Oral History Interview with Raymond Bumbry

Object Details

Names: Birney Elementary School; Dunbar High School (Washington, D.C.); Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church (Washington, D.C.); St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church (Washington, D.C.); Bumbry, Raymond E., 1893-1990
Collection Creator: Anacostia Community Museum

Topic: African American men; African Americans; Voting; 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: 1 Digital file ((1 data disk DVD-R digital, 24-bit 96kHz WAV. ))); 1 Sound cassette ((1 sound disk CD-R (00:26:26). digital, 16-bit 44.1 KhZ))

Type: Archival materials; Audio; Digital files; 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 note: Raymond Bumbry, an African American man, describes what life was like in Anacostia when he was growing up, what schools people attended (Birney Elementary School and Dunbar High School), what jobs most people had (laborers, domestic workers, and schoolteachers), what churches people attended (St. Teresa's Catholic Church, Our Lady of Perpetual Help), and what parks people went to (Green Willow Park and Eureka Park). Bumbry mentions that he and his neighbors began voting after the Kennedy administration. He also discusses being a part of the Masonic order and doing church work, as well as working for the federal government and passing the civil service examination. He ends the interview talking about popular transportation, such as horses and buggies or streetcars, and recommending other people in Anacostia to interview. Raymond Bumbry was interviewed on December 3, 1970, 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.

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