Films
"Portrait of Church Choir" circa 1950s
Photo courtesy: Albert W. Durant Collection, Visual Resources, John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Oral History Community Nights held at the Hennage Auditorium and the Williamsburg Lodge brought together educators, museum professionals, and residents to discuss different aspects of African American history and the African American experience in Williamsburg. Distinguished panelists, including Rex Ellis, Director of Museum Programs at the Smithsonian, Robert Watson, Assistant Director of African American Interpretation, and Thad Tate of the College of William & Mary, joined principals, social studies teachers, and pastors to examine ways in which more cultural diversity could be incorproated into history courses and museum experiences. Local community members shared photographs, recordings, musical performances, and reminscences. Each year focused upon a different theme ranging from the Depression and World War II years to African American music in rural and urban churches. Fortunately, Colonial Williamsburg's audiovisual production staff filmed a number of these popular events and the oral history night footage is preserved by the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library's Media Collections staff.
Note on Historiography
As you watch these oral history films, consider these questions: Who determined which questions to ask? How might the race, gender, age, or status of the interviewer affect the history that is told by the interviewee? Who decided what to include in and exclude from the film? What perspectives might be missing?
Courtesy: Media Collections, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Remembrances of Early Williamsburg
This film features members of the Black community recounting their experiences living and growing up in Williamsburg. They tell stories about work, school, and integration and paint a picture of how Williamsburg changed in the time they have been here. Much of the change they discuss centers around the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg and integration.
The Depression Years
Eight members of the Black community - Rev. Junius H. Moody, George Preston Crump, Alexander Lee, Rev. James B. Tabb Sr. , Doris Crump Rainey, Nathaniel H. Reid Jr., Phillip Cooke, W.M. Wallace - reflect on living in Williamsburg during the Depression years. The speakers touch on topics including the dispossession of Magruder residents and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Camp, current events from the time, recreational activities, church, education, interracial relations, and the reasons they stayed in Williamsburg.
Courtesy: Media Collections, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Courtesy: Media Collections, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
The World War II Years
Seven lifelong Williamsburg residents - both Black and White - recall their experiences in Williamsburg before and during WWII. Speakers include: Willard S. Gilley, Curtis Roberts, Elizabeth White, Raymond L. Redcross, Ethelyn Springs, Joshua C. (JC) Palmer Sr., and Edward Spencer. They share recollections of the creation and expansion of several military bases in the Hampton Roads area, and how the soldiers and construction workers they brought affected life in Williamsburg. Finally, the residents reflect on race relations during WWII within the military and in the community in general.
The Freedom Years
Five longtime Black residents of Williamsburg - Willie Parker, Katherine Curtis, Dennis Gardner, Madeline Gee, and Ruth Pope - share their recollections of the Civil Rights Movement as it manifested in Williamsburg. The oral histories center around aspects of Black life, including working for Colonial Williamsburg and William & Mary, the integration of the WJCC public school system, and the role of local Black leaders.
Courtesy: Media Collections, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Courtesy: Media Collections, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Your Worries Ain't Like Mine
Colonial Williamsburg administrators and interpreters recount their experiences of the period surrounding the opening of the Department of African American Programs as well as the Slave Quarter at Carter's Grove. Black interpreters as well as administrators discuss working at Colonial Williamsburg and the importance of telling Black stories and Black history.