Interview with William Seraile, March 3, 2023

Interview Summary

Seraile learned about the Peace Corps while visiting the Seattle World’s Fair. During his pre-service training at UCLA, he studied Amharic, the local language where he was posted. He served in Ethiopia as a secondary European History and Geography teacher in Mekelle in the Tigray region using instructional materials and their curriculum from the UK. As a secondary project, he sorted and categorized books housed in the Ministry of Education office. Seraile’s leisure time was spent hiking in many part of Ethiopia or visiting fellow PCV’s there. Among his accomplishments are creating an awareness of issues in the US, especially civil rights, and of problems faced by democracies. As a result of his service, Seraile became independent and self-sufficient, able to make decisions for himself. His professional work evolved directly from his Peace Corps experiences as he studied African History after his service, and, then, became one fo the first teachers of African American Studies in the US.

Interview Keyword

Seattle World's Fair Amharic Ethiopia European History Geography Mekelle Tigray Ministry of Education Hiking Civil Rights African Studies African American Studies Professor

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