Oral history interview with Ahmed Mbalia

Ahmed Fletcher Mbalia talks about his involvement in the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum (now Anacostia Community Museum), where he began as a volunteer serving on the advisory board, and eventually became the Director of Educational Outreach. He describes the unique qualities of the museum, including its focus on African American history and culture, its service to the neighborhood, its hands-on interactivity, its educational programming, and its outreach efforts. He recalls residents of the community becoming involved as volunteers, serving on the advisory board, and joining the youth group. He describes the outreach program, which distributed miniature versions of the museum exhibits to communities, schools, prisons, and libraries. He also talks about the environment that existed prior to the museum, recalling a riot that occurred in the Anacostia neighborhood in 1967, which he felt was rooted in people feeling left out and on the short end of things. He felt that the development of the museum was in part a response to this. The interview was recorded on November 14, 1991 by Trina Fletcher Smith. There is significant background noise, but the interview can be heard clearly throughout the recording. Exhibitions mentioned: The Frederick Douglass years: a cultural history, The Rat: Man's Invited Affliction, Out of Africa: from West African kingdoms to colonization".