the park such an important place for bringing people together? 3. Where would you gather in the park? 4. What were the issues that were important to you at the time? 5. Who were the people who organized these events? How did they organize and get the word out to people to show up at the park? 6. Were there other activists who used the park? 7. What was your impression of them? 8. How well did the different groups co-exist together? 9. Were there any conflicts or difficult moments either within the groups you participated or between those groups and others? 10. How did local residents respond to the activism in the park? 11. How did the city police and park rangers respond to the activism in the park?

The Name of the Park 1. What do you know about the efforts to change the name of the park? 2. Do you refer to the park as Meridian Hill or Malcolm X Park? 3. Why do you think some people call the park Malcolm X Park and want it to be officially renamed Malcolm X Park? 4. Did Malcolm X— the person— mean something to you? a. If so, what? 5. How does his memory live on in the park?

Recreation in the Park 1. How have you used Meridian Hill/ Malcolm X Park as a space for recreation? 2. Were the spaces you would hang out in different then the activist spaces? a. Different times? 3. How would others use the park on a day to day basis? a. Music, dancing, skating, sports, picnicking, flirting, etc. b. cruising, drinking, drugs, sex, fighting, etc. 4. How do you see the everyday uses of the park policed? a. By officials? b. By community members? 5. How do you feel when you’re in the park? 6. Has the use of the park for recreational purposes changed over time? If so, how? 23

7. Is there a different sense of belonging or of safety at different times of day?

Neighborhood Changes? 1. How have the surrounding neighborhoods— Adams Morgan, Columbia Heights— changed over time? 2. What were the causes of those changes? 3. What impact have those changes had on the park?

The Park Today? 1. How is the park today similar or different than how you first remember it? 2. What do you think of when you think about Meridian Hill/ Malcolm X Park? 3. How are you using Meridian Hill/ Malcolm X Park today as a space for activism? For free speech? 4. How do you form a community here? 5. This park is used as a community gathering space, but being positioned in Washington, DC, it’s also a national stage. How do the local and national exist together here? 6. How have you seen the park change? 7. Who do you think uses Meridian Hill/ Malcolm X Park now? a. How do they use it? 8. How has your use of the park changed over time?

Movement-Specific Questions Future drafts will include movement-specific questions based on the narrator’s involvement and further research into how different activist groups were using Meridian Hill/ Malcolm X Park. These questions will be used when relevant across multiple interviews.

Individual-Specific Questions The researchers will draft an interview guide specific to each narrator. These guides may include questions which are not applicable to all narrators but are important to understanding the park and the role of individuals in activism and in the park.

Project Schedule

The following is our tentative work schedule for the duration of the Meridian Hill National Historic Park Oral History Project. It includes deadlines provided by the National Parks Service and Organization for American Historians in yellow and internal deadlines created by the researchers. As needed, we will define more internal deadlines and set team meeting times or add additional meetings.

June 28, 2019 Detailed Outline & Work Plan

July 10, 2019 Team Meeting at Washingtoniana (image research)

July 17, 2019 Team Meeting

July 21, 2019 *tentative* Truck Event

July 26, 2019 Comments Returned

July 29, 2019 Begin contacting narrators

Week of 7/29 Team Meeting

8/5-11/4 Interviews Ongoing, Transcription Ongoing

Week of 9/2 Team Meeting

September 22, 2019 *tentative Truck Event*

Week of 10/7 Team Meeting

November 4, 2019 Interviews Complete

Week of 11/4 Team Meeting

November 20, 2019 *draft* First Draft circulating for edits

Week of 12/2 Team Meeting

December 21, 2019 First Draft

January 31, 2020 Comments Returned

Week of 1/27 Team Meeting

February 21, 2020 *draft* Second Draft circulating for edits

Week of 2/24 Team Meeting 25

March 13, 2020 Second Draft

April 24, 2020 Comments Returned

April 27, 2020 Team Meeting

4/27-6/16 *draft* Final Study circulating for edits

Week of 6/1 Team Meeting

5/17/2020 *tentative* Truck Event

June 17, 2020 Final Study & Deliverables

ONGOING Planning public presentation (Truck Event?)

TBD- June, 2020? Public Presentation

* Monthly Team Meetings (more frequent, as needed)

MERIDIAN HILL NATIONAL HISTORIC PARK Oral History Project A Collaboration of the Humanities Truck and the National Park Service Informed Consent and Public Domain Permission for oral history interviews, recordings, and images

Interviewee’s name:

Mailing address: Phone and/or email:

Interviewer’s name:

Mailing address: Phone and/or email:

Interview Date/s:

I voluntarily agree to be interviewed as part of the Meridian Hill National Historic Park Oral History Project. I understand that the following items (“Collection”) may be created from our interview:

• audio and/or video recordings • • photographs in original form or as digital copies • edited transcripts and summaries • • personal documents in original form or as digital copies

At the end of this interview, I understand that the Collection will be donated at no cost to the Public Domain. I agree that all rights to the Collection shall be given to Public Domain. Specifically, I understand that by donating the Collection to the Public Domain, anyone may copy, use, and distribute to the public the Collection including but not limited to my interview (and other items above) for educational and commercial purposes, including, but not limited to, formats such as audio and/or video documentaries, pamphlets, print publications, public programming and/or performances, exhibits, online archives and/or publications, mobile platforms, and other new media resources. Materials will be archived with the Humanities Truck Community Archive and the National Park Service, National Capital Region. I also understand the Humanities Truck and National Park Service may use the Collection for promotional purposes.

Preliminary Consent Prior to Interview:

______Interviewee’s signature Date

I agree to transfer at no cost to Public Domain or legal title, rights of publicity, and all literary rights from the Collection including copyright created from our interviews conducted on the date listed above. This gift does not preclude any use I may want to make of the information in the recordings and/or transcripts myself. I agree that American University, the Humanities Truck, and the National Park Service owe me no compensation for my participation or for the rights I have granted in this form.

Permission Granted After Interview:

______Interviewee’s signature Date

______Interviewer’s signature Date

Questions? Dr. Daniel Kerr, American University, Washington, DC, (202) 885-2161 [email protected] Reminder: Sign Two copies: one stays with the interviewee and the other returns to American University.