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Series 2: Interviews (continued)
William M. Lawrence oral history interview conducted by David P. Cline in Roanoke, Virginia, August 16, 2013 (continued)
William M. Lawrence oral history interview conducted by David P. Cline in Roanoke, Virginia, August 16, 2013 (continued)
This interview is currently restricted.
Biographical History: William Lawrence was a long-time employee of the Norfolk and Western Railroad in Roanoke, Virginia.
Summary: William Lawrence describes his long career with the Norfolk and Western Railroad in Roanoke, Virginia. Lawrence was born in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1922 but grew up in Roanoke and worked for the railroad most of his adult life. He discusses conditions of labor, race relations at the workplace, and his experience working as a foreman.
Moving Images
4 video files of 4 (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (45 min.) : digital, sound, color
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0101_mv01-04
Manuscripts
1 transcript (33 pages)
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0101_Lawrence_transcript
Oliver W. Hill, Jr., oral history interview conducted by David P. Cline in Petersburg, Virginia, August 17, 2013
Digital content available
Biographical History: Oliver W. Hill, Jr., was the soon of civil rights attorney Oliver W. Hill, Sr. He integrated the Richmond, Virginia, public schools as a child and became a professor of psychology.
Summary: Oliver W. Hill, Jr., discusses his father, civil rights lawyer Oliver Hill. He explains his father's childhood and education in Roanoke, Virginia, how he ended up at Howard University in the 1920s, where he was in the same class as Thurgood Marshall and studied law under Charles Hamilton Houston. In the 1930s Hill reunited with both of them to work for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, which was focused on challenging segregation laws. Hill describes his own experience as a black student integrating a white school in Richmond, Virginia, attending Howard University, becoming a psychology professor at Virginia State University, and working with Bob Moses on the Algebra Project. He also discusses the education of African American children, school reform, and student testing.
Moving Images
5 video files of 5 (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (73 min.) : digital, sound, color
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0102_mv01-05
Manuscripts
1 transcript (37 pages)
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0102_Hill_transcript
John Carlos oral history interview conducted by David P. Cline in New York, New York, August 18, 2013
Digital content available
Biographical History: John Carlos was a member of the American Olympic track team and was the Bronze Medalist at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico, where he protested racism around the world. He later played football in the NFL, and worked as a counselor and track and field coach.
Summary: John Carlos discusses his childhood in Harlem, New York, the changes that he saw in Harlem with the widespread use of heroin and the splintering of families, and describes the disparities in education for black children when he was growing up. He remembers the influence of black leaders including Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Carlos was recruited to run track at East Texas State University, where he experienced racial discrimination and was treated poorly by his coach. He explains his protest at the 1968 Olympics, including the symbols that he and Tommy Smith employed to protest racial discrimination, and he describes the emotional impact that the protest had on him.
Moving Images
9 video files of 9 (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (127 min.) : digital, sound, color
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0103_mv01-09
Manuscripts
1 transcript (68 pages)
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0103_Carlos_transcript
Ekwueme Michael Thelwell oral history interview conducted by Emilye Crosby in Pelham, Massachusetts, August 23, 2013
Digital content available
Biographical History: Dr. Ekwueme Michael Thelwell is a scholar, activist, writer, and administrator at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He served as a staff member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and worked as a civil rights activist in the deep South and in Washington, D.C.
Summary: Ekwueme Michael Thelwell remembers his time as a student activist at Howard University and his experiences with the Nonviolent Action Group (NAG), the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP). Working primarily out of Washington, D.C., Thelwell marched in and organized demonstrations and made major contributions to SNCC and MFDP strategy around voter registration and the MFDP's 1965 effort to challenge the seating of the Mississippi congressional delegation. He details the developing MFDP strategy, his attempts to navigate Washington politics, and his relationships with various figures involved in the effort.
Moving Images
24 video files of 24 (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (255 min.) : digital, sound, color
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0104_mv01-24
Manuscripts
1 transcript (116 pages)
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0104_Thelwell_transcript
Virginia Simms George oral history interview conducted by Emilye Crosby in Northborough, Massachusetts, August 24, 2013
Digital content available
Biographical History: Virginia Simms George was a civil rights activist in Richmond, Virginia, and later a human resource professional, teacher, counselor in Massachusetts.
