Jackson State University

Items

• Senator David L. Jordan interviewed by Dr. Emanuel J. Abston, Audio/Transcript.
  Senator David L. Jordan began serving on the Mississippi State Senate in 1993 and has been serving for 31 years. He recounts growing up on a plantation in Greenwood, Mississippi. The interview focuses on the work he did with Robert Clark in the Mississippi Legislature to support and obtain funds for Historically Black Colleges.
• Fred L. Banks interviewed by Dr. Emanuel J. Abston, Audio/Transcript.
  Fred Banks Jr. served in the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1976-1985 and Circuit Judge for the 7th Circuit District from 1985-1981. He details his experiences in the state legislature and his journey running for office. He also describes the early beginnings of the Mississippi Black Caucus and his mentorship under Robert Clark.
• Johnny Palmer interviewed by Dr. Emanuel J. Abston, Audio/Transcript.
  Johnny Palmer was appointed in 1980 as the first Black sergeant at arms at the Mississippi State Capitol. He had worked at the House as a maintenance and inventory supervisor since 1959. He details the challenges that Robert Clark faced and also talks about the dynamics that the presidents of the major Black colleges had with the House.
• Supervisor Douglas Anderson interviewed by Dr. Emanuel J. Abston, Audio/Transcript.
  Douglas Anderson served in the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1976-1980 and the state Senate from 1980-1992. He was one the first four African Americans elected to the Mississippi Legislature in the 20th century, after Robert Clark in 1967. He details his experiences while on various committees and working with Robert Clark.
• Representative Mary Stevens interviewed by Dr. Emanuel J. Abston, Audio/Transcript.
  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.
• Senator Willie Simmons interviewed by Dr. Emanuel J. Abston
  Sen. Willie Simmons served in the Mississippi Senate from 1993 to 2020. He details the opposition and challenges he faced while fighting for education reform and better treatment of the Black colleges in Mississippi. He looks at his career retrospectively and ponders over how he would like to be remembered.
• John Heyman interviewed by Dr. Emanuel J. Abston, Audio/Transcript.
  John Heyman was a lifelong human rights activist and philanthropist. He speaks on getting an education at the Columbia School of Social Work and also his years majoring in government. He discusses his involvement with the Civil Rights Movement by funding Civil Rights organizations in the South when he was the CEO of the New York Foundation.
• Dr. Kenneth Dean interviewed by Dr. Emanuel J. Abston, Audio/Transcript.
  Dr. Kenneth Dean was Executive Director of the Mississippi Council on Human Relations from 1965-1971. In 1971, he helped form a racially integrated group, New South, that led local Jackson, Mississippi TV station WLBT to be the first integrated news channel in the country. In the interview, he discusses his wide range of civil rights activities.
• Margaret Block interviewed by Dr. Emanuel J. Abston, Audio/Transcript.
  Margaret Block joined the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in 1962. In this interview, she discusses her involvement with the Civil Rights Movement, her contribution to voting rights working with SNCC and creating citizenship schools, and the struggles that she and her colleagues underwent to accomplish some of their goals.
• Ed Perry interviewed by Dr. Emanuel J. Abston, Audio/Transcript.
  Ed Perry served as a Democrat in the Mississippi Legislature from 1968-2000, later serving as House Clerk for 4 years. In this interview Mr. Perry discusses his educational background and how he landed in the Mississippi government and his experiences working with Robert Clark.
• LaCrystal Evans interviewed by an unnamed person, Audio/Transcript.
  LaCrystal Evans was a graduate student at Jackson State University at the time of the interview. She talks about her experiences as a Head Start student in the Greenville, Mississippi, Head Start program in 1969.
• Dr. Aaron Shirley interviewed by Carl S. Slade, Audio/Transcript.
  Dr. Aaron Shirley began his work with Head Start while working with the Freedom Schools during Freedom Summer in 1964; many of those schools became part of Child Development Group (CDGM). Dr. Shirley talks about his role as a medical services provider for Head Start programs all over Mississippi as part of a team of Black doctors.
• Pinkie Johnson interviewed by Cynthia Jefferies, Audio/Transcript.
