Rev. Wendell P. Taylor became minister at Central Methodist Church in the Farish Street District in 1963 and was retired at the time of the interview. He talks about the district being prosperous for Black businesses at that time but that a decline has taken place since businesses have left. The transcript is heavily edited with handwritten notes.
Rev. Rims Barber came to Mississippi in 1964 to assist in the Civil Rights Movement. He talks about his work in the movement and Delta Ministry and about the connection between the Child Development Group of Mississippi (CDGM) and Delta Ministry in bringing Head Start to Mississippi through grassroots organizing and community development.
At the time of the interview, Rev. R.L.T. Smith was on the board of directors of Mississippi Action for Progress (MAP), which was part of his larger work within the community for people in need. He tells the story of how Head Start came to be in Mississippi.
Rev. Phillip Brown was a minister at Lynch Street C.M.E. Church from 1952-1953. The purpose of the interview was to learn about the function of the Lynch Street C.M.E. Church in the community. Rev. Brown talks about being a life-long member of the church since its inception. The transcript is edited with handwritten notes.
A red, green, and black button with an image of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King was a co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and remained its leader, and the most prominent leader of the Civil Rights Movement in the South, until his assassination in Memphis in 1968.
Rev. Horace L. Buckley was elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives in 1975 to a four year term. In the interview, he reflects on his time in politics and working with Robert Clark. He also discusses what made him run for a representative seat as a pastor, and the connections he made within the church community and the legislature.
Hickman M. Johnson came to Jackson in 1967 and had just finished his 10th year as pastor of Farish Street Baptist Church. He talks about the civil rights activist spirit that existed there in 1967. He goes on to discuss the deterioration of the district and discusses his ideas about how to revitalize the area. Transcript contains handwritten edits.
Rev. George Thomas was a pastor at a church in Terry, Mississippi, and also worked as a contractor and carpenter. He possessed several plans from early buildings which he built in the Farish Street District. He talks about the construction of new roads and buildings as Jackson converted from dirt roads and horses to a more metropolitan space.
Rev. George Jones was born in 1903 in Hermanville, Mississippi. He says the “Good Old Days” was the time about 40 years ago when he enjoyed baseball games and the fashions of the time. He talks about his education and his career as a teacher and principal, eventually moving to the Jackson area to teach. The transcript contains handwritten edits.
Rev. Coleman Turner was a Methodist minister and became involved with the Child Development Group of Mississippi (CDGM) through his ministry. He talks about his time as a member of the CDGM board and becoming the chairman of the board later.
Case Data and Exhibits for Brown III, a relitigation of Brown v. Topeka Board of Education (1954) that corrected resegregation issues caused by open enrollment school choice in 1992. Response of Topeka Public Schools defense attorneys to plaintiff attorneys request for production of documents. Many of the documents requested no longer exist.
A requiem written to Anthony White (Kimu Olugbala) and Woodie Green (Changa Olugbala), two members of the Black Liberation Army (BLA) who died in prison. The author writes that their memory will be used as fuel for the ongoing struggle against oppression. A quote from Argentine Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara is printed at the bottom of page 2.
A newspaper article from The Star Ledger about the defense team for Assata Shakur (JoAnne Chesimard), on trial for the 1973 killing of a state trooper, being denied calling an extra ballistics witness by the judge. The prosecution contended the witness was not valid since the defense team missed the cutoff date to add witnesses to their list.
Rep. Thomas Lamar Woods served in the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1988–2012. Robert Clark eventually appointed him to the Ways and Means committee. Rep. Woods discusses his district’s makeup, bills he supported with Robert Clark, and Clark’s famous fox hunts.
Rep. Mary Stevens served in the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1981-2012 and was the mayor of West, Mississippi, for eight years. She has close ties to Robert Clark and speaks on her experiences in the Mississippi Legislature, serving on several committees such as Public Health and Appropriations.
