00:00:06.620 - 00:00:30.410

Today is Saturday, July 13th. We're at the station. My name is Daiki Tsumagari. I'm with the Humanities Truck. Do I have your permission to record this interview? Yes. Please introduce yourself. And what brought you out here today? My name is Inez Davis. I'm with the Washington section of the National Council of Negro Women. And I've been with them for over 70 years or more.

00:00:33.800 - 00:05:27.240

What does the statue mean to you? Oh, the statue means a great deal to me, because as a child growing up -- I'm a Washingtonian, and knew about Mary McLeod Bethune through school. And at our history time, most of our history days, we knew about all of our African American heroes and sheroes. And so, I guess about when I was about 19 years of age, I heard about. Well, my niece--my aunt was a board director for the National Council of Negro Women here in Washington, DC. And then we just, all of us as young people or young ladies, we attended the meetings, attended the black family reunions that we used to have years ago. And then through the years, they needed people to be presidents of sections. And I'm on the Washington section of the National Council of Negro Women, where I have served two years as a president and Dr. Height had asked me to come back to get the section back in order, and that's what we were doing. And through the years, we've just been doing all the activities that NCNW had for us, attending workshops, conventions and bringing other young people from around the area. And we also did community work. We had a basketball team. We enjoyed the young people, just like you saw the three young ladies today who gave the will for Dr. Bethune. We also did that -- having the young people know about Mary McLeod Bethune and Dr. Height. And through the years, we've just been helpful. One other thing, Dr. Height -- I used to work at the office at 633 Pennsylvania Avenue. In fact, a lot of people don't realize that there was an office up on northwest, and I used to go up there on 19th Street, and then they moved down to 633 Pennsylvania Avenue. And then I worked with the volunteers there at NCNW, and my sister and I and several other peoples of our section were summertime volunteers at NCNW. And through the years with the convention that we had and all, it was very helpful for us to know about Mary McLeod Bethune and Dorothy Height and others are just like Eleanor Holmes Norton and all those people I've grown up with around here in the District of Columbia. And right now I'm still working with NCNW. In fact, I was a chairman for the volunteers for this particular activity for in NCNW, and we had over 25 young people who came to work today as volunteers here at these facilities. And it was very nice. And that's about it. We talked a little bit about it, but what does the rechristening of the statue mean today? In 2024? Oh in 2024, it means that we have progressed a little. We've taken a little step at a time. But right now I think that with the number of persons that were even here today of color, of not of color, they understand why we recognize our heroes and sheroes. So that's and it was very inspiring today. So it was very nice. And the choir. You couldn't beat. It was very great, very great. And of course, the speeches and things that we had. And they flow the program just as they should have. And that was very good. It's hot, but still it's good. And I live just about three blocks from here on 16th in East Capitol. And see, this is at 13th and East Capitol. So but it's been a nice, nice, nice day.

00:05:29.640 - 00:06:46.950

Is there anything else? Is there anything else you would like to add? Oh that we continue to let our young people because right now, on May 8th of this year, I was 93 years of age, and 93 years of age and still working with the National Council of Negro Women, have my own business, a travel agency. And then having our young people -- we go to the various churches and schools to let them know or remind them about Mary McLeod Bethune, as well as Dr. Dorothy Irene Height, and bringing them into just like the Washington School for Girls, that the young people were there. We worked with our section Dr. Height. Well, we organized and she gave approval of the Washington School for Girls when I was in tenure. So that was very good. And we're glad that they are still keeping up because they were very they were terrific. If we can get more young people to know, there's always a good part. Bad part. You don't need you need to continue to work for success. That's it. That's great. Thank you. You're welcome. Okay. All right.