  Pinkie Johnson was a Head Start student in Hazelhurst, Mississippi, at Parish Elementary School. She recounts her time as a student, including her memories of teachers and activities the students would do. She also talks about her family's involvement in fundraising for Head Start, including cooking items for bake sales.
• Minnie Ripley interviewed by Lavaree Jones, Audio/Transcript.
  Minnie Ripley helped bring Head Start to Mayersville, Mississippi. She talks about her experiences in the Civil Rights Movement, including her story of registering to vote and being put in jail. She also recounts her position as chairwoman of the board of the Mayersville Head Start program, one of the earliest in Mississippi.
• Clarence Hall Jr. interviewed by Lavaree Jones, Audio/Transcript.
  Clarence Hall Jr. was a board member for the initial Head Start programs in Sharkey and Issaquena Counties (Mississippi) in 1965. He talks about joining the Army and being in England for 3 years during World War II. He says that the treatment he experienced with racism after coming home led to his work in the community and with Head Start.
• Hollis Walkins interviewed by Dr. Alferdteen Harrison and several students in her Oral History class, Audio/Transcript.
  Hollis Watkins was a Civil Rights organizer in Mississippi in the 1960s. This interview was recorded in a meeting of Dr. Alferdteen Harrison's Oral History class at Jackson State and featured questions from Dr. Harrison and several students. Mr. Watkins talks about his experiences with the Civil Rights Movement and the beginnings of Head Start.
• Sam H. Whisterton Jr. interviewed by Rev. James F. McRee, Audio/Transcript.
  Sam Whisterton was a teacher in Madison County, Mississippi in 1965. He talks about how students coming to his classes were prepared by Head Start. He also talks about the connection between the Freedom Schools of Freedom Summer and the Head Start program and some of the support and push back Head Start experienced when it started.
• Rochelle Carter interviewed by Carl Slade, Audio/Transcript.
  Rochelle Carter, a student at Jackson State University at the time, talks about her experiences attending the Head Start program in Champaign, Illinois, in 1972.
• Willie Crump interviewed by Lavaree Jones, Audio/Transcript.
  Willie Crump was part of the group that started the first Head Start program in Edwards, Mississippi in 1965. She talks about her previous work in the community and working with her daughter on the Edwards Head Start program. She also recounts some of the obstacles they faced while getting the center going.
• Annie Smith interviewed by Carl Slade, Audio/Transcript.
  Annie Smith was part of the group that started the first Head Start program in Edwards, Mississippi in 1965. She talks about that process, including buying and renovating the building, hiring teachers, and recruiting students to get the program off the ground.
• Eddie L. Smith interviewed by Cynthia Jefferies, Audio/Transcript.
  Eddie Smith was founder and first director of Institute of Community Services Head Start program that originated in Marshall County, Mississippi, through Rust College. He talks about how he first got involved with the Child Development Group of Mississippi (CDGM) and Head Start and his work organizing since the Civil Rights Movement.
• Rev. Coleman Turner interviewed by Rev. James F. McRee, Audio/Transcript.
  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.
• Carolyn Blue Parker interviewed by Lavaree Jones, Audio/Transcript.
  Carolyn Parker began working with the Child Development Group of Mississippi (CDGM) in 1966 after years of working clerical jobs for different human rights organizations. She talks about her work in the Civil Rights Movement and the role of community organization in the beginning of Head Start.
• Barbara Boswell Strauss interviewed by Lavaree Jones, Audio/Transcript.
  Barbara Strauss was a member of the board of directors of the Bethlehem Center in Jackson, Mississippi, a United Methodist Church organization that does work in impoverished communities. She talks about her extensive work in these communities and the Bethlehem Center sponsoring the opening of the first Head Start in Jackson.
• Alfred Rhodes Jr. interviewed by Lavaree Jones, Audio/Transcript.
  Alfred Rhodes was part of the original 8-week Head Start program in Quitman County, Mississippi, as a teacher. He talks about his work as a teacher and his later work out of Tougaloo College to supervise Head Start Centers in 4 counties and going into communities to open new centers.