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HIST 268 Oral History Interviews: African Americans and the University of Delaware collection
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Held at: University of Delaware Library Special Collections [Contact Us]181 South College Avenue, Newark, DE 19717-5267
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Delaware Library Special Collections. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Established as an all-white institution, the University of Delaware was desegregated following the case
Parker v. University of Delaware (1950). Few African American students enrolled over the next decade, with the numbers increasing only slightly in the 1960s. During the same decades, businesses near the University routinely refused service to African Americans, and even as formal barriers fell, hostility towards African American customers remained strong for decades. Student protests in the late 1960s and early 1970s, along with the wider Civil Rights Movement, resulted in changes at the University and the creation of a variety of vibrant programs supporting African American students, including sororities, fraternities, academic support services, an African American cultural center, and the Black American Studies program. Many of these programs were started after Sociology professor Dr. Frank R. Scarpitti chaired the Advisory Committee on Policies, Programs, and Services Affecting Blacks and Other Minority Group Students, which was charged with recommending policies to improve the campus climate for minority students. Nonetheless, the campus remained overwhelmingly white, creating enduring challenges for African American students and staff.During these same years, Newark itself had a strong African American community. With roots stretching back to the 19th century, Newark's African Americans worked in a range of local industries and in the homes of white residents. The University of Delaware was an important source of employment as well. Housing discrimination confined these African American residents into a small neighborhood centered around the intersection of New London Road and Cleveland Avenue, and the refusal of Main Street businesses to serve African Americans stimulated the creation of a wide range of African American businesses and institutions. As the university enrollment expanded in the late 1960s and 1970s, it began to take over open spaces previously used by African American residents, and then to convert African American neighborhoods into university buildings and student housing, generating friction with long-time residents.
Historical note composed by Dr. Roger Horowitz, June 2022.
"In Memoriam: Frank R. Scarpitti." UDaily, March 5, 2019. https://www.udel.edu/udaily/2019/march/in-memoriam-frank-scarpitti/ (accessed June 2022).
The oral history interviews in this collection were collected by the students in Dr. Roger Horowitz's HIST 268 section, "Oral History: African Americans and the University of Delaware" class, offered in the fall semester of 2021. Students conducted 25 interviews, with participants drawn from two principal communities: African American alumni of the University of Delaware and residents of the Newark, Delaware's New London Road/Cleveland Avenue neighborhood. Their recollections are framed by Delaware's troubled experience with de jure and de facto racial discrimination, as interviewees reflect on their experiences living in Newark and/or attending the University of Delaware in the 1950s-1980s.
As part of the course, students were trained in the methodology of oral history and learned about the history of racial discrimination in Delaware. The interview with Dr. James Newton, a former faculty member at the University of Delaware, was conducted by Dr. Horowitz during a class session as part of this training. Additional information about the experiences of Black residents in Newark and students at the University of Delaware was drawn from historical documents including transcripts of previous interviews of Black residents of Newark from MSS 0642, New London Road/Cleveland Avenue oral histories and research materials, articles printed in the University of Delaware
Review from 1950-1988, and the 1969 report, "The Black Student and the University of Delaware," colloquially called "The Scarpitti Report." Students used this information to create a collaborative list of interview topics and themes to pursue with interview subjects.Interview participants were initially recruited by Dr. Horowitz and Denise Hayman, a member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority and former resident of Newark. After confirming their interest, participants were connected with students, who were coached through contacting interviewees for initial exploratory interviews, gathering biographical data and information about interviewees' relationships to Newark and the University of Delaware. This information, along with the interview topics discussed by the class, were used to create personalized agendas for each interview.
Interviews were conducted in November and December, 2021. The interviews were conducted either in-person or using the online conferencing software Zoom. After collecting the interviews, students were instructed to select, summarize, and transcribe a set of short clips covering interview highlights, which were curated into an online exhibition, Oral History Interviews: African Americans and the University of Delaware, which launched in summer 2022.
Topics covered in interviews with Newark residents include childhood activities, the New London Road community, employment in Newark, the relationship between African American residents and University of Delaware, and the expansion of the University of Delaware into the New London Road neighborhood. Topics from alumni interviews include the African American community on campus, the founding of Black fraternities and sororities at University of Delaware, the Center for Black Culture, and the racial climate at University of Delaware.
Brief biographical details about each interviewee are included in the finding aid.
Oral history interviews are arranged alphabetically by last name.
The text of this web page can be reused and modified under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Access to streaming audio of the oral histories and interview indexes are available by following the links in the finding aid. The entire collection is available in Artstor Public Collections.
