Deborah Blalock, Interview by Marina López, 3 November, 2016
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- Title:
- Deborah Blalock, Interview by Marina López, 3 November, 2016
- Date:
- 2016
- Interviewer:
- López, Marina
- Interviewee:
- Blalock, Deborah
- Description:
- Deborah Blalock was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts in 1959. When she was two years old, her family moved to James Island. She was a student at Nativity School and Bishop England High School and graduated from the College of Charleston majoring in English. Also, she trained as a hand engraver, working at Litaker's and in her father's business, Shogry's Gold Showcase. Years later, she decided to pursue a new career and attended The Citadel earning a master's degree in counseling. She completed her practicum at New Directions, a program of the Charleston Dorchester Mental Health Center (CDMHC) and was offered employment immediately after. In 2004, she became the center director. In the interview, Blalock describes CDMHC's daily operations, the partnership with other community organizations, and how services have evolved over the years. She provides a detailed account of the response to the Sofa Super Store fire and the creation of the First Responders Support Team. Finally, she remembers the aftermath of the Mother Emanuel's tragic shooting and tells about the efforts to provide support to the families of the victims since then. At the time of the interview, the families were preparing for the trial of the killer, Dylann Roof.
- Collection Title:
- The Charleston Oral History Program
- Contributing Institution:
- The Citadel Archives & Museum
- Media Type:
- Oral Histories
- Series:
- Charleston Workers
- Personal or Corporate Subject:
- Emanuel AME Church (Charleston, S.C.)
South Carolina Department of Mental Health - Topical Subject:
- Race relations, Women executives, Leadership, and Community mental health services
- Geographic Subject:
- Charleston (S.C.)
- S.C. County:
- Charleston County (S.C.)
- Language:
- English
- Date Digital:
- 2016-11-03
- Digitization Specifications:
- Mp3 derivative audio created with Audacity software. Archival masters are wav files.
- Format:
- audio/mpeg
- Copyright Status Statement:
- Copyright © The Citadel Archives & Museum.
- Access Statement:
- All rights reserved.
- Access Information:
- For more information contact The Citadel Archives & Museum, Charleston, SC, 29409.
- Admin ID:
- 250063
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