Oral History Interview with Leonard G. and Geraldine Ford

Object Details

General: Leonard G. Ford is sometimes mistaken for his son, Leonard G. Ford Jr. in the materials. Geraldine Ford's full name is Geraldine Mabel Reynolds Ford and is sometimes referred to by her middle name, Mabel, or the nickname "Jerlean."
Local Numbers: AV002893

Names: Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church (Washington, D.C.); Saint Elizabeths Hospital (Washington, D.C.); Ford, Geraldine Reynolds, 1905-2003; Ford, Leonard G., 20th century (active); Shipley, Rezin, Dr., 1865-1924
Collection Creator: Anacostia Community Museum

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

Topic: African American women; African American men; African Americans; Segregation -- United States; 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).

Type: Archival materials; Audio; Sound cassettes; 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: Leonard Jr. Ford, an African American man born around 1903, and his wife, Geraldine Ford, an African American woman born around 1905, they discuss the geographic boundaries, education, and community of Anacostia was like in the early years of their marriage. They recall how most children attended school through the 12th grade and how many classmates went onto college, despite the lack of public education in their neighborhood for African American children. Geraldine speaks about family structure and church attendance and Leonard recounts memories of fun activities and the racial tension in Anacostia. Leonard Jr. and Geraldine Ford were interviewed by an unnamed volunteer or staff member at the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum (now the Anacostia Community Museum). Digital audio files include white noise and static; interviewee can be heard clearly for most parts; interview is cut short at 00:17:21 due to recording failure. Transcript is also incomplete.

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