Gift of project participants, 2021.
Processed by John Caldwell and Jay Reed, April-June 2022. Encoded by John Caldwell, May-June 2022.
Indexes for each interview were created by Jay Reed, a student in the course who completed an independent study with Dr. Horowitz during spring semester 2022 to continue working on the collection.
Organization
- University of Delaware
- Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity
- Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority
- Delta Sigma Theta Sorority
- Omega Psi Phi Fraternity
Subject
- Oral History--Delaware--Newark--20th century
- Newark (Del.)--New London Road
- African American Greek letter societies
- Segregation--Delaware--Newark--History--20th century
- Community Life--Delaware--Newark--History--20th century
- African Americans--Delaware--20th century--Interviews
- African Americans--Education--Delaware--History--20th century
- Education--Delaware--History--20th century
Place
- Publisher
- University of Delaware Library Special Collections
- Finding Aid Author
- University of Delaware Library, Special Collections
- Finding Aid Date
- 2022 May 23
- Access Restrictions
-
The collection is open for research.
- Use Restrictions
-
Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections Department, University of Delaware Library, https://library.udel.edu/static/purl.php?askspec
Collection Inventory
Gai Allen is a native of Lewes, Delaware, and graduated from the University of Delaware with her bachelor's degree in 1980 and master's in 1982. In this interview, she discusses her childhood in Lewes, Delaware, her experience at the University of Delaware and in Newark, her membership in the newly formed chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, the relationship between Alpha Kappa Alpha and Delta Sigma Theta sororities, on and off-campus employment while a student, social life as an undergraduate and graduate student, stepping, and her career.
Interviewed by Jay Reed on Zoom, running time 56 minutes, 12 seconds.
Gerald Allen was born in 1955 in Lewes, Delaware, and graduated from the University of Delaware in 1978. In this interview, Allen discusses growing up in Lewes, Delaware, social life on campus for him and other Black students, his academics and experience as an education major, joining the Omega Psi Phi fraternity, his athletic pursuits, his work study placement, and his continued love for the University of Delaware.
Interviewed by Devon Roth in Newark, Delaware, running time 32 minutes, 21 seconds.
Marva Bond-Smith was born in Wilmington, Delaware, and grew up in the New London Road community in Newark. In this interview, she discusses growing up in the New London Road community, the racial environment in Newark, segregation and desegregation in Newark and the schools in Delaware, taking summer classes at the University of Delaware, attending Delaware State College after graduating high school in 1953, her teaching career and some discrimination she faced in the workplace, and a number of businesses in Newark and her relationship to them.
Interviewed by Reid Barrow in Newark, Delaware, running time 1 hour, 13 minutes, 31 seconds.
Joe Bryant grew up in New Castle County, Delaware, and graduated from the University of Delaware in 1975. In his interview, Bryant discusses his childhood, his experience at the University of Delaware, being on the charter line of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, majoring in criminal justice, and his career in law enforcement.
Interviewed by Wilson Legg on Zoom, running time 32 minutes, 23 seconds.
Sharon Sheridan Bryant grew up in New Castle, Delaware, and attended the University of Delaware in the 1970s. In this interview, Bryant discusses her family and the relationship she had with her sisters, her education before and including her experience at the University of Delaware, the racial environment on campus during her time as a student, the founding of an Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority chapter on campus in 1977, and her later career in education.
Interviewed by Reid Barrow on Zoom, running time 1 hour, 34 minutes, 26 seconds.
Ella Burton grew up in Sussex County, Delaware, and attended the University of Delaware, graduating in 1982. In this interview, she discusses growing up in southern Delaware, her experience at the University of Delaware, experiences with racism on campus and in Newark, membership in Alpha Kappa Alpha, her relationship with faculty, and the dynamics between Black and non-Black students at the University during her time as a student.
Interviewed by Taylor Curley on Zoom, running time 40 minutes, 17 seconds.
Wayne Crosse immigrated from Guyana to the United States in 1955, and his family eventually settled in Wilmington, Delaware. He attended the University of Delaware before being drafted in 1969, returning to the University in 1973. The interview covers his immigration experience, his experiences on campus and visiting Main Street in Newark, racial discrimination on campus, Greek life, student activism, and the founding of the University of Delaware's first Black fraternity, the Psi Zeta chapter of Omega Psi Phi.
The second audio file is a short addendum recorded at Wayne Crosse's request that contains some additional information on the subjects of work study, Greek life, and the University of Delaware's response to a concert organized by Black students.
