Maj. Gen. Charles F. Bolden Oral History Interview
name: label: Collection Creator
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
setName: label: See more items in
content: The NMAAHC Collection Donor Oral History Project
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 2 Video recordings (born-digital video file, color, sound, 01:07:07:00)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 2016-07-20
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAAHC.2016.129, Series 1
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Video recordings
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: Major General Charles F. Bolden was interviewed as part of the NMAAHC Donor Oral History Collection. General Bolden donated some of his personal belongings, including uniforms, supplies, and photographs, to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. In this oral history interview, General Charles Bolden describes his childhood in Columbia, SC, where he grew up in an environment that was educationally and culturally stimulating, despite the strict legal segregation that existed. He discusses his early interest in science and how he became determined to attend the Naval Academy while still a teen. He describes how he overcame many obstacles that were the result of racial discrimination to achieve his dreams and eventually become a Major General, astronaut, and the Administrator of NASA (appointed by President Barack Obama).