Oral History Interview with James Banks

Object Details

Names: Birney Elementary School; Dunbar High School (Washington, D.C.); Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church (Washington, D.C.); Smoot family; Banks, James, 1920-2005; Bradshaw, John; Dale, Almore M., 1911-1984; Ellis, Martha; Shipley, Rezin, Dr., 1865-1924; Smoot, James
Collection Creator: Anacostia Community Museum

Place: Anacostia (Washington, D.C.); Anacostia River (Md. and Washington, D.C.); Anacostia Community Museum

Topic: African American men; African Americans; Anacostia Neighborhood Museum; exhibit

See more items in: Evolution of a Community: 1972 Exhibition Records; Evolution of a Community: 1972 Exhibition Records / Series 2: Interviews

Sponsor: Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).

Extent: 2 Sound cassettes ((1 sound cassette (00:45:17))(1 sound cassette (00:44:02))); 2 Sound discs ((1 sound disk CD-R (00:45:17). digital, 16-bit 44.1 KhZ)(1 sound disk CD-R (00:44:02). digital, 16-bit 44.1 KhZ)); 1 Digital file ((1 data disk DVD-R digital, 24-bit 96kHz WAV.)))

Container: Box 2, Folder 17; Box 4, Cassette 35; Box 4, Cassette 35B; Box 5, Disk 35

Type: Archival materials; Audio; Sound cassettes; Sound discs; Digital files; Oral histories (document genres)

Collection Citation: Evolution of a Community: 1972 Exhibition Records, Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution.

Collection Rights: Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Scope and Contents note: James Banks, an African American man born in 1920, discusses growing up in Anacostia for the first 22 years of his life. He discusses topics such as education at Birney Elementary and Dunbar High and playing baseball in the sandlots or swimming in the Anacostia River. He talks about the geographical boundaries of the neighborhood as well as the changing demographics; how most families gardened and raised smaller livestock like chickens and pigs; segregation between the communities; and important landmarks in the area, such as Douglass Hall and Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Banks mentions the prominent community members, including Elzie Hoffman, Almore Dale, Fannie Shipley, James Smoot, Martha Ellis, and Cora Wilkerson. He also speaks about the issues the neighborhood faces regarding the lack of healthcare, sanitation, and housing for residents. James Banks was interviewed by John Bradshaw on February 22, 1971. Digital audio files include white noise and static; interviewee can be heard clearly for most parts.

Restrictions: Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.