Created by

Civil Rights History Project, American, founded 2009

Interview of

Abernathy, Donzaleigh, American, born 1957

Abernathy, Juandalynn R., American

Rev. Abernathy, Ralph D. III, American, 1959 - 2016

Interviewed by

Dr. Jeffries, Hasan Kwame, American, born 1973

Subject of

Rev. Abernathy, Ralph David, American, 1926 - 1990

Dr. King, Martin Luther Jr., American, 1929 - 1968

Poor People's Corporation, American, 1965 - 1974

Medium

digital

Dimensions

Duration: 02:02:33

Type

video recordings

oral histories

digital media - born digital

Place collected

Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, United States, North and Central America

Stuttgart, Germany, Europe

Date

October 10, 2013

Description

The oral history consists of twenty-nine digital files: 2011.174.108.1a, 2011.174.108.1b, 2011.174.108.1c, 2011.174.108.1d, 2011.174.108.1e, 2011.174.108.1f, 2011.174.108.1g, 2011.174.108.1h, 2011.174.108.1i, 2011.174.108.1j, 2011.174.108.1k, 2011.174.108.1l, 2011.174.108.1m, 2011.174.108.1n, 2011.174.108.1o, 2011.174.108.1p, 2011.174.108.1q, 2011.174.108.1r, 2011.174.108.1s, 2011.174.108.1t, 2011.174.108.1u, 2011.174.108.1v, 2011.174.108.1w, 2011.174.108.1x, 2011.174.108.1y, 2011.174.108.1z, 2011.174.108.1aa, 2011.174.108.1bb, and 2011.174.108.1cc.

Donzaleigh Abernathy, Juandalynn Abernathy, and Ralph Abernathy, III, recall their father, Ralph David Abernathy and their own experiences as children in the Civil Rights Movement. The Abernathy children spent much of their childhoods with the children of Martin Luther King, Jr. Unlike the King children, the Abernathy siblings actively participated in direct action, including the Poor People's Campaign. All three children felt palpably the fear of violence in their everyday lives. This interview offers an intimate portrait of the home of a civil rights icon and of the intense friendship between Abernathy and King.

LOC ID: afc2010039_crhp0108

Topic

African American

Activism

American South

Children

Civil rights

Families

Social reform

United States--History--1961-1969

Violence

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

2011.174.108.1a-cc

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

Foreman Cotton, Dorothy, American, born 1930

Interviewed by

Mosnier, Joseph Ph. D.

Subject of

Shaw University, American, founded 1865

Virginia State University, American, founded 1882

Dr. Daniel, Robert Prentiss, American, 1902 - 1968

Cotton, George J., American

Gillfield Baptist Church, American, founded 1797

Rev. Dr. Walker, Wyatt Tee, American, 1929 - 2018

Dr. King, Martin Luther Jr., American, 1929 - 1968

Southern Christian Leadership Conference, American, founded 1957

Highlander Folk School, American

Clark, Septima Poinsette, American, 1898 - 1987

Jenkins, Esau, American, 1910 - 1972

Citizenship Education Program, American, founded 1954

Medium

digital

Dimensions

Duration: 02:12:39

Type

video recordings

oral histories

digital media - born digital

Place collected

Ithaca, Tompkins County, New York, United States, North and Central America

Place depicted

North Carolina, United States, North and Central America

Petersburg, Virginia, United States, North and Central America

Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, United States, North and Central America

Date

July 25, 2011

Description

The oral history consists of eight digital files: 2011.174.40.1a, 2011.174.40.1b, 2011.174.40.1c, 2011.174.40.1d, 2011.174.40.1e, 2011.174.40.1f, 2011.174.40.1g, and 2011.174.40.1h.

Dorothy Foreman Cotton discusses growing up in rural North Carolina, attending Shaw University and Virginia State College, working as a housekeeper for the president of these colleges, Dr. Robert Prentiss Daniel, and meeting her husband, George Cotton. She discusses attending the Gillfield Baptist Church in Petersburg, Virginia, working with pastor Wyatt Tee Walker on organizing civil rights protests and meetings, and meeting Martin Luther King, Jr. She moved to Atlanta to assist Walker in his work with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, where she became Director of Education for the organization. At the Highlander Folk School, she met Septima Clark and Esau Jenkins and led the Citizenship Education Program. She also discusses the impact of King's assassination on the movement and the philosophy of nonviolence.

