Oral history interview with Dr. Randy Palmer 

General

Associated documentation, including partial transcripts, for this interview is available in the Anacostia Community Museum Archives.  The textual transcripts are not verbatim of the audio recordings.

Title created by ACMA staff using text written on sound cassette, contents of audio recording, textual transcript, and/or associated archival documentation.

Names

Catholic University of America

Howard University

Marquette University

Palmer, Ransford W.

Collection Creator

Smithsonian Institution. Anacostia Community Museum

Place

Jamaica

West Indies

Washington (D.C.)

United States

Topic

Caribbeans

Caribbean Americans

Teachers

Economists

Schools

Education

Discipline

Manners and customs

Social history

Emigration and immigration

Economics

Economy

International economic relations

Racism

Interviews

Culture

Jamaicans

See more items in

Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity among Black Immigrants in Washington, D. C. Exhibition Records

Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity among Black Immigrants in Washington, D. C. Exhibition Records / Series 2: Research Files / Oral History Interviews

Sponsor

Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).

Extent

3 Digital files

2 Sound cassettes

Date

1992 October 28

Archival Repository

Anacostia Community Museum Archives

Type

Archival materials

Digital files

Sound cassettes

Citation

Black Mosaic: Community, Race, and Ethnicity among Black Immigrants in Washington, D. C. exhibition records, Anacostia Community Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Collection Rights

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Note

The total playing time of interview recording is approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Scope and Contents

Dr. Randy Palmer, also known as Ransford W. Palmer, spoke about his school and education in Jamaica, his athletic participation in high school, his parents and siblings, the disciplinarian in his family, the role of religion in his life, family heirlooms and memories, and his mentors and teachers when growing up in Jamaica.  He explained the name "Palmer" means traveler.  Palmer described his childhood, including fishing and playing cricket, in the village he grew up in Jamaica.  He talked about the holidays and traditions celebrated by his family; gift giving and receiving; the historical and political circumstances he remembers growing up in Jamaica, including shortages during the war and political campaigns; and his civil service work.    Palmer spoke about his decision to leave Jamaica; preparation for the trip, including last moments in Jamaica and mementos he bought with him to the United States; migration to the US by plane from Kingston to Miami to Chicago to Milwaukee to attend Marquette University; first impressions of and experiences in the US; and his path to US citizenship. He described his experience as an undergraduate, graduate, and PhD student at Marquette University and Clark University, including his jobs, financial circumstances, and student parties which included Caribbean music and food dishes.   Palmer spoke about teaching and living in Finger Lakes region of New York, central Connecticut, and Washington, DC, including Catholic University and Howard University; and the differences between Catholic University and Howard University as a professor. He detailed the books he wrote on the Jamaican economy, economic relationship between Caribbean and the US, economic issues in the Caribbean, and the movement of Caribbean peoples to North America and Europe. He explained Jamaican and Caribbean impact on economy and communities in the Washington, DC area; and the importance of being politically active. Palmer also spoke about maintaining Jamaican culture and heritage, particularly music and food, in the US; how often visited Jamaica and how he kept up with things happening in Jamaica; encountering racism and how he dealt with it; his work as president of the Caribbean Studies Association; and his wife and children. Interview is in English.  Digital audio files include white noise and static; interviewee's voice is intelligible for the most part.

Collection Restrictions

Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.