Against the backdrop of the racial tension and rioting that enveloped Washington D.C. in 1968, the National Park Service (NPS) launched an innovative, community-based recreational program called Summer in the Parks (SITP). The program, created by coalition of NPS officials, local African American leaders, D.C. government officials, volunteer organizations, and public space experts, aimed to bring local residents into national parks and other locations across the city. SITP offered a variety of free, structured programming including concerts, children's enrichment programs, and recreational opportunities. From NPS' institutional perspective, SITP succeeded in correcting the organization's history of segregation while providing a diversion to mitigate violence. However, there was no effort during the era to document participants' perspectives, resulting in a one-dimensional historical account. As the 50th anniversary of SITP (1968-1976) approaches, this study focused on culturally documenting the participants' missing voices by gathering memories of their SITP experiences through in-depth, in-person interviews with metro D.C. area residents. Collected data underwent coding and analysis with findings reflecting themes of nostalgia, community and cultural identities, as well as institutional failures and the long-term effects of racism and segregation. This research and its collection of missing African American voices will further contribute to the important work of archiving oral histories of the African American Experience.