Daphne Muse Oral History Interview

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

An oral history interview and conversation with educator Daphne Muse. It consists of three versions of a digital video recording, two camera card files (2025.12.9.1.1 and 2025.12.9.1.2, .mxf files) and one edited file (2025.12.9.1.3, .mov file). Daphne Muse was interviewed by Loyola Marymount University student Natalie Riddick on November 14, 2023, as part of the Social Justice Conversations Oral History Project. The interview took place at the Muse’s home in Brentwood, California. At the time of the interview, Muse was 79 years old. This oral history interview consists of two distinct sections: an “interview” section (part 1) and a “conversation” section (part 2, 01:01:33). In part 1, Muse describes her upbringing in Washington, DC, her early educational journey, and recalls the city spaces Black people could not access during segregation. She describes her time at Fisk University followed by her work at the Drum and Spear Bookstore.

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