THE BLACK WOMEN ORAL HISTORY PROJECT

In 1977, Miriam Matthews was interviewed for Schlesinger Library, Harvard University’sThe Black Women Oral History Project (1976–81). Noting that the stories of African-American women were inadequately documented in the Schlesinger Library and at other centers for research, Dr. Letitia Woods Brown, professor of history at George Washington University, recommended that the Schlesinger Library of Radcliffe College collect the oral memoirs of a selected group of older Black women. With support from the Schlesinger Library, The Black Women Oral History Project recorded a cross section of 72 African American women who had made significant contributions to American society during the first half of the 20th century.

Many interviewees in the collection had professional careers in fields such as education, government, the arts, business, medicine, law, and social work. Other women who were interviewed combined care for their families with volunteer work at the local, regional, or national level.

Women interviewed for the project included Dorothy Height, Queen Mother Moore, June Jordan, Rosa Parks, and Lois Mailou Jones, among others.