Interviewed by Chris Barnwell over Zoom, running time for the main interview is 42 minutes, 54 seconds, running time for the addendum in 8 minutes, 41 seconds.
Denise Hayman is a native of Newark, Delaware, and attended the University of Delaware as a student, graduating in 1977. In her interview, she talks about her family's long history in Newark, growing up in Newark, segregation and Black-owned businesses in town, her education and relationships with white classmates, racism on campus, her career aspirations and choosing to attend the University of Delaware, her relationship with Black faculty and staff, the decline of the New London Road community, Black Greek life and the founding of a Delta Sigma Theta sorority chapte at the Universisty, her career, attempts to preserve the memory of the New London Road community, and her involvement with the HIST 268 class conducting the oral history interviews.
Interviewed by Paris McBride on Zoom, running time 2 hours, 27 minutes, 12 seconds.
Florine Henderson was born in 1952, and is a native of Newark, Delaware. She grew up in the New London Road community in the 1950s and 1960s and later worked for the University of Delaware Admissions Office for 30 years. In her interview, Henderson talks about growing up on New London Road, race and segregation in Newark, the decline of the New London Road community, the expansion of the University of Delaware, her family history, working at the University, and the effort to protect the memory and legacy of the New London Road community.
Interviewed by Taylor Curley, running time 1 hour, 11 minutes, 46 seconds.
Thelma Hinds was born in Jamaica and came to the United States in 1972, settling in Delaware with her mother and stepfather. She attended the University of Delaware. In her interview, she discusses the culture shock she experienced moving to the United States, her experiences with discrimination on campus and in classes, her job at Chrysler as a student, the role of faculty and Black campus organizations in providing a safe space for minority students, race relations in Newark, and her career training teachers.
Interviewed by Chris Barnwell over Zoom, running time 1 hour, 11 minutes, 43 seconds.
Marlene Hurtt-Dunkley grew up in Delaware and was a student at the University of Delaware in the mid-1970s. In her interview, Dunkley talks about her childhood and education, her time as a student at the University of Delaware and the racial environment on campus, the founding of the Mu Pi chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority in 1975, and her career in education.
Interviewed by Brianna Perry in Newark, Delaware, running time 1 hour, 13 minutes, 55 seconds.
Wilma Jones was born in 1943 and is a Newark native who grew up in the New London Road community. In this interview, Jones discusses growing up in Newark, her education, the Black community in Newark, church involvement, desegregation and her career at Avon.
Interviewed by Valeria Medina Zuniga in Newark, running time 1 hour, 6 minutes, 26 seconds.
Terry Bayard Joyner was born in 1955, and grew up in the Dunleith neighborhood in New Castle, Delaware, and attended the University of Delaware. In this interview, Joyner discusses her childhood, her time at the University of Delaware and the racial dynamics on campus, her role as a charter line member of the Mu Pi chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority, and her career in education and consulting.
Interviewed by Valeria Medina Zuniga over Zoom, running time 1 hour, 23 minutes, 52 seconds.
William Majett grew up in Wilmington, Delaware, and attended the University of Delaware as a student in the mid-1960s. In this interview, he talks about his education growing up, attending the University of Delaware, his experience with segregation, the political climate at the University of Delaware in the 1960s, participating in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program on campus and later enlisting in the National Guard, the National Guard occupation of Wilmington, Delaware, racism on campus and in Newark, the social environment for Black students when he attended the University, his career at DuPont, and the struggle to recruit Black students to the University of Delaware.
Interviewed by Ayinde Budd and Gene Coleman on Zoom, running time 1 hour, 11 minutes, 57 seconds.
Richard Matthews grew up in Newark and attended the University of Delaware before being drafted into the U.S. Air Force in 1971 without finishing his degree. In this interview, Matthews talks about his childhood, his time at the University of Delaware, his Air Force career, political activism while a student at UD, employment opportunities in Newark, the relationship between the University and Newark, and the New London Road community.
Interviewed by Daniel Minze on Zoom, running time 40 minutes, 55 seconds.
Dr. James Newton was hired in 1972 as one of the first Black faculty members at the University of Delaware and headed the Black American Studies program at the University. In the first part of this interview, he discusses the history of integration at the University of Delaware and desegregation on Main Street in Newark, his childhood, his career as a military police officer, his education, working for the Delaware Education Department training teachers, being hired at the University, the Scarpitti Report and discrimination on the UD campus, and starting the Black American Studies program.
