Linda Fuller Degelmann Oral History Interview: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

The oral history consists of six digital files: 2011.174.89.1a, 2011.174.89.1b, 2011.174.89.1c, 2011.174.89.1d, 2011.174.89.1e, and 2011.174.89.1f.

Linda Fuller Degelmann discusses her experiences at Koinonia Farm in Americus, Georgia. She and her former husband, Millard Fuller were inspired to start Habitat for Humanity. She describes her childhood in Birmingham, Alabama, and her memories of racial segregation from childhood through young adulthood when she became aware of the Freedom Rides and the Civil Rights Movement. She and Millard decided to move to Koinonia Farm in 1968, where they worked on cooperative industries, helped to establish a child development center, and built homes, which provided the seeds for Habitat for Humanity. She goes on to describe the growth of Habitat for Humanity in the United States and internationally, and she explains the religious principles of the organization as well as linking it to the Civil Rights Movement.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: May 28, 2013
• Created by: Civil Rights History Project, American, founded 2009
• Interview of: Linda Fuller Degelmann, American
• Interviewed by: Dr. Emilye Crosby Ph. D., American
• Subject of: Koinonia Farm, American, founded 1942
• Subject of: Millard Dean Fuller, American, 1935 - 2009
• Subject of: Habitat for Humanity, American, founded 1976
• Type: video recordings
• Type: oral histories
• Type: digital media - born digital
• Medium: digital
• Dimensions: Duration: 2 hr., 7 min., 51 sec.
• Dimensions: Total: 212.01 GB
• Place collected: Americus, Sumter County, Georgia, United States, North and Central America
• Place depicted: Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Activism
• Topic: Agriculture
• Topic: American South
• Topic: Associations and institutions
• Topic: Children
• Topic: Christianity
• Topic: Civil Rights
• Object number: 2011.174.89.1a-f
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in partnership with the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
• 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 & Culture and The American Folklife Center, Library of Congress Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.