Daphne Muse Oral History Interview: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

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. During her time at the bookstore, she recounts a small riot that occurred nearby in response to police beating a pregnant woman and Muse’s traumatic experience of being tear-gassed and her subsequent miscarriage. She conveys how she was impacted by the murders of SNCC members Ralph Featherstone and William “Che” Payne in and discusses FBI surveillance. Muse also recalls her journey to California and her involvement with the Angela Davis trial. In part 2, Riddick and Muse discuss letter writing, and Muse describes the correspondence in her archive. Riddick and Muse reflect on social justice, liberation, the term “white supremacy,” and attempts to censor Black history. Muse discusses the prison movement (including correspondence with the San Quentin Six, the Soledad Brothers, and Ruchell Magee), the challenges of mothering while being involved in activist work, and her time as a professor. Finally, Muse shares her advice for younger generations, how her perspective on social justice has shifted, and Riddick reflects on the younger generations of today.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: November 14, 2023
• Created by: National Museum of African American History and Culture, American, founded 2003
• Recorded by: Trudy Hutcherson, American
• Recorded by: Candace Dane Chambers, American
• Interviewed by: Natalie Riddick
• Interview of: Daphne Muse, American, 1944 - 2026
• Subject of: McKinley Technology High School, American, born 1926
• Subject of: Fisk University, American, founded 1866
• Subject of: Arnaud Wendell Bontemps, American, 1902 - 1973
• Type: video recordings
• Type: oral histories
• Type: digital media - born digital
• Medium: digital
• Dimensions: Duration (2025.12.9.1.3, edited): 1 hr., 59 min., 5 sec.
• Dimensions: File size: 180 GB
• Place filmed: Brentwood, Contra Costa County, California, United States, North and Central America
• Place captured: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
• Place captured: Bel Air, Harford County, Maryland, United States, North and Central America
• Place captured: Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, United States, North and Central America
• Place captured: San Rafael, Marin County, California, United States, North and Central America
• Place captured: Berkeley, Alameda County, California, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Activism
• Topic: Civil Rights
• Topic: Communities
• Topic: Correspondence
• Topic: Education
• Topic: HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities)
• Topic: Health
• Object number: 2025.12.9.1
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: © Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.