Hoffman, Joseph, 1980
Scope and Contents
The Avery Institute of Afro-American History and Culture Oral History Project contains 44 oral history interviews arranged in three series based on the corresponding project or scope of the oral histories. The majority of the oral histories were conducted or coordinated by Avery Institute of Afro-American History and Culture members with the exception of Phase 2 of the Avery Normal Institute Oral History Project which was conducted by the Avery Research Center. Within each series, the oral histories are arranged alphabetically by last name. Greater details about the contents of each oral history can be found at the file level abstract of each interview. Each oral history, when available, includes a transcript and any supporting documentation like questions, notes, tape logs, and interview release forms. Transcripts do not currently exist for every interview and work to create them is ongoing.
Series I: Avery Normal Institute Oral History Project, 1980-1996 contains oral histories with former students, teachers, principals, and community members of the Avery Normal Institute discussing their attendance at the school including classes, teachers, extracurricular activities as well as perceptions of the school in the larger African American Charleston community and perceived reasons for why the school was closed. 12 of these oral histories are accessible on the Lowcountry Digital Library including the interviews with Ruby Cornwell, Julia Craft DeCosta, Marcellus Forrest, Dr. Joseph Hoffman, Felder Hutchinson, Anna D. Kelly, Louise Mouzon, Peter Poinsette, and both interviews with J. Michael Graves and Eugene C. Hunt.
Series II: Laing School oral histories, 1981 contains two oral histories with former students of the Laing School in which they discuss their time attending the school, their lives after graduation, and their impressions of the Avery Normal Institute.
Series III: Avery Institute of Afro-American History and Culture oral histories, 1983-1995 contains seven oral histories with members of the Avery Institute of Afro-American History and Culture discussing the founding of the organization and its grassroots efforts to acquire and preserve the Avery Normal Institute school buildings. There are also oral histories in this series with former students of the Avery Normal Institute and Immaculate Conception discussing their attendance at both institutions.
Dates
- Creation: 1980
Creator
- From the Collection: Avery Institute of Afro-American History and Culture (Organization)
Access Restrictions
There are no restrictions to this collection; however, a cassette player is required to listen to the audiocassette tapes. A cassette player will be made available to researchers in our reading room.
Full Extent
From the Collection: .834 linear feet (2 Hollinger boxes, 79 audiocassettes, and 27.7 gigabytes (audio and transcripts))
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Abstract
In this interview, Dr. Joseph Irvin Hoffman (1898-1988) discusses his life in Charleston, South Carolina, first as a boy educated at various Charleston schools and then as a professional doctor on Johns Island. He recalls his father’s career as a butcher, his family origins, and details the trade by including his own experiences. Hoffman describes other trades held by prominent Black people of Charleston, as well as the prevalence of white and Black doctors. He discusses his education at great length, first at a private school run by Miss Winslow, then St. Peter’s Catholic School, including his experiences with the nuns and religious influences, and then with his attendance at Burke School, where he mentions the activities of several teachers, including Miss Grimke of the “famous” Grimke family. Hoffman also details his school days at Avery Institute, including his social and academic experiences and the various Black and white teachers he encountered. Of note are several recollections of various speakers, including Thomas E. Miller, a Republican congressman during Reconstruction. Dr. Cox, principal of Avery at the time, is also mentioned with fondness; Hoffman gives descriptions of the programs Cox initiated that caused Avery to become “more like a college than a high school.” Also of note are the numerous political activities that Hoffman witnessed, noting that Black people were often discouraged from voting. He mentions his presence at Dr. King’s speech in 1963, the Hospital Workers’ Strike in Charleston in 1969, and his participation in several sit-ins. Throughout the interview, Hoffman shares his general feelings regarding his awareness of segregation and prejudices from the white community, as well as the effects of having light skin versus darker skin.
NOTE: The second portion of the sound recording (dated October 9, 1980) is significantly more difficult to understand than the first portion. The text of the October 9 interview was taken from a transcription created in 1980. As a result, there may be discrepancies between the audio material and the transcript.
The oral history is conducted by Eugene Hunt and Dr. Edmund Drago.
Repository Details
Part of the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture Repository
125 Bull Street
Charleston South Carolina 29424 United States
843-953-7608
averyresearchcenter@cofc.edu