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Series 2: Interviews (continued)
Freddie Greene Biddle oral history interview conducted by Emilye Crosby in Washington, DC, District of Columbia, December 10, 2015
Digital content available
Biographical History: Freddie Greene was born in was born in Greenwood, Mississippi on February 15, 1945 where she experienced firsthand segregation. She attended mass meetings in 1962 when SNCC came to Greenwood, Mississippi and was involved with the organizing efforts for the discontinuation of food being sent to Leflore County. Later on, Greene went to Dillard University in New Orleans where she became involved with Tulane University's Student Group and met Cathy Cage. Greene went to McComb, Mississippi during Freedom Summer 1964 and attended the National Democratic Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey. She left Dillard University to continue her work with voter registration for African Americans. She was arrested for her demonstration efforts. She later moved to Atlanta, Georgia to work in the SNCC office and was involved with the switchboard and financing. In the summer of 1968, Freddie left SNCC and moved to Washington, D.C, where she started working with the United Neighborhood Youth Program.
Summary: Freddie Greene was born in Greenwood, Mississippi on February 15, 1945. She discusses how living in a segregated community exposed her to the early efforts of the Civil Rights Movement. She reflects on her decision to leave Greenwood and attend Dillard University in New Orleans in 1962. Feeling disconnected with the movement, she became a participant in the McComb project during Freedom Summer 1964. After returning to school post-Freedom Summer, she decided to leave and joined the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in 1965. She discusses her involvement working on voting registration and canvassing, as well as her role of working on the switchboard and in finance in SNCC's Atlanta Office.
Moving Images
6 video files (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (01:36:06) : digital, sound, color
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0129_mv01-06
Manuscripts
1 transcript (.pdf) : text file
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0129_ms01
Reginald Robinson oral history interview conducted by Emilye Crosby in Washington, District of Columbia, December 11, 2015
Digital content available
Biographical History: Reginald Robinson was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1939. After leaving high school during the eleventh grade to work, he eventually attended Cortez Peters Business College, where he first got involved in civil rights through the student organization, Civic Interest Group. He quickly became involved with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in 1961. Working for SNCC as a field secretary, his duties focused on supporting voter registration in McComb, Mississippi and Cambridge, Maryland. After SNCC, he worked multiple jobs around the country before finally settling in Washington, DC, where he eventually retired in 2001.
Summary: Reginald "Reg" Robinson shares his experience of working for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and how he became known as an "advance man" throughout the Civil Rights Movement. Beginning with his involvement with the student-led Civic Interest Group in Baltimore, Maryland, he discusses how his involvement with the Cambridge Movement led him to becoming a field secretary for SNCC. He recalls how Voter Education Programs and various recruitment activities of SNCC epitomized the rule of "building and growing" and prides himself for remaining committed to ensuring civil rights today.
Moving Images
10 video files (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (03:26:30) : digital, sound, color
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0130_mv01-10
Manuscripts
1 transcript (.pdf) : text file
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0130_ms01
Jennifer Lawson oral history interview conducted by Emilye Crosby in Washington, DC, District of Columbia, December 11, 2015
Digital content available
Biographical History: Jennifer Lawson was born in June of 1946, in Fairfield, Alabama and encountered racial segregation as a young child. Lawson later attended Tuskegee College. In the summer of 1963 she moved to New York City to pursue an internship at Sloan Kettering Center and in the summer of 1964 pursued a Research Aide role, meanwhile attending demonstrations to protest Martin Luther King in Birmingham Jail. While at Tuskegee she was involved with the student group that worked on desegregating Macon County and mobilizing voting registration. After Freedom Summer 1964, she went to Jackson, Mississippi to work on voter registration, and later left school in the Spring of 1966 to join SNCC and work in Wilcox County. After she left SNCC, she worked at the National Council of Negro Women and worked with Dorothy Height and Fanny Lou Hamer. She was involved with designing the symbol of the Black Panther for the Lowndes County Party, and created political education material through art. Lawson was elected to the central coordinating committee of SNCC, and then moved to Atlanta. At the time when SNCC began to adopt racial separatism, she left the organization. She attended Columbia University to pursue art in formal education, and studied film, working in public television for the last thirty years. Lawson is active in volunteering with the SNCC Legacy Project today.