Rep. Leonard Morris served in the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1993 until his death in 2007. He was head of the House Medicaid Committee. In this interview, Rep. Morris explains the nature of the Black Caucus and his time working with Henry Kirksey, Robert Clark, Ed Blackmon, and other notable Black Mississippi politicians.
Rep. David Gibbs served in the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1992 until his death in 2013. In this interview, Gibbs discusses how he became involved in Mississippi politics. Heavily influenced by his military service, Gibbs explains his campaign strategies and his work with other notable politicians such as Robert Clark and Aaron Henry.
Rep. Charles Young Sr. served in the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1980 until his death in 2009. He explains how Robert Clark was a mentor for him and those elected before him. While detailing his own campaign strategy for 1980, he talks about the calculated and aggressive nature of Robert Clark’s campaign and the effect it had on him.
Sen. Alyce Griffin Clarke served in the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1984-2004. She talks about her work in education before running for office in 1984. She also discusses Robert Clark’s passion for education, the different committees she is involved in, the Institute of Higher Learning, and more.
A newspaper article from The Black Panther describing an incident in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where two pregnant women suffered injuries after a run-in with a grocery store security guard who was notorious for harassing Black customers. The women were subsequently arrested by the police and calls were made for firing the security guard.
A gold button with a drawing of a broken shackle and chain with the text "Remember Soweto June 14 March Against Apartheid." On June 14, 1986, 40,000 people rallied in Central Park in New York City to call on President Ronald Reagan to impose strict economic sanctions on the government of South Africa as a means to ending apartheid in the country.
Case Data and Exhibits for Brown III, a relitigation of Brown v. Topeka Board of Education (1954) that corrected resegregation issues caused by open enrollment school choice in 1992. A report prepared in January 1967 by Topeka Public School District leaders concerning attendance area changes in the district and priorities for new buildings.
Ray Bozell Converse was born in Isabel, Oklahoma, in 1912. His job with the Department of Agriculture brought him to Jackson in 1942 and 1955. He discusses opening a produce business and the effect of the Great Depression on his family. He also talks about living in Gulfport, Mississippi, during World War II. The transcript is incomplete.
A newspaper article from The News Tribune about Inez Garcia, a woman whose case became a rallying cry for feminists after she was acquitted for killing a man she says helped rape her. Garcia became a symbol for a woman’s right to defend herself. She says that she will go on to help other women who are imprisoned.
Rahman Saleem was a student at Smith Robertson School starting in 1956 when he was 5 years old. He talks about his experience at the school and tells other stories of his childhood in Jackson. The transcript is heavily edited with handwritten notes.
A newspaper article written by Communications Secretary Kathleen Cleaver in The Black Panther. The article, in response to the Kerner Commission report ordered by President Lyndon B. Johnson to look into the causes of the 1967 uprisings in several U.S. cities, argues that the government hadn’t done enough to combat systemic racism.
Case Data and Exhibits for Brown III, a relitigation of Brown v. Topeka Board of Education (1954) that corrected resegregation issues caused by open enrollment school choice in 1992. An April 1985 report by Dr. Gordon Foster that examines racial segregation in Topeka Schools. He concludes that complete desegregation has not taken place.
Case Data and Exhibits for Brown III, a relitigation of Brown v. Topeka Board of Education (1954) that corrected resegregation issues caused by open enrollment school choice in 1992. Handwritten charts and spreadsheets by William Lamson analyzing total student enrollment and breakdowns of that enrollment by race in Topeka Public Schools.
Case Data and Exhibits for Brown III, a relitigation of Brown v. Topeka Board of Education (1954) that corrected resegregation issues caused by open enrollment school choice in 1992. Document containing questions submitted to the Brown III Plaintiff Attorneys by Defendant John Carlin, Governor of Kansas.
A questionnaire about the Civil Rights Movement and its impact on Black people. The questionnaire has 14 yes/no/not sure questions and has not been filled out. Questions include: “Are you aware of the Civil Rights Movement?;” “Do you think it accomplished anything?;” and “Do you think Black people are in a good position today?”
