Title: Oral history interview with Dorothy Royster Burwell, May 29, 1996
Description: At the time of this interview, Dorothy Royster Burwell was living in what was once Soudan, VA, on the North Carolina-Virginia border. In this interview, she describes her family history and the displacement of area residents by dam projects. Burwell's community was washed away in the early 1950s by a man-made lake which covered African Americans' homes, shops, cemeteries, and farms. Burwell remembers a vibrant community; today, it is hard to find on the map. This interview shows what a powerful force water is, even under controlled conditions, clearing families from their homes and erasing communities; it also reveals the power of a government that can demand its citizens vacate their homes. Burwell's memory of Soudan, VA, helps keep the community alive.
Subjects: Interviews, African American women, African Americans, Relocation, Land tenure, Social life and customs, Reservoirs
Places: Virginia, Soudan, Soudan (Va.), John H. Kerr Reservoir (Va. and N.C.)
People: Dorothy Royster Burwell (1931-)