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Series 2: Interviews (continued)
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
Biographical History: Clarence Magee, born in 1932 in Columbia, Mississippi, was the oldest of ten children and was raised working on his parents' farm. He studied biology at Alcorn A&M graduating in 1954, and attended graduate school at Harvard. He served in the U.S. Army for two years and was stationed in Germany. After leaving the service he taught in several schools in Hattiesburg. He cofounded the Hattiesburg Association for Civic Improvement and was active in helping schools formulate desegregation plans. He was also involved in NAACP and in training for the Freedom Summer. He later worked for the Southern Mississippi Planning and Development Commission and the federal Department of Agriculture, Food, and Consumer Service office in Mobile, Alabama.
Summary: Clarence Magee discusses the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi. He recalls growing up in Marion County, Mississippi, where he was pushed by his family to pursue an education. He remembers becoming involved with the Hattiesburg branch of the NAACP after he was barred from registering to vote in 1956, then working in sensitivity training for Freedom Summer volunteers. He also discusses teaching in schools, working for the federal government, and co-founding the Hattiesburg Association for Civic Improvement.
Moving Images
6 video files (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (1:50:33) : digital, sound, color
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0113_mv01-06
Manuscripts
1 transcript (.pdf) : text file
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0113_ms01
Vernon Dahmer, Jr. oral history interview conducted by Emilye Crosby in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, December 1, 2015
Digital content available
Biographical History: Vernon Dahmer, Jr. was born in 1929 in Kelly Settlement, Mississippi. The son of civil rights activist Vernon F. Dahmer, he joined the military in 1951, and after retiring from the Air Force, now resides in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
Summary: Vernon Dahmer, Jr., remembers growing up near Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and discusses his experiences relating to segregation and race, as a child and in the military. He also recalls the night his family's home in Hattiesburg was firebombed, killing his father, Vernon Dahmer, Sr., and his subsequent involvement in the trials of the Ku Klux Klan members who staged the bombing.
Moving Images
12 video files (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (1:51:31) : digital, sound, color
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0114_mv01-12
Manuscripts
1 transcript (.pdf) : text file
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0114_ms01
Eddie Holloway oral history interview conducted by Emilye Crosby in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, December 2, 2015
Digital content available
Biographical History: Eddie Holloway was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi in 1952. While he grew up in Hattiesburg, he also spent summers with family in Bessemer, Alabama. He enrolled at the University of Southern Mississippi in 1970. After graduating, he was employed at William Carey University and also worked in alcohol and drug treatment facilities. He eventually returned to work at USM for 40 years before he retired. In that time, he was the first African American to serve as Dean of Students, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs.
Summary: Eddie Holloway discusses growing up in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, as well as his involvement in Freedom Schools and other civil rights causes. He remembers his experiences as a child in a segregated society and school system, attending University of Southern Mississippi during its transition from a segregated to an integrated school, and his observations of the current educational environment as Dean of Students at USM.
Moving Images
9 video files (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (2:13:09) : digital, sound, color
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0115_mv01-09
Manuscripts
1 transcript (.pdf) : text file
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0115_ms01
Glenda Funchess oral history interview conducted by Emilye Crosby in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, December 2, 2015
Digital content available
Biographical History: Glenda Funchess, born in 1954 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, was one of the first African American children to attend the previously segregated, predominately white schools in Hattiesburg. She attended the participated in Freedom Summer and attended Freedom School at Mt. Zion Baptist Church. She currently practices law in Hattiesburg and teaches at the University of Southern Mississippi.
Summary: Glenda Funchess speaks about her childhood in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. She remembers her experiences as one of the first children to desegregate Hattiesburg schools, as well as her involvement in Freedom Summer and at the Mount Zion Church Freedom School. She also discusses the relationship between churches and the Civil Rights Movement, and current civil rights activism and historical preservation.
Moving Images
6 video files (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (1:23:57) : digital, sound, color
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0116_mv01-06
Manuscripts
1 transcript (.pdf) : text file
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0116_ms01
Nathaniel Hawthorne Jones oral history interview conducted by Emilye Crosby in Claiborne County, Mississippi, December 3, 2015
Digital content available
Biographical History: Nathaniel Hawthorne Jones was born in Claiborne County, Mississippi in 1914.
Summary: Nathaniel Hawthorne Jones recalls his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, specifically the Port Gibson Movement, in Mississippi. He discusses being drafted into the Navy in 1944 and the racial discrimination he experienced in his role as a Steward Mate. During the Port Gibson Movement, he was involved in the Port Gibson Merchant Boycotts, organizing protests at Alcorn College, and participating in voter registration activities.
Moving Images
12 video files (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (1:53:28) : digital, sound, color
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0117_mv01-12
Manuscripts
1 transcript (.pdf) : text file
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0117_ms01
Leesco Guster oral history interview conducted by Emilye Crosby in Port Gibson, Mississippi, December 3, 2015
Digital content available
Biographical History: Leesco Guster was born in 1936 in Port Gibson, Mississippi. After growing up in various places in Mississippi, she briefly moved to Chicago before returning to Mississippi during the 1960s. She was heavily involved in voter registration is a lifetime member of the NAACP. She has operated a child day care center for over 30 years and continues to be active in her church community.
Summary: Leesco Guster remembers experiencing segregation growing up and working in Port Gibson, Mississippi, and Chicago, Illinois. She recalls her work as an activist in Port Gibson, where she canvassed for voting rights, boycotted segregated businesses, and joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). She also discusses churches' role in the Civil Rights Movement and her participation in the trial NAACP v. Claiborne Hardware Co.
Moving Images
7 video files (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (1:15:13) : digital, sound, color
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0118_mv01-07
Manuscripts
1 transcript (.pdf) : text file
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0118_ms01
Carolyn Miller and James Miller oral history interview conducted by Emilye Crosby in Port Gibson, Mississippi, December 4, 2015
Digital content available
Biographical History: James E. Miller was born in 1949 and grew up in Port Gibson, Mississippi, where he met his wife, Carolyn Miller, in the youth group of the NAACP and participated in the Port Gibson boycotts. He was involved with Mississippi Cultural Crossroads and worked as County Administrator in Claiborne County, Mississippi.
Biographical History: Carolyn Miller was born in Alcorn, Mississippi in 1953 and grew up in Hermanville and Port Gibson, Mississippi. She was involved in the youth chapter of the NAACP, where she met her husband, James Miller, and she participated in the Port Gibson boycotts. She taught at A. W. Watson elementary school, was involved in Mississippi Cultural Crossroads, and was a library board member.
Summary: James and Carolyn Miller discuss their experience of living in Port Gibson, Mississippi during the Port Gibson Movement. They specifically reference the downtown merchant boycotts and how race and class tensions impacted the local community. They discuss their persistence in building interracial coalitions and emphasize the strength of local community building, political accountability and leadership for the sustainability of Port Gibson.
Moving Images
9 video files (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (2:20:23) : digital, sound, color
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0119_mv01-09
Manuscripts
1 transcript (.pdf) : text file
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0119_ms01
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