Oral History Interview with Amanda and Edna Forest Browne

Amanda Forest, an African American woman born in 1883, and her daughter, Edna Forest Browne (born in 1906), speak about growing up in Anacostia and the differences between the two generations. Forest says some children attended Garfield Elementary School until the fifth grade and a few students went on to high school. She describes how churches also educated the neighborhood children. The two churches at the time were Emmanuel Episcopal Church and St. John CME Church. When Forest was growing up, the neighborhood only had one bank (Anacostia National Bank), no parks or transportation, and a single white police officer. By the time Browne was a child, school was compulsory, parks were being built, and a bus system was established. The biggest change the two women noticed was the racial tension between white and African American people before and after desegregating schools. Browne talks about her mother's involvement in various community organizations, such as the Sunshine Relief Program and Cherie Club. Forest and Browne discuss how many women in the community organize these clubs, usually through their church, to help less fortunate families in the neighborhood. Mary E. Lewis and Betsy Paige were two female leaders in the community at the time. Amanda Forest and Edna Forest Browne were interviewed on November 28, 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 most parts.