Ibrahim Mumin Oral History Interview: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

An oral history interview and conversation with community organizer and activist Ibrahim Mumin. It consists of three versions of digital video recording, two camera card files (2025.12.16.1.1 and 2025.12.16.1.2, .mxf files) and one edited file (2025.12.16.1.3, .mov file).

Mr. Ibrahim Mumin was interviewed by College of William & Mary alumna Phoebe Linnell on April 3, 2024, as part of the Social Justice Conversations Oral History Project. The interview took place at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC. At the time of the interview, Mr. Mumin was 76 years old.

This oral history interview consists of two distinct sections: an “interview” section (part 1) and a “conversation” section (part 2. 01:12:08). In part 1, Mr. Ibrahim Mumin discusses his upbringing in Columbus, Georgia, recalling his family life, educational experiences, and his first job shining shoes. He also examines his early understandings of race and racial violence, sharing anecdotes about a cousin and, later, a classmate who were killed after dating white women. Mr. Mumin goes on to discuss his involvement with Civil Rights organizing in Columbus, including his arrest for trying to integrate the public library in his hometown when he was a member of the NAACP Youth Council. He then goes into his move to Washington, DC, to attend Howard University, and his student activism at Howard. He discusses the history of lynching and sexual violence experienced by Black women. Mr. Mumin also talks about his early experiences with the Nation of Islam and concludes part 1 by reflecting on what advice he would give his younger self. In part 2, Mr. Mumin is joined by his wife, Mrs. Carole Mumin, and they and Linnell discuss the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, DC. The Mumins recount how they came to the neighborhood in the early 1980s and discuss their early experiences there. They also discuss a play Mrs. Mumin wrote about the neighborhood, Where Eagles Fly, and their collaboration on the project. The Mumins talk about community economic development in Shaw, the work that is still to be done, and how their faith is central to their work. Linnell reflects on participation in the Social Justice Conversations Oral History Project and her goals for the future.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: April 3, 2024
• 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: Phoebe Linnell
• Interview of: Ibrahim Mumin, American, born 1947
• Subject of: Hopewell Baptist Church, American
• Subject of: W.C. Bradley Memorial Library, American, 1950 - 2005
• Subject of: NAACP Youth Council, American, founded 1936
• Type: video recordings
• Type: oral histories
• Type: digital media - born digital
• Medium: digital
• Dimensions: Duration (2025.12.16.1.3, edited): 2 hr., 20 min., 28 sec.
• Dimensions: File size: 215 GB
• Place filmed: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
• Place captured: Columbus, Muscogee County, Georgia, United States, North and Central America
• Place captured: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Activism
• Topic: Baptist
• Topic: Business
• Topic: Civil Rights
• Topic: Communities
• Topic: Economics
• Topic: Education
• Object number: 2025.12.16.1
• 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.