Summary: Virginia Simms George remembers growing up in segregated Newport News, Virginia, attending Virginia Union University, and her desire to become a lawyer. She recalls participating in a protest at Thalhimers department store in Richmond, Virginia. She discusses her work as a teacher, counselor, and volunteering for many organizations. She also discusses the commemoration of the protests in Richmond, and her thoughts on racism and other civil rights issues today.
Moving Images
6 video files of 6 (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (73 min.) : digital, sound, color
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0105_mv01-06
Manuscripts
1 transcript (43 pages)
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0105_George_transcript
Robert J. Brown oral history interview conducted by David P. Cline in High Point, North Carolina, October 1, 2013
Digital content available
Biographical History: Robert J. Brown was a police officer and founder of B & C Associates, Inc., a public relations firm.
Summary: Robert Brown describes his childhood in High Point, North Carolina, the poverty and segregation that defined his childhood, and how his grandmother influenced him by telling stories about his family's history during slavery. Brown became one of the first black policemen in High Point and later transitioned to a position as a federal agent in New York. He returned to North Carolina in 1960 to start a public relations firm, B & C Associates, Inc., which advised companies about how to change policies on race and segregation. Brown also shares stories about serving as a special assistant to President Richard Nixon and his role in bringing attention to apartheid in South Africa through his relationship with Nelson Mandela and his family.
Moving Images
11 video files of 11 (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (130 min.) : digital, sound, color
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0106_mv01-11
Manuscripts
1 transcript (59 pages)
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0106_Brown_transcript
Harry Blake oral history interview conducted by David P. Cline in Shreveport, Louisiana, October 3, 2013
Digital content available
Biographical History: The Reverend Harry Blake is the pastor of Mt. Canaan Baptist Church in Shreveport, Louisiana. He served as the first field secretary of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and as president of the Louisiana Baptist State Convention and General Secretary of the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.
Summary: The Reverend Doctor Harry Blake discusses his childhood on a plantation in Louisiana in the 1930s and 1940s and how he became a leader in the Civil Rights Movement in Shreveport, Louisiana. Blake joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1960 after he heard Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., give a speech at Bishop College in Texas, where he was a student. Blake discusses his pastorate at Mount Canaan Baptist Church in Shreveport, how he came to develop a good relationship with local politicians, and the work he continues to do within the context of the civil rights struggle.
Moving Images
4 video files of 4 (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (70 min.) : digital, sound, color
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0107_mv01-04
Manuscripts
1 transcript (28 pages)
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0107_Blake_transcript
Abernathy family oral history interview conducted by Hasan Kwame Jeffries in Atlanta, Georgia, and Stuttgart, Germany, October 10, 2013
Digital content available
Biographical History: Donzaleigh Abernathy is an actress, producer, director, and writer in Los Angeles, California.
Biographical History: Juandalynn R. Abernathy is an opera, concert, and African-American spirituals singer.
Biographical History: Ralph David Abernathy, III, is a social justice activist, and a former Georgia State Senator and member of the State House of Representatives.
Summary: Donzaleigh Abernathy, Juandalynn Abernathy, and Ralph Abernathy, III, recall their father, Ralph David Abernathy and their own experiences as children in the Civil Rights Movement. The Abernathy children spent much of their childhoods with the children of Martin Luther King, Jr. Unlike the King children, the Abernathy siblings actively participated in direct action, including the Poor People's Campaign. All three children felt palpably the fear of violence in their everyday lives. This interview offers an intimate portrait of the home of a civil rights icon and of the intense friendship between Abernathy and King.
Moving Images
10 video files of 10 (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (118 min.) : digital, sound, color
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0108_mv01-10
Manuscripts
1 transcript (65 pages)
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0108_Abernathy_transcript
Wyatt Tee Walker oral history interview conducted by David P. Cline in Richmond, Virginia, July 9, 2014
Digital content available
Biographical History: Wyatt Tee Walker, African American pastor, national civil rights leader, theologian, and cultural historian. He was educated at Virginia Union University, B.S. in chemistry and physics and the Virginia Union Graduate School of Theology. He was a chief of staff for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and in 1958 became an early board member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). He helped found a Congress for Racial Equality (CORE) chapter in 1958. As executive director of the SCLC from 1960 to 1964, Walker helped to bring the group to national prominence.
