Oral history interview with Omar Wynn

Omar Wynn discusses his time at the Anacostia Neighborhood Museum (now Anacostia Community Museum), where he served as an exhibit specialist from 1979-1982. He describes the mission of the museum as meeting the needs of people who are traditionally not served by the big museums on the National Mall. He recalls how the Anacostia residents engaged with the museum through daily patronage, and how it became a meeting place for civic organizations. He remembers feeling that the original Carver Theater site prevented people with a genuine interest from coming to the museum because of the heavy street traffic. He also describes how John Kinard enjoyed the full support of the community, and how Audrey Archer had control over the administrative operations of the museum. The interview was recorded on October 24, 1991 by Trina Fletcher Smith. The audio quality is somewhat muffled, with background noise, but the interview can be heard clearly.