Summary: Jennifer Lawson shares her experience throughout the Civil Rights Movement. She discusses her decision to leave college to join the movement, and her involvement with voter registration activities in Mississippi. She joined the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in 1966 and was elected to the organization's central coordinating committee. She shares her role in designing the Black Panther symbol and campaign materials for the Lowndes Country Freedom Organization (later the Black Panther Party). She reflects on the issues surrounding racial separatism and her decision to leave organizational efforts in search of other activist work, including joining the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW). She recalls going to Cuba and being involved with art programs that celebrated African and Cuban heritage and moved to Tanzania from 1970-1972 and became part of a writer's group with Walter Rodney. She later attended Columbia University to merge her interest in civil rights activism and art, and pursued a film degree.
Moving Images
17 video files (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (4:09:19) : digital, sound, color
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0131_mv01-17
Manuscripts
1 transcript (.pdf) : text file
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0131_ms01
Dion Diamond oral history interview conducted by David Cline in Washington, District of Columbia, December 13, 2015
Digital content available
Biographical History: Dion Diamond was born in Petersburg, Virginia in 1941. Growing up in the segregated community of Petersburg, he began doing sit-ins, often by himself. He enrolled in Howard University in 1959, where he was a founding member of Nonviolent Action Group, staging protests at Glen Echo, Maryland and Arlington, Virginia. He also was a part of the Freedom Riders and was a field secretary for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in Mississippi and Louisiana from 1961 to 1963. During this time, he was arrested over 30 times. He later attended the University of Wisconsin and earned a graduate degree from Harvard University.
Summary: Dion Diamond discusses his activism and experiences during the Civil Rights Movement. He remembers growing up in segregated Petersburg, Virginia, and attending Howard University, where he began organizing for civil rights. He also recalls his work in Mississippi and Louisiana as a Freedom Rider and activist, his studies at University of Wisconsin and Harvard University, and his later career. Finally, he speaks about contemporary activism and rights issues.
Moving Images
7 video files (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (1:34:38) : digital, sound, color
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0132_mv01-07
Manuscripts
1 transcript (.pdf) : text file
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0132_ms01
Joseph Howell and Embry Howell oral history interview conducted by David Cline in Washington, District of Columbia, December 13, 2015
Digital content available
Biographical History: Embry Howell was born in 1945 in Bethesda, Maryland. She grew up in Davidson, North Carolina and attended Davidson College before transferring to Barnard College. She later attended graduate school at the University of North Carolina. She earned a Ph.D. in Public Policy from George Washington University. She has had a long career as a health policy researcher, primarily at the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C. She worked for SNCC in Southwest Georgia during the summer of 1966.
Biographical History: Joseph Howell was born in 1942 in the suburb of Belle Meade in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1964 while a student Davidson College, he organized a civil rights march in Charlotte. He went on to attend Union Theological Seminary and the University of North Carolina where he earned a planning degree. He worked for SNCC in Southwest Georgia during the summer of 1966. He is the author of Civil Rights Journey : The Story of a White Southerner Coming of Age during the Civil Rights Revolution (2011) which details his experience working with the civil rights movement.
Summary: Joseph and Embry Howell recall the summer of 1966 in Southern Georgia. Recruited by Charlie Sherrod of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) they discuss the complexities they encountered from embodying a white identity, most significantly through their experience of living with a black family in the South. They emphasize how changing racial perception and power influenced a shift in SNCC's tactic of nonviolence, ultimately leading to greater forms of militancy under ideologies of Black Power. In spite of the complicated nature of navigating racial tension, they remained committed to working with voting registration activities, organizing efforts, and the Head Start program and were guided by the belief of helping others.
Moving Images
6 video files (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (1:26:38) : digital, sound, color
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0133_mv01-06
Manuscripts
1 transcript (.pdf) : text file
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0133_ms01
E. Maynard Moore oral history interview conducted by David. P. Cline in Washington, District of Columbia, December 14, 2015
Digital content available
Biographical History: Reverend E. Maynard Moore was born in Petersburg, Virginia in 1938. In his youth, he was generally unaware of the segregation in his community. As a teenager, he participated in the Methodist Student Movement and began to interact with black students in other Methodist groups and became aware of civil rights issues. After attending undergraduate college at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia, he went to seminary school at Southern Methodist University in 1959. He participated in sit-ins in the Dallas area and worked with migrant communities during summer breaks. In 1964, he was accepted to the University of Chicago Divinity School to do doctoral work. During this time, he and classmates drove from Chicago to join the march to Montgomery for the last few miles. In 1966, he became the national coordinator for Student Interracial Ministry. For most of his career, he has focused on urban ministry projects.
