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Oral history interview with John Blake

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
Corporan, Héctor, 1945-
Names
Howard University
Third World (Musical group)
Blake, John
Grant, Eddy
Collection Creator
Smithsonian Institution. Anacostia Community Museum
Place
Trinidad and Tobago
West Indies
Africa
Washington (D.C.)
United States
Topic
Caribbeans
African Americans
Radio broadcasters
Reggae musicians
Emigration and immigration
Radio broadcasting
Radio programs
Music
Reggae music
Calypso (Music)
Manners and customs
African diaspora
Civil rights movements
Stereotypes (Social psychology)
Police
Interviews
Interviewer
Corporan, Héctor, 1945-
Culture
Trinidadians
West Indians
Jamaicans
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
1 Digital file
1 Sound cassette
Date
circa 1992-1993
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 45 minutes.
Scope and Contents
John Blake spoke about his migration from Trinidad to the United States, including his first experiences and first impression, and cultural differences, in 1970; living in a group house with his brother in Washington, DC; and Howard University. Blake explained his interest in radio broadcasting; changing careers from quantity surveying / building estimating to broadcasting; the origin, history, and evolution of his radio program, "Caribbean Experience"; the importance of his radio program to the community; and the importance of a network of information for the Caribbean community, which led to Caribbean communities understanding each other better. Blake spoke about teaching radio production; reggae and calypso music; reggae musicians, including Eddy Grant and the musical group, Third World; the relationship between music genres in and across the Caribbean, Africa, and the United States; and why was reggae music embraced by the African American community. He also spoke about the African diaspora; civil rights movement and uprisings in Washington, DC; Black consciousness movement; Operation Caribbean Cruise, a Washington, DC police drug investigation and raid which targeted the Jamaican and Caribbean community; and how Jamaicans and Caribbeans are generalized and stereotyped. John Blake was interviewed by Hector Corporan. Interview is in English. Digital audio files include minimal white noise and static. Interviewee's voice is intelligible.
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-1712088000981-1712088003364-1
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/qa7fd9c55c1-9eda-4bb3-823b-e9906b567420

Related Content

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

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