Amos_Kent The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History Interview with Kent Amos
Overview of the Item Larry Crowe Matthew Hickey Video Oral History Interview with Kent Amos June 09, 2003 6 Betacam SP videocassettes, 1 half-Hollinger box containing (NUMBER) folders of accompanying materials. (ABSTRACT) A2003.126 The interviews and records are in English Biographical Note

Born May 21, 1944, Kent Amos was raised in northwest Washington, D.C., where he was a track star at Calvin Coolidge High School before graduating and serving the U.S. Army in Vietnam. After his tour of duty, he graduated from Delaware State University and was hired by Xerox Corporation.

At Xerox, Amos became one of the company's most successful salespersons and was instrumental in increasing the number of African Americans in its sales force. He was promoted many times, becoming the youngest corporate director in Xerox history. Although Amos and his family relocated to several cities across the United States, they were able to return to Washington, D.C., where Amos and his wife first became involved in caring for at-risk children; offering shelter, financial support, and a nurturing environment to local youth. Amos felt compelled to do even more, and in the 1980s he left corporate America to devote himself full-time to helping families take care of their children. In 1991, Amos founded the Urban Family Institute (UFI), a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating urban neighborhoods where every family has the resources they need to ensure that children grow up with the close guidance, discipline and nurturing of caring adults.

In 1994, Amos also founded Kids House, a program designed to provide a safe, academically supportive after-school program. Four years later, recognizing the unique opportunity of charter schools, Amos founded the Community Academy Public Charter School, where he has been principal and continues to serve as CEO. The Community Academy is recognized as one of the leading charter schools in Washington, D.C., and functions as a national model.

Amos has been featured on many local and national radio and television programs, including The Oprah Winfrey Show, and in newspapers, magazines and books. He speaks often on the issue of child-related public policy and has received numerous citations, awards and honors for his community service. In 2002, Amos was ordained a deacon, serving the congregation of Washington's Shiloh Baptist Church. He is also chairman of the Shiloh Community Development Corporation.

Amos and his wife, Carmen, live close to their extended family in Washington, D.C.

Biographical Note by The HistoryMakers®

 Scope and Contents

This life oral history interview with Kent Amos was conducted by Larry Crowe on 2003-06-09 in Residence of Kent Amos, Washington, D.C. and is recorded on 6 30-minute Betacam SP videocassettes. Access copies exist on Betacam SP, VHS, DVD and MPEG-1. The interview contains information on (COMPLETE ONE SENTENCE DESCRIPTION OF INTERVIEW). Accompanying materials in the collection include Kent Amos's correspondence with The HistoryMakers® related to the interview; a copy of the signed release form and the production report; the biographical information used by the interviewer to prepare for the interview (DETAILS); paper copies of the interview transcripts, 3 1/2" floppy disks with electronic copies of the transcripts; selected quotes for video clips; photocopies of photographs captured on video; XML files with metadata created in editing and cataloguing the interview for The HistoryMakers Digital Video Library; and paper copies of these XML files.

Accompanying Material

Accompanying materials: Accompanying materials are filed in (NUMBER) folders in a half-Hollinger box and shelved at The HistoryMakers® Archives and Collection Library by accession number, separately from the videos.

Index Terms

This record series is indexed under the following controlled access terms.

Contributors: Amos, Kent, 1944- Crowe, Larry Hickey, Matthew Persons: (PERSONS) Corporate Bodies: (CORPORATE BODIES) Family Names: Amos Places: (PLACES) Subjects: (SUBJECTS) Document Types: Video oral history interview Titles: The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History Interview with Kent Amos Restrictions on Access

Access to paper records is restricted. Other restrictions may be applied on a case-by-case basis.

 Restrictions on Use

All use of materials must be pre-approved by The HistoryMakers® and appropriate credit must be given. All use credits must be pre-approved by The HistoryMakers®. Copyright is held by The HistoryMakers®.

 Location of Originals

Betacam, VHS, DVD and MPEG-1 access copies are held for in-house use at The HistoryMakers®; Betacam SP, VHS and DVD playback hardware is provided for in-house viewing of the access copies; MPEG-1 copies are searchable and viewable via a digital video database.

Preferred Citation

The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History Interview with Kent Amos, June 09, 2003. The HistoryMakers® African American Video Oral History Collection, 1900 S. Michigan Avenue Chicago, Illinois.

 Detailed Description/Tape Listings Video Oral History Interview with Kent Amos, Tape 1, June 09, 2003, TRT: 00:30:57. Business and civic leader Kent Amos shares his maternal and paternal family history along with memories of his mother and father. He describes his childhood in Washington, D.C. during and after World War II with discussions of streetcars, segregated basement movie theaters, segregated professional sports teams and his childhood neighborhood. He also discusses his educational experiences. Finally, he discusses his ideas about religion and church. Video Oral History Interview with Kent Amos, Tape 2, June 09, 2003, TRT: 00:29:08. Business and civic leader Kent Amos describes his educational experience, what he was like as a student and the extracurricular activities in which he was involved. He also reflects on the popular dances and music when he was growing up as well as the emergence of television in the 1950s. He discusses growing up in the political environment in Washington, D.C. and how this affected his career aspirations. In addition, Amos discusses dropping out of college and entering into the United States Armed Forces, subsequently serving in the Vietnam War. Finally, he discusses the benefits of the military experience and the race relations he experienced while serving. Video Oral History Interview with Kent Amos, Tape 3, June 09, 2003, TRT: 00:31:37. Business and civic leader Kent Amos explains that he graduated from Delaware State University and, subsequently, returned to Vietnam. He also discusses his career with the Xerox Corporation, rising from an entry-level employee to a vice president in 1977. Furthermore, he describes his instrumental role in the formation of the Xerox Corporation's National Black Employees Association. Finally, he mentions receiving the NAACP Image Aware and the dangers of placing his son in a Washington, D.C. public school. Video Oral History Interview with Kent Amos, Tape 4, June 09, 2003, TRT: 00:28:54. Business and civic leader Kent Amos discusses the difficulties he faced in choosing a public school for his son in Washington, D.C. He also describes how he "affectionately adopted" eighty-seven youths to give them a better chance at life. He discusses the importance of values and his continued dependence on his faith. Additionally, he reflects on the influence of his parents and mentors on his life. Finally, Amos discusses some of the tragedies of his adopted children and, specifically, the need to reform the structures that contribute to social dysfunction. Video Oral History Interview with Kent Amos, Tape 5, June 09, 2003, TRT: 00:29:59. Business and civic leader Kent Amos discusses the power of people collectively organizing for social change. He explains the philosophies of value systems and diversity at his school, the Community Academy Public Charter Schools in Washington, D.C. He also shares his hopes and concerns for the black community and his legacy. Finally, Amos shares a multitude of personal photographs. Video Oral History Interview with Kent Amos, Tape 6, June 09, 2003, TRT: 00:21:15. Business and civic leader Kent Amos shares more of personal photographs.