Oral History Interview with Alton M. Jones Sr.

Alton M. Jones Sr., an African American man born in 1912, talks about the Anacostia neighborhood during the 1910s through the 1930s. Jones says that most families at the time had lived in Anacostia for generations and had close affiliations with local churches, such as St. John CME Church. He discusses how the neighborhood was segregated and there was little interaction between races, until schools began to integrate; how business associations, civic groups, and fraternal organizations shaped the politics of the neighborhood. Jones Sr. speaks about his involvement with several community organizations, including the Douglass-Garfield Civic Association, Fort Stanton Civic Association, and the Washington Housing and Planning Association. Jones Sr. also discusses banking and recreation in Anacostia. In 1949, Anacostia had only one or two banks, since most of the government employees who lived in the neighborhood banked in the Northwest quadrant of Washington D.C. However, Jones Sr. notes how the neighborhood has grown in the last two decades due to the work of several community leaders, including Ella Foster and Stanley Anderson, who helped bring better education, transportation, and police. Jones Sr. describes how housing, crime, and unemployment are still pressing issues for the neighborhood, but he has noticed civic organizations trying to address those problems. Alton M. Jones Sr. was interviewed on November 21, 1970 by an unnamed volunteer or staff member at the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum (now the Anacostia Community Museum). Digital audio files include white noise and static; interviewee can be heard clearly for some parts.