Summary: Maynard E. Moore shares his experience in the Civil Rights Movement as a minister and how the intersection of religion and education provided an opportunity for racial integration. He recalls his involvement in the Methodist Student Movement from his early career as a migrant camp worker, to later pursuits in doctoral education, up to his participation in the Selma march. Emphasizing the commitment to non-violence, he discusses how religion grounded the efforts of Civil Rights activists, was used as a tactic to navigate racial tension in the South, and inspired the growth and mobilization of student-led action groups.
Moving Images
9 video files (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (2:50:16) : digital, sound, color
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0134_mv01-09
Manuscripts
1 transcript (.pdf) : text file
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0134_ms01
Julius W. Becton oral history interview conducted by David P. Cline in Ft. Belvoir, Virginia, December 15, 2015
Digital content available
Biographical History: Lieutenant General Julius W. Becton, Jr., United States Army, retired, was born in 1926 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. He joined the Army Air Corps in July 1944 and graduated from Infantry Officer Candidate School in 1945. Becton originally separated from the Army in 1946, but he returned to active duty in 1948 when the Army was officially desegregated. Eventually, rising to the rank of Lieutenant General, he served during both the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and retired from the U.S. Army in 1983 after nearly 40 years of service. After retirement, he has held numerous positions including: Director of Disaster Assistance for the Agency for International Development (AID), the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), president of Prairie View A&M University, and Superintendent for the District of Columbia school system.
Summary: Julius W. Becton recalls events that led to his service in the military. He highlights being the first African American to hold many of his positions in academics, the military and post-military career. Emphasizing how the integration of the military influenced his attitude towards racial issues, he offers a unique perspective on the Civil Rights Movement. He expresses deep pride for his efforts to advance himself, his family, race, and country through his military service.
Moving Images
8 video files (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (3:08:47) : digital, sound, color
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0135_mv01-08
Manuscripts
1 transcript (.pdf) : text file
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0135_ms01
Gloria Arellanes oral history interview conducted by David P. Cline in El Monte, California, June 26, 2016
Digital content available
Biographical History: Gloria Arellanes was born in East Los Angeles in 1946. As a child, her family purchased a home in El Monte, California, where she experienced racism. Her father was a Mexican immigrant and her mother was Tongva Indian, but her parents encouraged her to identify as Chicana in school. After graduating high school, Gloria became involved in community work with Youth Temporary Employment Project (YTEP) and Neighborhood Adult Participation Project (NAPP). In 1967, she became involved with the Brown Berets and the Chicano movement, running the Brown Beret free clinic. After leaving the Brown Berets, she has focused on her indigenous roots and has been an active member of her tribe.
Summary: Gloria Arellanes talks about her life growing up in California, finding her way to the Brown Berets and participation in the Poor People's Campaign (1968) in Washington, DC. She also talks about her exploration of her roots and identity in an indigenous community.
Moving Images
9 video files (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (1:34:55) : digital, sound, color
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0136_mv01-09
Manuscripts
1 transcript (.pdf) : text file
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0136_ms01
Michael D. McCarty oral history interview conducted by David P. Cline in Los Angeles, California, June 26, 2016
Digital content available
Biographical History: Michael D. "Mac" McCarty was born in 1950 in Chicago. As a young man, he attended St. Ignatius College Prep, where he started a Black Student Union, and he was subsequently expelled for his involvement in protests. In 1968, he joined the Black Panther Party as part of the education cadre. He left the party after the assassination of Fred Hampton. He joined the Army in 1972 to avoid being a target of the FBI. After leaving the military, he became an acupuncturist. Since 1992, he has been a professional storyteller.
Summary: Michael "Mac" McCarty talks about joining the Black Panther Party (BPP) in Chicago, IL. He discusses racism in Chicago and the leadership of Fred Hampton of the Party and the beginnings of the Rainbow Coalition that brought together African Americans and Appalachian whites. He recalls the circumstances under which Hampton was assassinated in 1968 at the age of 21 by the COINTELPRO operation of the FBI.
Moving Images
8 video files (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (1:37:09) : digital, sound, color
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0137_mv01-08
Manuscripts
1 transcript (.pdf) : text file
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0137_ms01
Norma Mtume oral history interview conducted by David P. Cline in Los Angeles, California, June 27, 2016
Digital content available
Biographical History: Norma Stoker Mtume was born in 1949 in San Diego, CA. She moved to South Central Los Angeles at the age of four. After graduating from high school in 1967, she attended Cal State LA and became involved in the Black Student Union and met her first husband, Albert Armour. Through Armour, she became involved with the Black Panther Party. She worked in free clinics in LA and Berkeley in the 1970s. She went on to work for non-profit community health organizations including SHIELDS for Families.
