Interview with Barbara Hemmons

M. Rayah Levy

Barbara Hemmons

2019-04-22

Bethlehem Area Public Library

Barbara Hemmons shares that her family moved to Bethlehem in the 1970s because the Lehigh Valley area was recruiting Black professionals. Many left after five years and a few stayed. A few black businesses were around but did not last for very long. She speaks about how the church played an integral role in forming who they were as a community. She discusses that her husband was the first African American to pass the Bar exam in Pennsylvania.

CC BY-NC 4.0