Robert Kemp was raised in Potomac Gardens.  He, his mother, his two sisters and one brother moved into the complex shortly after it opened 1967.  He was in elementary school at the time.  His mother Ruth, still lives in the Gardens.  He moved out after graduating from high school.   Below are clips from the interview we conducted of him in 2013.

Father’s Background

In this segment, Robert talks about losing his father and his father’s background.

 

Life Before Potomac Gardens

In this segment, Robert compares Potomac Gardens with the place his family lived before.

 

1967 – Potomac Gardens Opens

In this segment, Robert talks about what the complex was like physically, when he and his family first moved in, in 1967.

 

Life as a Kid in Public Housing

In this segment, Robert talks about the games he and his friends played as a children in Potomac Gardens.

 

Sports and Recreation

In this segment, Robert talks about what kind of recreational activities were available when he was young and his early involvement in sports.

 

The “Riots”

In this segment, Robert talks about his experience of the aftermath of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1968.

 

Segregation

In this segment, Robert talks about his friends growing up, the racial make-up of the neighborhood and how schools were segregated in Washington, D.C. in the 1960s and ’70s.

 

Junior High

In this segment, Robert talks about junior high where he discovered, girls, marijuana and popularity.

 

From Eliot Junior High to Randall Junior High

In this segment, Robert talks about getting into trouble at Eliot Junior High and being transferred to Randall.

 

High School

In this segment, Robert talks about his drug use in high school and how he kept it from getting in the way of his grades or his popularity.

 

Crime

In this segment, Robert talks about crime in and around Potomac Gardens in the 1970s.

 

Choices

In this segment, Robert talks about the importance of money and maintaining an image.

 

Aspirations

Robert was president of his high school class and aspired to become a lawyer.  In this segment, he talks about his hopes, his dreams and his double life.