Summary: Norma Mtume talks about her involvement with the Black Panther Party (BPP); her work in the free medical clinics established by the BPP and her incarceration on trumped-up charges orchestrated by the COINTELPRO initiative of the FBI. She talks of her subsequent work to establish city-wide free health-care programs
Moving Images
8 video files (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (1:25:12) : digital, sound, color
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0138_mv01-08
Manuscripts
1 transcript (.pdf) : text file
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0138_ms01
Carlos Montes oral history interview conducted by David P. Cline in Alhambra, California, June 27, 2016
Digital content available
Biographical History: Carlos Montes was born in 1947 in El Paso, Texas. He was raised in Juarez, Mexico for part of his childhood, and moved to Los Angeles in 1956. While attending East L.A. Community College, he became involved with various Chicano organizations and eventually co-founded the Brown Berets. He was an organizer of the Chicano Blowouts in East L.A., and he participated in numerous protests including the Poor People's Campaign. In 1970 he fled the country and lived underground for several years in both Juarez and El Paso. Since returning to L.A. in 1980, he has been involved with immigration reform, Chicano rights, freeing political prisoners, and community organizing.
Summary: Carlos Montes, founding member of the Brown Berets, talks about his decades-long involvement and activism in the Brown Berets, the Brown Power movement, MEChA, the East L.A. blowouts, the Chicano moratorium against the Vietnam War, the anti-Iraq war protests, his political persecution at the hands of federal and local authorities. He recounts participating in the inter-racial coalition that occupied the Mall in Washington, DC, for the Poor People's Campaign (1968), and the ways in which that experience opened up the consciousness of the Brown Berets to the global struggle against class oppression and imperialism. He talks about the circumstances of his arrest on arson charges in 1969, and having to flee the country in the face of relentless, racist persecution of himself and other Chicano activists. He recalls community action programs and events that challenged the Brown Power movement.
Moving Images
9 video files (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (2:18:32) : digital, sound, color
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0139_mv01-09
Manuscripts
1 transcript (.pdf) : text file
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0139_ms01
Mateo Camarillo oral history interview conducted by David P. Cline in National City, California, June 28, 2016
Digital content available
Biographical History: Mateo Camarillo was born in 1941 in Tijuana, Mexico. His family moved to San Diego, CA when he was 10 years old where he attended school. While attending San Diego State University, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. After graduating from college in 1965, he volunteered to join the U.S. Army, and he served for two years in Europe. Upon returning to San Diego, he became a social worker. He formed the San Diego chapter of Trabajadores de la Raza and worked to establish bilingual pay programs. After serving as Executive Director of the Chicano Federation, in 1976 he went into private business development in several different fields including bilingual radio stations.
Summary: Mateo R. Camarillo talks of his involvement in a range of civil rights campaigns in and around the San Diego area, since the 1960s, including fair housing, police-community tensions, collaboration and cooperation with city officials on these issues. He recalls racism in the south during his service years in Vietnam. Finally, he talks about his entrepreneurial work in recent years.
Moving Images
11 video files (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (2:02:53) : digital, sound, color
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0140_mv01-11
Manuscripts
1 transcript (.pdf) : text file
Digital ID: afc2010039_crhp0140_ms01
Harold K. Brown oral history interview conducted by David P. Cline in San Diego, California, June 28, 2016
Digital content available
Biographical History: Harold K. Brown was born in 1934 in York, Pennsylvania where he attended segregated elementary school and integrated junior high and high schools. After joining the Army for two years, he eventually attended San Diego State University where he became involved in student government. After graduating in 1960, he became involved with Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). He became deputy director for the Peace Corps in Lesotho, Africa. He returned to the United States after Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination. After a short time in New York, he was hired to develop the Afro American Studies department at San Diego State. He went on to hold several different positions, including Associate Dean of the College of Business Administration, at his alma mater. Since retiring in 2004, he has continued work in economic engagement and real estate development.
Summary: Harold "Hal" K. Brown talks about his activist work in obtaining housing and voting rights for San Diego's African American communities. He also discusses his time working in Apartheid-era Lesotho with the Peace Corps, his tenure as chairman of San Diego's CORE branch, and his thoughts on contemporary activism and racial and economic inequality.
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