Browse Interviews

Charesha Barrett, a Cleveland native, educator, consultant, genealogist, and co-founder of the Lee-Harvard Memorial Project, reflects on growing up in the Lee-Harvard neighborhood and her work to preserve and share its history. Barrett discusses Lee-Harvard's legacy as a place of community, Black excellence, and intergenerational connection. She recalls neighborhood places such as John F. Kennedy High School, St. Henry Parish, Kerruish Park, Lee-Harvard Shopping Center, Harvard Community Service…

Howard Carter is a longtime living history volunteer for the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. He has portrayed John Malvin, an abolitionist and canal boat captain active in the Cleveland area in the early 1800s. His family emigrated from Alabama during the Great Migration and  he was born in Akron, Ohio in 1967. His father, “Pee-Wee” Howard Carter was a significant musician who performed on Howard Street, Akron’s jazz hub between the 1920s and the 1960s. In this oral history, he discusses memories…

Vince Robinson is a local Cleveland musician and owner of Larchmere Arts, a studio for poetry, R&B jam sessions, lectures and theatre. He attended Kent State University in the 1980, were he was introduced to jazz, photography and poetry through college professor Mwatabu Okantah. Robinson is also a freelance journalist and has interviewed Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner and other influential jazz musicians. In this oral history, Robinson discusses his art, career and reflections on race. In 2019, his…

Heidi Barham grew up in the Lee Harvard area. Her doctors’ were in the historic Robert Madison Medical Associates building, now ThirdSpaceActionLab. Topics covered include Laurel School for Girls, Cleveland State University, Dearing’s Restaurant, East 105th Street, the importance of Black medical care, Jazz on East 6th Street and her career in hospice.

James Williams is a local Clevelander and Historic Preservationist by trade. After the Cleveland Hough Riots in 1966, he was a project manager for the Famicos Foundation, a local Community Development organization that restored buildings left in disrepair. In this oral history, Williams discusses his passion for preservation, projects and experiences working for the Famicos Foundation. Williams served in the U.S. Army and also worked as a maintenance worker at James A Garfield National Historic…

Sherri Green is a local Clevelander who grew up in the Garden Valley Housing Projects. In this oral history, Green recalls her childhood in Garden Valley, visits to East 105th Street and her ancestry, including pullman porter heritage and her Baptist upbringing. Her Uncle, Edgar Nixion, was a figure integral to the Montgomery Bus Boycotts during the 1960s Civil Rights movement. She also discusses the Glenville area, the Karamu House, Cleveland race relations, music, dancing and her doctors at…

Theron Brown is an Akron musician and adjunct professor of jazz piano at Akron University. He was introduced to gospel, jazz and soul music growing up going to church in the 1990s. He was born and raised in Zanesville Ohio. In this oral history, he discusses his career path and the significance of jazz in Akron’s history.Theron is also the co-founder and director of the Rubber City Jazz & Blues Festival which takes place annually in Akron, Ohio’s downtown historic district. Theron was casted as…