Biographical History: Theresa Ann Walker was a civil rights worker and Freedom Rider.
Summary: Dr. Walker reflects on his involvement in the freedom movement, especially his work as Martin Luther King's chief of staff and as the Executive Director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) from 1960-1964. He recalls helping to organize the Children's Crusade in Birmingham, Alabama, and supporting Dr. King in transcribing and publishing "Letter from a Birmingham Jail." He also remembers preaching in Petersburg, Virginia, and Harlem, New York, and becoming involved in several later movements, including anti-apartheid and pro-charter schools activism. Towards the end of the interview, his wife, Theresa Ann Walker, joins him on camera to talk briefly about her experiences in the movement.
Moving Images
7 video files (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (01:13:19) : digital, sound, color
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0109_mv01-07
Manuscripts
1 transcript (.pdf) : text file
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0109_ms01
Ellie Dahmer oral history interview conducted by Emilye Crosby in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, November 30, 2015
Digital content available
Biographical History: Ellie Jewel Davis, born in Rose Hill, Mississippi, attended Alcorn State University and Tennessee A&I, and worked as a teacher throughout Mississippi. She married Vernon Ferdinand Dahmer, Sr. (1908-1966) in March of 1952. Vernon Dahmer was a leader in the Civil Rights Movement and president of the Forrest County chapter of the NAACP in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. On January 10, 1966, the Dahmer home was firebombed by the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. Though Ellie escaped with the children, Vernon died from resulting injuries.
Summary: Ellie Dahmer discusses her involvement in the NAACP and voting rights activism in Forrest County, Mississippi. She recalls her experiences in education, both as a student at local schools, Alcorn State University, and Tennessee A&I, and as a teacher in schools throughout Mississippi. Her career as a Forrest County election commissioner is also discussed. She speaks about her husband, fellow activist Vernon Dahmer, and remembers the night when Klu Klux Klan members burned her home, killing her husband and injuring her children.
Moving Images
7 video files (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (1:22:32) : digital, sound, color
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0110_mv01-07
Manuscripts
1 transcript (.pdf) : text file
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0110_ms01
Peggy Jean Connor oral history interview conducted by Emilye Crosby in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, November 30, 2015
Digital content available
Biographical History: Peggy Jean Connor is a strong movement activist, whose early involvement in voter registration included two important lawsuits. She was very active in Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) and Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP).
Summary: Peggy Jean Connor discusses her role in the Civil Rights Movement in southern Mississippi. She focuses particularly on voter registration, Freedom Day, being a Democratic National Convention delegate, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Council of Federated Organizations (COFO), her arrest, organizing the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP), and the Connor v. Johnson lawsuit.
Moving Images
7 video files (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (1:21:14) : digital, sound, color
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0111_mv01-07
Manuscripts
1 transcript (.pdf) : text file
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0111_ms01
Raylawni G. Branch and Jeanette Smith oral history interview conducted by Emilye Crosby in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, December 1, 2015
Digital content available
Biographical History: Jeanette Smith, Mississippi Civil Rights worker, worked with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO).
Biographical History: Raylawni G. Branch, Mississippi pioneer of the Civil Rights Movement, a professional nursing educator and US Air Force Reserve officer. She is best known for her leading role in the integration of the University of Southern Mississippi (Hattiesburg) in 1965.
Summary: Raylawni G. Branch and Jeanette Smith discuss their involvement in the Hattiesburg, Mississippi-based Civil Rights Movement. They remember their upbringings as mixed race children, Smith in Mississippi and Branch in Mississippi and Chicago, Illinois. Branch recalls entering as one of the first black students at the University of Southern Mississippi. Both speak about their activism for voting rights and education, as well as sharing their philosophies on issues of race, discrimination, and activism.
Moving Images
6 video files (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (2:36:43) : digital, sound, color
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0112_mv01-06
Manuscripts
1 transcript (.pdf) : text file
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0112_ms01
Clarence Magee oral history interview conducted by Emilye Crosby in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, December 1, 2015
Digital content available
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