LOC ID: afc2010039_crhp0040

Topic

African American

Activism

American South

Associations and institutions

Civil rights

Education

Labor

Religion

Social reform

United States--History--1961-1969

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

2011.174.40.1a-h

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

Leventhal, William S., American, born 1946

Interviewed by

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

Subject of

University of California, Los Angeles, American, founded 1919

Summer Community Organization and Political Education, American, founded 1965

Major League Baseball, American, founded 1869

Dr. King, Martin Luther Jr., American, 1929 - 1968

Medium

digital

Dimensions

Duration: 03:02:18

Type

video recordings

oral histories

digital media - born digital

Place collected

El Segundo, Los Angeles County, California, United States, North and Central America

Place depicted

Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, United States, North and Central America

Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, United States, North and Central America

Macon, Bibb County, Georgia, United States, North and Central America

Americus, Sumter County, Georgia, United States, North and Central America

Date

April 13, 2013

Description

The oral history consists of eight digital files: 2011.174.82.1a, 2011.174.82.1b, 2011.174.82.1c, 2011.174.82.1d, 2011.174.82.1e, 2011.174.82.1f, 2011.174.82.1g, and 2011.174.82.1h.

Willy Siegel Leventhal discusses his childhood in California, his experiences at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the 1960s, and his involvement in the Summer Community Organization and Political Education Project (SCOPE). Leventhal describes what it was like to be a Jewish child in a mostly Catholic community and how his childhood experiences informed his later activism and identity. Baseball was especially important to him, as he witnessed the first Jewish and African American ballplayers desegregate the Major Leagues. Leventhal became active in SCOPE during his first year at UCLA, after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., visited campus to recruit students. Leventhal describes the SCOPE training in Atlanta, and he shares his memories of living and working in Macon and Americus, Georgia.

LOC ID: afc2010039_crhp0082

Topic

African American

Activism

American South

American West

Associations and institutions

Baseball

Civil rights

Education

Religion

Social reform

United States--History--1961-1969

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

2011.174.82.1a-h

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

King, Lonnie C., American, born 1936

Interviewed by

Dr. Crosby, Emilye Ph. D., American

Subject of

Ebenezer Baptist Church, American, founded 1886

Dr. King, Martin Luther Jr., American, 1929 - 1968

United States Navy, American, founded 1775

Morehouse College, American, founded 1867

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, American, 1960 - 1970s

Rev. King, Martin Luther Sr, American, 1899 - 1984

Dr. Mays, Benjamin Elijah, American, 1894 - 1984

Clement, Rufus Early, American, 1900 - 1967

Atlanta Student Movement, American, founded 1960

Medium

digital

Dimensions

Duration: 02:33:48

Type

video recordings

oral histories

digital media - born digital

Place collected

Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, United States, North and Central America

Date

May 29, 2013

Description

The oral history consists of eleven digital files: 2011.174.90.1a, 2011.174.90.1b, 2011.174.90.1c, 2011.174.90.1d, 2011.174.90.1e, 2011.174.90.1f, 2011.174.90.1g, 2011.174.90.1h, 2011.174.90.1i, 2011.174.90.1j, 2011.174.90.1k.

Lonnie C. King shares his memories of growing up in Atlanta, where he attended Ebenezer Baptist Church and was close with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s family. He recalls his stint in the U.S. Navy, his years as a student at Morehouse College, and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in Atlanta in the 1960s. He also remembers his relationships with older African American leaders in Atlanta, including Martin Luther King, Sr., the Rev. Dr. Benjamin Mays, and Rufus Clement, and the various boycotts and protests staged by the Atlanta Student Movement while he was its director.

LOC ID: afc2010039_crhp0090

Topic

African American

Activism

American South

Associations and institutions

Civil rights

Education

Military

Religion

Social reform

United States--History--1961-1969

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

2011.174.90.1a-k

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