Oliver W. Hill, Jr. Oral History Interview

Created by

Civil Rights History Project, American, founded 2009

Interview of

Dr. Hill, Oliver White Jr., American, born 1949

Interviewed by

Cline, David P. Ph. D., American, born 1969

Subject of

Hill, Oliver White Sr., American, 1907 - 2007

Howard University, American, founded 1867

Marshall, Thurgood, American, 1908 - 1993

Houston, Charles Hamilton, American, 1895 - 1951

NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc., American, founded 1940

Virginia State University, American, founded 1882

Moses, Robert Parris, American, born 1935

Algebra Project, American, founded 1982

Medium

digital

Dimensions

Duration: 01:13:30

Type

video recordings

oral histories

digital media - born digital

Collection title

Civil Rights History Project

Classification

Media Arts-Film and Video

Place collected

Petersburg, Virginia, United States, North and Central America

Place depicted

Roanoke, Virginia, United States, North and Central America

Richmond, Virginia, United States, North and Central America

Date

August 17, 2013

Description

The oral history consists of five digital files: 2011.174.102.1a, 2011.174.102.1b, 2011.174.102.1c, 2011.174.102.1d, and 2011.174.102.1e.

Oliver W. Hill, Jr., Ph.D. discusses his father, civil rights lawyer Oliver Hill. He explains his father's childhood and education in Roanoke, Virginia, how he ended up at Howard University in the 1920s, where he was in the same class as Justice Thurgood Marshall and studied law under Charles Hamilton Houston. In the 1930s Oliver Hill, Sr. reunited with both of them to work for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, which was focused on challenging segregation laws. Hill, Jr. describes his own experience as a black student integrating a white school in Richmond, Virginia, attending Howard University, becoming a psychology professor at Virginia State University, and working with Bob Moses on the Algebra Project. He also discusses the education of African American children, school reform, and student testing.

LOC ID: afc2010039_crhp0102

Topic

Activism

American South

Associations and institutions

Children

Civil rights

Education

HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities)

Law

Political organizations

Segregation

Social reform

United States--History--1919-1933

United States--History--1969-2001

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

2011.174.102.1a-e

Restrictions & Rights

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

Photographic print of Charles H. Houston, Jr. as a child on tricycle

Photograph by

Unidentified

Subject of

Houston, Charles Hamilton Jr., American, 1940 - 2018

Manufactured by

Eastman Kodak Company, founded 1889

Owned by

Houston, Charles Hamilton, American, 1895 - 1951

Medium

silver and photographic gelatin on photographic paper

Dimensions

H x W: 3 5/16 × 3 1/4 in. (8.4 × 8.3 cm)

Classification

Media Arts-Photography

Place captured

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

Date

1945

Description

Photograph of Charles H. Houston, Jr. as a child on a tricycle outside a home on New Hampshire Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. Houston is smiling and wearing an open jacket, with vertical lines in light and dark, over a collared shirt. He is wearing black and white oxfords with striped socks. His proper left leg rests on the front pedal. Houston is riding his tricycle on the sidewalk in front of a line of the front yards of row homes. The photograph has a white border. The back of the photograph has the word [VELOX] repeating in three diagonal lines from top left to bottom right. At the top printed in black ink is the text, [B69046].

Topic

Children

Domestic life

Families

Local and regional

Play

Recreation

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Charles Hamilton Houston, Jr. and Dr. Rosemary Jagus

Object number

2018.59.2

Restrictions & Rights

Unknown - Restrictions Possible

M1917 Revolver issued by US Army during WWI to Charles H. Houston

Created by

Colt's Manufacturing Company, American, founded 1855

Owned by

Houston, Charles Hamilton, American, 1895 - 1951

Issued by

United States Armed Forces, American, founded 1775

Medium

metal and wood

Dimensions

H x W x D: 5 1/2 × 11 1/4 × 1 1/2 in. (14 × 28.6 × 3.8 cm)

Type

pistols

Classification

Tools and Equipment-Weapons and ammunition

On View

NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse, C 050

Place made

Hartford, Connecticut, United States, North and Central America

Place used

France, Europe

Date

January 1918

Description

Colt Model 1917 Revolver .45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol) No 22-883 issued by the United States Army to Charles Hamilton Houston during World War I. The gun is comprised of metal with wood applied to the handle. The revolver has a six-round cylinder that is semi-removable so bullets can be loaded. There are multiple manufacturer's notes throughout the barrel and frame. On the left of the barrel, text reads [COLT D.A. 45]. On top of the barrel is the manufacture's information, [COLT’S PT FA MFG CO. HARTFORD, CT U.S.A. / PAT’D AUG. 5, 1884 JUNE 6 1900 JULY 4 1905]. On the left side of the frame, at the top next to the hammer are the letters [GHS] in a circle. Below the hammer on the frame is a horse standing on its hind legs with two spears. The bottom of the grip has a circular hinge with a cylinder shaped metal. Surrounding the hinge are the words, [U.S. / ARMY / MODEL / 1917 / N° / 22 / 883].

Topic

Buffalo Soldiers

Military

World War I

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Charles Hamilton Houston, Jr. and Dr. Rosemary Jagus

Object number

2018.59.3

Restrictions & Rights

No Known Copyright Restrictions

Nautical clock gifted from Pres. Theodore Roosevelt to William L. Houston

Created by

Unidentified

Commissioned by

President Roosevelt, Theodore, American, 1858 - 1919

Received by

Houston, William Lepre, American, 1870 - 1953

Owned by

Houston, Charles Hamilton, American, 1895 - 1951

Medium

glass, metal and marble

Dimensions

H x W x D (.4a Clock): 7 × 4 3/8 × 4 3/8 in. (17.8 × 11.2 × 11.2 cm)

H x W x D (.4b Stand): 10 × 4 1/2 × 15 1/2 in. (25.4 × 11.4 × 39.4 cm)

Type

mantel clocks

Classification

Decorative Arts, Craft, and Design

On View

NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Concourse, C 050

Place made

United States, North and Central America

Date

1905-1919

Caption

William LePre Houston (1870-1953) was a prominent Washington, DC attorney who was active in the Republican Party and worked for African American labor organizations, including the Railway Men's International Benevolent Industrial Association. According to son and law partner Charles Hamilton Houston, this nautical clock was a gift from President Theodore Roosevelt for his father's role as an unofficial African American advisor.The clock was a significant family heirloom that resided on the mantelpiece of the family's home on Washington's northwest side.

Description

A table clock with nautical design gifted from President Theodore Roosevelt to William L. Houston. The clock is comprised of two separate pieces, the clock itself (.4a) and the base (.4b). The bottom of the clock is made of marble resting on four metal pedestals at each corner. The greenish marble is cracked throughout but still intact. The largest feature of the clock is a brass arm on the right side that curves to the left. On the front of the arm is a propeller. The top of the arm has a piece that connects the chain to the block and tackle pulley system that holds up the clock. The clock is spherical and hangs from a post connected to a circle. The circle rests on the hook of the pulley system. The back of the clock is metal and opens on a hinge to show the inner mechanics. The front of the clock is glass with a numbered face. The metal chain connected to the pulley continues through the top circle of an anchor mounted to the marble base and then wraps around a ship's wheel secured to the base just below the hanging clock sphere. Inside the top of the wheel is a compass.

Topic

Families

Labor

Law

Local and regional

Ornamentation

Politics (Practical)

United States--History--1865-1921

Credit Line

Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Charles Hamilton Houston, Jr. and Dr. Rosemary Jagus

Object number

2018.59.4ab

Restrictions & Rights

No Known Copyright Restrictions