SHARE YOUR STORY OR YOUR FAMILY'S STORY FOR POSTERITY

Questions for AOI Project 160 Self-Interview

Help us preserve AOI’s history!

  1. Please answer as many of the following questions as possible in the medium of your choice (in writing, audio recording (MP3), or video recording (MP4).
  2. Include copies of any photos, memorabilia, or additional materials related to you or family’s history that you’d like to share.
  3. Submit the interview and materials in person at an AOI meeting, by mail for hardcopies or flash drives (AOI, 8900 Ellsworth Court, Silver Spring, MD 20910), or email ([email protected]) where large files may have to be transferred using WeTransfer.com (free service), DropBox or another file transfer application.

Childhood
  • What is your full name? Why did your parents pick that name?
  • Do you have brothers & sisters?
  • When and where were you born? How did your family come to live in DC?
  • What is your earliest memory?
  • Describe what your siblings were like. Who were you closest to?
  • Describe the house you grew up in. Describe your room.
  • Describe your neighborhood.
  • Where did you shop? How far away were these shops and how did you get there?
  • What were your duties around the house as a child? What were the other children's duties? How did duties break down by gender?
  • What did you do for fun when you were young? Did you have a favorite toy?
  • What chores did you have? Which chore was worst?
  • Did your family attend church? How did religion affect your family? What do you believe now?
  • Where did you go to school? What was it like?
  • Was there a graduation ceremony?
  • What were your favorite subjects in school and why?
  • Who were your favorite teachers and why?
  • Who were your friends and what did you do when you got together?
  • Did you have any hobbies?
  • Favorite stories? Favorite games or make-believe? Favorite toys?
  • What did you want to be when you grew up?
  • What were the different groups at your school? Which did you belong to? How do you think you were perceived by others?
  • Were you involved in any extracurricular activities? What were they?
  • What were your plans when you finished school? Education? Work?
  • Did you have jobs during your teenage years? Doing what?
  • At what age did you begin dating? What kinds of activities did you do on dates? Describe your first date.
  • What books did you read? What music did you listen to? What sports did you play? What crafts did you participate in
 
Relatives
  • Tell me a story about your mother/father that shows what kind of person they were.
  • What was your mother’s maiden name?
  • What type of work did your parents do?
  • Where is family buried in DC?
  • What did your grandparents look like?
  • Did your grandparents tell you any special stories?
  • Do you know anything about your great-grandparents?
  • Can you tell about any “black sheep” in the family?
  • Can you describe the personalities of your aunts and uncles?
  • Who was your favorite family member and why?
  • Did you or anyone close to you serve in a war? What do you remember of that experience?
  • Were there any special family foods or recipes? Do you still make any traditional family foods?
  • What activities did the family do together?
  • What did you do on Christmas? Thanksgiving? Birthdays? Other holidays?
  • Are there any family letters, photos, recipes, or other heirlooms that have been handed down to you?
  • Do you have any objects or photographs to share from your past? Do they have any documents, such as a birth certificate, marriage license, or old yearbook? Do you have a family tree?

Adulthood
  • Did you come to DC as an adult? If so, what brought you here?
  • Where did/do you live in DC as an adult?
  • What was your first job?
  • How did you choose your line of work?
  • Did you serve in the military?
  • Do you have a partner? How did you meet them?
  • Where did you go on dates?
  • How were you affected by large historical events (WWII, civil rights movement, 1960s counterculture)?
  • Did you participate in, or do you have any memories of any of the movements that came out of the 1950s, '60s, and '70s, such as the civil rights movement, the women's liberation movement, or the gay liberation movement?
  • What is the greatest challenge you have faced?
  • What has been the best day of your life so far?
  • Why live in DC?
  • What’s your favorite place in DC and why?
  • How has DC changed since you’ve lived here?
  • What were the biggest challenges living in DC growing up or as an adult and what are they now?

If you have any questions regarding submission or technical issues, please email us at: [email protected].