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Oral history interview with Dr. Randy Palmer 

Anacostia Community Museum

Object Details

General
Associated documentation, including partial transcripts, for this interview is available in the Anacostia Community Museum Archives.  The textual transcripts are not verbatim of the audio recordings.
Title created by ACMA staff using text written on sound cassette, contents of audio recording, textual transcript, and/or associated archival documentation.
Names
Catholic University of America
Howard University
Marquette University
Palmer, Ransford W.
Collection Creator
Smithsonian Institution. Anacostia Community Museum
Place
Jamaica
West Indies
Washington (D.C.)
United States
Topic
Caribbeans
Caribbean Americans
Teachers
Economists
Schools
Education
Discipline
Manners and customs
Social history
Emigration and immigration
Economics
Economy
International economic relations
Racism
Interviews
Culture
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
3 Digital files
2 Sound cassettes
Date
1992 October 28
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 and 30 minutes.
Scope and Contents
Dr. Randy Palmer, also known as Ransford W. Palmer, spoke about his school and education in Jamaica, his athletic participation in high school, his parents and siblings, the disciplinarian in his family, the role of religion in his life, family heirlooms and memories, and his mentors and teachers when growing up in Jamaica.  He explained the name "Palmer" means traveler.  Palmer described his childhood, including fishing and playing cricket, in the village he grew up in Jamaica.  He talked about the holidays and traditions celebrated by his family; gift giving and receiving; the historical and political circumstances he remembers growing up in Jamaica, including shortages during the war and political campaigns; and his civil service work.    Palmer spoke about his decision to leave Jamaica; preparation for the trip, including last moments in Jamaica and mementos he bought with him to the United States; migration to the US by plane from Kingston to Miami to Chicago to Milwaukee to attend Marquette University; first impressions of and experiences in the US; and his path to US citizenship. He described his experience as an undergraduate, graduate, and PhD student at Marquette University and Clark University, including his jobs, financial circumstances, and student parties which included Caribbean music and food dishes.   Palmer spoke about teaching and living in Finger Lakes region of New York, central Connecticut, and Washington, DC, including Catholic University and Howard University; and the differences between Catholic University and Howard University as a professor. He detailed the books he wrote on the Jamaican economy, economic relationship between Caribbean and the US, economic issues in the Caribbean, and the movement of Caribbean peoples to North America and Europe. He explained Jamaican and Caribbean impact on economy and communities in the Washington, DC area; and the importance of being politically active. Palmer also spoke about maintaining Jamaican culture and heritage, particularly music and food, in the US; how often visited Jamaica and how he kept up with things happening in Jamaica; encountering racism and how he dealt with it; his work as president of the Caribbean Studies Association; and his wife and children. Interview is in English.  Digital audio files include white noise and static; interviewee's voice is intelligible for the most part.
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-1712088000981-1712088003374-0
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/qa741c43c3a-8ec7-4c80-9499-8c46ef6e8f71

Related Content

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

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