New Haven Oral History Project

“You tear down a building, you’ve got to put something in its place, and you want some involvement in citizens…”

Edwin Edmonds on Community Progress, Inc.

The Reverend Dr. Edwin Edmonds came to New Haven from Greensboro, North Carolina in 1959. He became the pastor at the United Church of Christ on Dixwell Avenue, and quickly became a leader in the community. When the Ford Foundation gave New Haven one million dollars to pilot some anti-poverty and job-training programs, Edmonds was appointed to the original board of the project, called Community Progress, Inc. Edmonds describes his initial optimism about CPI, and the mixed results the organization ultimately produced.

To find out more, visit The Life in the Model City Online Exhibit.

Interviewed by Sarah Hammond on February 16, 2004.

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Visit the "Life in the Model City" Exhibit Online

www.modelcity.org

In New Haven, Connecticut, from 1954 to 1969, some 25,000 people were relocated from their homes. Neighborhoods were transformed. One was totally eliminated. New Haven, residents were told, would be the “model city.” What was life like in the midst of such massive changes? How did neighborhoods and families react?

A major interviewing project and subsequent exhibition at the New Haven Colony Historical Society used oral history interviews with community residents to understand the lingering effects of urban renewal. This project was made possible by a grant from the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.

What is the New Haven Oral History Project?

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Preservation, Education, Community Building

The New Haven Oral History Project documents the oral history of New Haven, Connecticut. The NHOHP pursues three interrelated goals: preservation, education, and community building. Preservation involves building the New Haven Oral History Collection, a publicly-accessible archive of oral history about the city at the Yale University Library. We educate by teaching students to conduct the interviews, and bringing interviews into the classroom. Community building means putting our history to work in in public forums in our community, creating a common understanding of the past as the basis for a shared vision of the future.