Esther Lazarus interview – Maryland Center for History and Culture

Esther Lazarus interview

Description

Esther Lazarus (1900-1980) was a social worker and the Director of the Baltimore Department of Welfare in Maryland, from 1953 until 1969. In this oral history interview, Lazarus discusses her career trajectory from its beginnings until her retirement. While speaking on her time as director, she explores her cooperation and conflict with Maryland politicians, particularly Theodore McKeldin. Lazarus also discusses the involvement of white people generally with the contemporary civil rights movement, and her personal life in Baltimore as a Jewish woman.

Creator

Lazarus, Esther, 1900-1980

Date

1976-06-17

View: PDF of transcript

Contributor(s)

Paul, Ellen

Contributor(s) Notes

Narrator: Esther Lazarus
Interviewer: Ellen Paul

Production Note

The McKeldin-Jackson Project was an effort to examine the Maryland civil rights movement of the mid-20th century through the medium of oral history by focusing on the roles played by pioneering freedom fighter Lillie May Carroll Jackson and Theodore R. McKeldin, who was Mayor of Baltimore (1943-1947, 1963-1967), Governor of Maryland (1951-1959), and an advocate for civil rights. The project was sponsored by the Maryland Historical Society and was supported in part by a grant from the Maryland Committee for the Humanities and Public Policy.

Language(s)

English

Object ID

OH 8123

Extent

Audio: 49 minutes
Transcript: 19 pages

Catalog Number

OH 8123

Resource ID

10450

Digital Publisher

Digital resource provided by the Maryland Center for History and Culture

Rights

This digital material is made available here for private study, scholarship, and research. Commercial and other uses are prohibited without the permission of the Maryland Center for History and Culture. For more information, visit the MCHC’s Reproductions and Permissions web page.