Search Interviews

Longtime friends Earlene McKee (63) and Laura James (63) talk with new friend Doris Smith (88) about her life, her faith, and her commitment to helping others.

Fredrick Richardson (84) interviews his friend Lisa Lambert (60) about her career as the first African-American assistant city clerk and now city clerk of the city of Mobile.

Yvonne Matthews (69) and her conversation partner Franchesca Peña [no age given] discuss Yvonne's upbringing, what originally motivated her to pursue music, and several milestones in her career as a musician and educator.

Kiara Brown (28) talks her colleague to Jeremiah Chapmin (44) about her upbringing in Gloster, Mississippi, her journey to working in media and communications, and the many obstacles she overcame along the way.

Kiplyn Primus (60) interviews her friend and mentor Sonia Booker (51) about Sonia's life, focusing on her career in business and real estate as well as her experiences in the Atlanta Business League.

Sisters Alexis Roberts McMillan [no age given] and Enid Roberts MD [no age given] talk about how growing up alongside Florida A&M University’s College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, as well as with their family’s pharmacy, Economy Drug Store, impacted...

Cousins Bobby Dennison (71) and Patricia Frazier (72) speak about their family history as Clotilda descendants. The Clotilda was the last slave ship to arrive in the US. The two discuss the lives of their ancestors Lottie and James, highlighting...

Former student, Dale Hutchens (58) interviews his band director, William T. Robinson, III (74) about his career as a band director and his experience teaching students during the beginning of integration in Alabama.

Ray Nicholson (71) and Alvin "Alabama" Lovett (71) have been friends since the sixth grade. The two sit down to talk about how they met, their school day memories, and their experiences with the Davis Avenue community in Mobile.

Paulette Isaac Napper [no age given] talks with her daughter Tomeka Napper (45) about leaving a record for her grandson so he knows about her life growing up in the south during the 1960s, family traditions, Jim Crow, and black...

Grayce Gadson (71) shares with her colleague Kleopatra Gaiter (32) anecdotes from her time as a student in Florida, Indiana, and California during the desegregation of schools in America. Grayce and Kleopatra compare their varying experience with school institutions, specifically...

A group of African-American "sista friends," Talethia Edwards (39), Valerie George (38) and Anita Wimberly [no age given], chat about life, intimate platonic friendships, family, marriage and the importance of their bond in the African-American community. They talk about the...

Friends and fellow "Rattlers," Darius Young (42) and Joe Kershaw (73), discuss the work Joe's family has done to keep Florida A&M University open, as well as the work Darius now does to preserve the legacy of those who fought...

Siblings Ereka Craig (59) and Gary Tinsley (77) share memories of their late mother, a figure who was deeply involved in the Africatown community.

Friends and colleagues Paulette Davis Horton (67) and Arthur L. Mack (67) have a conversation about the history of how freed slaves began being educated in post-Civil War Mobile, Alabama, and how some of those initial students impacted African-American education...

Catheryn Cowings (21) interviews her great aunt Vivian McCain (95) about her life and growing up in Alabama.

Christopher Williams Sr. (61) and his interview partner Delilah Righter (25) discuss Christopher's childhood in Alabama, his experiences in elementary school during desegregation, and his perspective on the health and wellbeing of the Africatown community.

Old friends Vonnie McMillan (74) and George Moore (90) recall how they met and share thoughts on the legacies they hope to leave behind.

Franchesca Peña [no age given] interviews her conversation partner Darron Patterson (71) about the history of Africatown and the Clotilda ship, his own family history, and the importance of challenging racist ideologies.

Friends and colleagues Jasmine Trotter (25) and Krystal Lockett (36) talk about the issue of gun violence in their community, the history of over-policing and criminalization of Black men, and different community-based approaches to making Mobile a safer place for...

Jim Ellis (74) talks to his friend Bernadette Jackson-Small (69) about their shared project of identifying unmarked graves of deceased African Americans in different cemeteries around Mobile. Dr. Small also discusses her family's history in the city and memories she...

Spouses Erica Jackson Green (48) and David Green (46) share a conversation about the experiences their family has had, the places they have lived, the communities they have found, and their hopes for how their futures will unfold.

Kathy Purnell (54) interviews colleague Buddy Hannah (74) about his life and work in the arts, particularly his approach to building and celebrating community through this work.

Robert Edward Battles Sr. (77) speaks to his colleague Tiffany Pogue (23) about his work as a community organizer in Africatown and what true justice for Black people looks like.

Eugene Williams (90) talks to his colleague Leslie Schraeder (49) about how he came to his career as a postal service worker, his involvement in the letter carriers’ union, and the painful losses he weathered throughout his service