In the second part of the interview, Newton talks more about the experience of African American students at the University of Delaware, his role as a mentor and advocate for his students, the social environment for Black students at UD, studying the experiences of African American students at the University, his educational philosophy, the creation of the Black American Studies program, the Wilmington Occupation in 1968, and the importance of documenting the Black experience on the University of Delaware campus.
Interviewed by Roger Horowitz on the University of Delaware campus. Part 1 running time is 1 hour, 25 minutes, 46 seconds. Part 2 running time is 1 hour, 12 minutes, 7 seconds. Total running time 2 hours, 37 minutes, 52 seconds.
Vincent Oliver, originally from Detroit, Michigan, came to the University of Delaware to serve as the first director of the Minority Center (now the Center for Black Culture) from 1976-1979. In this interview, Oliver talks about being recruited to the University of Delaware, working to grow the Minority Center, the frustration experienced by Black faculty and staff working at the University, his successes working with Black students, his relationship with white staff, the reason why he left the University of Delaware, and his thoughts on the lingering low enrollment of Black students at the University of Delaware.
Interviewed by Ayinde Budd and Gene Coleman on Zoom, running time 55 minutes, eight seconds.
Lindsey Saunders was born in Newark, Delaware, in 1935, and has lived most of his life between Newark and Wilmington. In this interview, he discusses his childhood in Newark, the New London Road community, race relations in Newark, his Army service, the expansion of the University of Delaware in Newark, and the role of protests in society.
Interviewed by Samuel Kowalchick over Zoom, running time 37 minutes, 50 seconds.
Linda Sheridan-Perkins grew up in Delaware and attended the University of Delaware from 1969-1973. In this interview, she discusses her experience as a student, the racial environment on campus and in Newark, and her relationship with Richard Wilson.
Interviewed by Brianna Perry on Zoom, running time 49 minutes, 41 seconds.
Crystal Simms was born in 1949, grew up in the New London Road community in Newark, Delaware, and attended the University of Delaware. In this interview, she talks about her childhood, educational desegregation, attending the University of Delaware, racial attitudes and demographics on campus, the founding of the Black Faculty-Student Coalition (now the UDAAC), protesting and activist activity on campus and in Washington, D.C., her career at the University of Delaware, and compares the University of Delaware and Delaware Technical Community College, where she was an English instructor.
Interviewed by Julia Manson on Zoom, running time 52 minutes, 21 seconds.
Janice Tildon-Burton grew up in Wilmington, Delaware, and attended the University of Delaware as a commuter student, graduating with her bachelor's degree in 1970 and her masters in 1973. In this interview, she talks about her childhood in Wilmington, her time attending Howard University before coming to the University of Delaware, her experience on campus and the impact attending UD had on her life and career, treatment of Black students at UD, involvement with the local chapter of Delta Sigma Theta (she had been a member at Howard), and other reflections on her life and career.
Interviewed by Wilson Legg on Zoom, duration 52 minutes, 24 seconds.
Esther Hayman Welch grew up in the New London Road community in Newark and Wilmington, Delaware. She attended the University of Delaware in the mid 1970s, and was a founding member of the Mu Pi chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority. In this interview, she talks about her childhood, her time as a student at the University of Delaware, founding Delta Sigma Theta and her memories of buildidng up the sorority, memories of Newark and her experience with racism while growing up and at the University, the impact of her University experience on her career, and her overall experience with the University of Delaware.
Interviewed by Daniel Minze on Zoom, running time 36 minutes, 35 seconds.
Shane White was born in 1958. She grew up in Wilmington, Delaware, and attended the University of Delaware. In this interview, she discusses her childhood, her experience at the University of Delaware, discrimination on campus and in Newark, and her larger experience with race and racism.
Interviewed by Samuel Kowalchick over Zoom, running time 46 minutes, 24 seconds.
Patti Wilson-Aden, born in 1959, is a Newark native, whose family has lived in Newark for generations. In this interview, she discusses growing up in Newark, the New London Road community, housing patterns in Newark, her family's history, her opinions on the University of Delaware and its relationship with the Black community in Newark, her career in historic preservation, and racism in Newark in the modern day.
Interviewed by Devin Roth on Zoom, running time 59 minutes, 9 seconds.
Rev. Charles Word moved to Newark from Virginia in 1958. In this interview, Word talks about his move to Delaware and growing up in the New London Road community, the community's decline as the University of Delaware expanded, the racial situation in Newark and desegregation, his career at FMC Corporation (a chemical manufacturing commpany), and his call to the ministry.
Interviewed by Jay Reed in Newark, running time 1 hour, 32 minutes, 46 seconds.