Oral history interview with Charles A. Williams

Charles Williams, an African American man born on August 24, 1887, discusses his early days in Anacostia and what life was like for most of its residents in the first half of the 1900s. He talks about different occupations he held; about the available transportation at the time; about education and schooling (before and after his time); about various recreational activities in the community; and about raising children in the neighborhood. Williams provides information about his immediate family, including his wife and parents, as well as prominent residents in the community (the Shipleys and the Dales) and their respective businesses. He speaks about church attendance at Metropolitan AME Church, movie-going, the police force, and integration. Williams speaks about his time in Anacostia as a guard for various governmental agencies during the 1940s and 50s. He ends the interview remembering about meeting Frederick Douglass as a child, visiting his historic home, and reading the book Williams owned about him, "The Life of Frederick Douglass." Charles Williams was interviewed by Donna Coates and Wanda Dickens on September 17, 1975. Digital audio files include white noise and static; interviewee can be heard clearly for the most part.