Oral History

Dorsey Emmett Nunn Interview

Themes:
Subjects:
Dorsey Emmett Nunn, Donna Dean, Kill the Beef, All of Us or None, Formerly Incarcerated and Convicted Peoples, Nate Harrington, Free At Last, Pastor Andre Harris, Gertrude Wilks, Vickie Smothers, Eric Walker, Mr. Brooks, David Lewis
Date of Creation or Publication:
9/8/2025
Creator
Meda Okelo
Donor
Dorsey Emmett Nunn
Language
English
Copyright Statement:
Interview of Dorsey Emmett Nunn by Meda Okelo. Topics include: moving with his family to East Menlo Park about 1955; remembering people, places and events from childhood; moving to EPA; how he felt about his schooling; racism encountered; comparing EPA and East Menlo Park; feelings about incorporation; learning to read in prison, helped by Nate Harrington; attending Ravenswood High School; being arrested when he was 19; drug selling in the neighborhood; getting in trouble with the police; writing a book to inspire prisoners to change their lives, and the book’s effects on public policy; founding, with others, Free at Last, All of Us or None, and Formerly Incarcerated and Convicted Peoples; notable people including David Lewis, Vickie Smothers, Eric Walker and Andre Harris; community organizing in various places; why he wrote the book; the impact of EPA and East Menlo Park on his life; returning to EPA in 1981; his vision of the community in 2075; and other topics.

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