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Series 2: Interviews (continued)
D'Army Bailey oral history interview conducted by David P. Cline in Memphis, Tennessee, August 13, 2013
Digital content available
Biographical History: D'Army Bailey was a civil rights activist, lawyer, judge, actor and member of the Berkeley, California, city council. He helped found the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee.
Summary: D'Army Bailey describes growing up in Memphis, Tennessee, the influence of the Crump political machine in city politics, and his involvement with the Memphis NAACP at an early age. He talks about his participation in the civil rights activism as a student at Southern University, for which he was ultimately expelled. Bailey describes his move to Clark University in Massachusetts, where he became involved in the Northern Student Movement. After discussing his time spent at Boston University Law School, Bailey talks about a series of jobs he had related to civil rights and legal services, including serving as the director of the Law Students Civil Rights Research Council (LSCRRC). Bailey also describes his career in California as a Berkeley City Councilman, his recall from that post, and his subsequent move back to his hometown of Memphis, where he has served as a lawyer, judge, and founder of the National Civil Rights Museum.
Moving Images
14 video files of 14 (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (191 min.) : digital, sound, color
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0098_mv01-14
Manuscripts
1 transcript (93 pages)
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0098_Bailey_transcript
Kay Tillow oral history interview conducted by David P. Cline in Louisville, Kentucky, August 14, 2013
Digital content available
Biographical History: Kay Tillow was a civil rights activist with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and a labor leader of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
Summary: Kay Tillow describes learning about the Civil Rights Movement as a student at the University of Illinois, where she got involved with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). She remembers attending the trials of Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) workers in Cairo, Illinois, and traveling to Ghana in 1962. When she returned to the United States in 1963 she participated in sit-ins in Atlanta, Georgia, and demonstrations in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. She discusses her work with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1199, a hospital workers' union, and organizing victories in Pennsylvania. Tillow also discusses her role in the Coalition of Labor Union Women and her current work on health care reform.
Moving Images
5 video files of 5 (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (73 min.) : digital, sound, color
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0099_mv01-05
Manuscripts
1 transcript (32 pages)
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0099_TillowKay_transcript
John and Jean Rosenberg oral history interview conducted by David P. Cline in Prestonburg, Kentucky, August 15, 2013
Digital content available
Biographical History: John Rosenberg was an attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. He was a prosecutor on the trials for the murders of James Chaney, Michael Schwerner, and Andrew Goodman in Mississippi. He is the founder of AppalReD (Appalachian Research and Defense Fund) in Kentucky.
Biographical History: Jean Rosenberg was a research analyst for the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division and the wife of lawyer John Rosenberg.
Summary: Jean and John Rosenberg begin this interview with recollections of their families' backgrounds. Jean learned about social issues as she was raised by a Quaker family in Pennsylvania, and John's family fled Germany under threat from the Nazis. Jean attended Wilmington College and became a research analyst for the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division. John grew up in Gastonia, North Carolina, where FBI agents kept tabs on his family, attended Duke University, served in the Air Force, and attended the University of North Carolina School of Law. He became an attorney with the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division, which became effective after reorganization by John Doar. Much of this interview concerns Jean and John's work with the Civil Rights Division, including support for voter registration efforts in Georgia and Alabama, the investigation of the Hartman Turnbow case, in which a black activist was arrested for an arson attempt on his own home, and an effort to address a murder in Mississippi. John also addresses the effects of the Voting Rights Act in the South, the role of the lawyers in the Civil Rights Division in relation to the FBI and local law enforcement, and a variety of other cases and issues he dealt with. After retirement, the Rosenbergs founded the Appalachian Citizens Law Center.
Moving Images
10 video files of 10 (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (157 min.) : digital, sound, color
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0100_mv01-10
Manuscripts
1 transcript (70 pages)
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0100_Rosenbergs_transcript
William M. Lawrence oral history interview conducted by David P. Cline in Roanoke, Virginia, August 16, 2013
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
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