'Spirit of Oberlin'
Memory. Enduring memory is a "social acquisition," writes the Ghanaian scholar Aye Kwei Armah in his memoir, The Eloquence of the Scribes. Social acquisition means going to get knowledge, information, perspective from those who came before you. That was the aim for the Voices of Oberlin project, to go and get knowledge that was passed down about the historic Oberlin Village neighborhood in Raleigh, N.C. And now, in an extension of the project, the short film Spirit of Oberlin adds to the acquisition of memory by featuring one of the remaining Oberlin elders, Mable Scarver Patterson.
In the film, Patterson infers that Oberlin can never be what it was, but with memory, enduring memory, it can live on. She asserts we can revive that spirit: "It's like we [are] waking Oberlin back up."
This project was part of the Oberlin Unveiled event in Raleigh on Saturday, September 20, 2025, sponsored by the Friends of Oberlin Village and the Office of Raleigh Arts.
Interview: Michael S. Williams Video: Filmed and edited by Julia Wall
Listen to the Voices of Oberlin oral history project here to learn more.
