Linda Fuller Degelmann Oral History Interview

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

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.

Explore Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture ↗