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Oral history interview with Bill Brown

Anacostia Community Museum

Object Details

General
Associated documentation for this interview is available in the Anacostia Community Museum Archives.
Title created by ACMA staff using text written on sound cassette, contents of audio recording, textual transcript, and/or associated archival documentation.
Interviewer
Cadaval, Olivia, 1943-
Names
Smithsonian Folklife Festival
Smithsonian Institution
Barry, Marion, 1936-
Collection Creator
Smithsonian Institution. Anacostia Community Museum
Place
Brazil
Boston (Mass.)
New York (N.Y.)
New Orleans (La.)
Washington (D.C.)
United States
Topic
Latin Americans
African Americans
Festivals
Carnival -- Brazil -- Rio de Janeiro
Manners and customs
folklife
Emigration and immigration
Voting
Race
Interviews
Interviewer
Cadaval, Olivia, 1943-
Culture
Brazilians
Cubans
See more items in
Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity among Black Immigrants in Washington, D. C. Exhibition Records
Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity among Black Immigrants in Washington, D. C. Exhibition Records / Series 3: Oral History 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
2 Digital files
1 Sound cassette
Date
1986 September 26
Archival Repository
Anacostia Community Museum Archives
Type
Archival materials
Digital files
Sound cassettes
Citation
Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity among Black Immigrants in Washington, D. C. exhibition records, Anacostia Community Museum, 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.
Note
The total playing time of interview recording is approximately 1 hour.
Scope and Contents
Bill Brown spoke about organizing Brazilians for the Festival in Washington, DC; Cubans in Washington, DC organically starting the Festival; why the Cubans temporarily stopped participating in the Festival; the similarities and differences between the Festival in Washington, DC and Carnival in Brazil; the different groups and countries involved in the Festival; and who organized the different groups and countries for the Festival. He recounted, in detail, notable moments of the Festival over the years, including some controversies and conflict. Brown explained what the Festival does for the community; how the Festival pulls the community, including different ethnicities and races, together; how Brazilians fit in with the rest of the Latino community in Washington, DC; how Brazilians immigrate to the United States; the voting power of the Latino community in Washington, DC; Mayor Marion Barry has protected the Latino community from immigration authorities; the relationship between the Latino community and the Black community; and the Smithsonian Institution's relationship with the Black community. Brown also spoke about other festivals in the Washington, DC area and New York City; Brazilians being invited and participating in the Folklife Festival organized by the Smithsonian; his thoughts on the educational panels at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival; and the Brazilian community in New York, New Orleans, Boston, and Washington, DC region. Brown identified himself as a Black American, born in Washington, DC, with no Brazilian ancestry. He spoke out how he became involved with the Brazilian community; learning Spanish, Portuguese, and about Brazilian and Cuban culture, including Santeria; working in public health as a Peace Corps volunteer in Brazil; and his participation with Santeria. Bill Brown was interviewed by Olivia Cadaval. Interview is in English and minimal Portuguese. Digital audio files include loud white noise and static, and some loud background noise. Interviewee's voice is intelligible for the most part. During a few small portions of the interview, the interviewee stepped away from the microphone and could not be heard.
Collection Restrictions
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Related link
Record ID
ebl-1712088000981-1712088003346-1
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/qa7349dfe18-5894-47cf-adda-09c587a1dbe6

Related Content

  • Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity among Black Immigrants in Washington, D. C. Exhibition Records

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