Created by

Civil Rights History Project, American, founded 2009

Interview of

Suyat Marshall, Cecilia, American, born 1928

Interviewed by

Dr. Crosby, Emilye Ph. D., American

Subject of

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, American, founded 1909

Brown, Oliver L., American, 1918 - 1961

Board of Education of Topeka, American

Marshall, Thurgood, American, 1908 - 1993

Medium

digital

Dimensions

Duration: 00:30:49

Type

video recordings

oral histories

digital media - born digital

Place collected

Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America

Place depicted

Hawaii, United States, North and Central America

New York, United States, North and Central America

Date

June 30, 2013

Description

The oral history consists of six digital files: 2011.174.97.1a, 2011.174.97.1b, 2011.174.97.1c, 2011.174.97.1d, 2011.174.97.1e, and 2011.174.97.1f.

Cecilia Suyat Marshall recalls moving from Hawaii to New York where she found a job as a secretary with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1948. Marshall notes some of the highlights of her experiences at the NAACP offices, including the organization's victory in the Brown v. Board case, traveling the South with NAACP staff, and attending conferences. There she met the many local people who gave the Civil Rights Movement strength. She left the organization after her marriage to Justice Thurgood Marshall, and with that departure became more of a mother and wife than an activist, but retained her activist spirit with membership on the boards of progressive organizations.

LOC ID: afc2010039_crhp0097

Topic

African American

Activism

American South

Associations and institutions

Civil rights

Domestic life

Families

Justice

Law

Social reform

United States--History--1945-1953

United States--History--1953-1961

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in partnership with the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Object number

2011.174.97.1a-f

Restrictions & Rights

© Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture and The American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

See more items in

National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

Collection title

Civil Rights History Project

Classification

Media Arts-Film and Video

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture

Created by

Civil Rights History Project, American, founded 2009

Interview of

Bassett, Emmett W. Ph. D., American, 1921 - 2013

Tietjen Bassett, Priscilla, American, born 1928

Interviewed by

Mosnier, Joseph Ph. D.

Subject of

Smith College, American, founded 1871

Tuskegee Institute, American, founded 1881

Carver, George Washington, American, 1860s - 1943

Till, Emmett, American, 1941 - 1955

Till-Mobley, Mamie, American, 1921 - 2003

March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, American, founded 1963

Medium

digital

Dimensions

Duration: 02:10:53

Type

video recordings

oral histories

digital media - born digital

Place collected

Grahamsville, Sullivan County, New York, United States, North and Central America

Place depicted

Plainfield, Union County, New Jersey, United States, North and Central America

Henry County, Virginia, United States, North and Central America

New York, United States, North and Central America

Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America

Massachusetts, United States, North and Central America

Date

July 21, 2011

Description

The oral history consists of ten digital files: 2011.174.38.1a, 2011.174.38.1b, 2011.174.38.1c, 2011.174.38.1d, 2011.174.38.1e, 2011.174.38.1f, 2011.174.38.1g, 2011.174.38.1h, 2011.174.38.1i, and 2011.174.38.1j.

Priscilla Tietjen Bassett recalls growing up in Plainfield, New Jersey, and attending Smith College, and Emmett W. Bassett, Ph. D. remembers growing up in Henry County, Virginia, serving in World War II, and attending Tuskegee Institute, where he assisted George Washington Carver with research. They tell how they met at a protest of a segregated restaurant in Massachusetts, raising money for Emmett Till's mother, their involvement in many civil rights groups in New York, and attending the March on Washington. They also discuss Dr. Bassett’s career as a professor of dairy science, Mrs. Bassett's career as a librarian, and their struggles as an interracial married couple.

LOC ID: afc2010039_crhp0038

Topic

African American

Activism

Agriculture

American South

Civil rights

Domestic life

Education

Families

Labor

Race relations

Science

Segregation

Social reform

United States--History--1953-1961

World War II

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in partnership with the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Object number

2011.174.38.1a-j

Restrictions & Rights

© Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture and The American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

See more items in

National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection

Collection title

Civil Rights History Project

Classification

Media Arts-Film and Video

Data Source

National Museum of African American History and Culture