Oral history interview with Dera Tompkins

Dera Tompkins spoke about her parents, including their work, role in the home, and political life; her childhood, growing up in Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, with her own personality and vision; her siblings; the disciplinarian in her family; her elementary and high school experience; her religious background; family history, including the origin of her family name, Carrington; racism in Boston, Massachusetts; and growing up in a community of activists and her involvement in the Civil Rights movement. Tompkins explained her progression from civil rights to the Rastafarian movement. She spoke about her educational experience at Howard University, including studying parenting and the roots of Black English, specifics about her professors, her ignorance at the time, and learning about the Trinidadian community. Tompkins also spoke about learning about Jamaica from Stokely Carmichael; visits to Jamaica, including conversations with Mutabaruka and visiting Mutabaruka's house; learning about Rastafarianism from Mutabaruka and how to balance Rastafarianism with her Black US experience; and looking at the bible through African eyes. She explained parts of the Rastafarian doctrine, her family's and friends' reaction to her transition to Rastafarianism, the positives and negatives of Rastafarianism, the impact of Rastafarianism on the hip hop movement, her adjustments to food as a Rasta, and fighting stereotypes about Rastafarians. Tompkins also spoke about the legacy of Marcus Garvey, Bob Marley, socialism, Pan-Africanism, dreadlocks, Haile Selassie, marijuana, reggae music, dancehall music, and her role after the Washington, DC police department executed Operation Caribbean Cruise in 1986. Interview is in English. Digital audio files include loud white noise and static, some sound distortions / voices distorted, and a few instances of background noise. Interviewee can be heard and voices are intelligible for most of the interview.