Created by
Civil Rights History Project, American, founded 2009
Interview of
Siler, Charles, American
Interviewed by
Cline, David P. Ph. D., American, born 1969
Subject of
Boy Scouts of America, American, founded 1910
Southern University and A&M College, American, founded 1880
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, American, founded 1909
Date
May 10, 2013
Medium
digital
Dimensions
Duration: 1 hr., 42 min., 4 sec.
Total: 168.97 GB
Description
The oral history consists of four digital files: 2011.174.86.1a, 2011.174.86.1b, 2011.174.86.1c, and 2011.174.86.1d.
Charles Siler remembers his early life in Louisiana, including a penchant for drawing that began before the age of two, quitting the Boy Scouts when his troop made black Scouts walk behind the horses in a local parade, and picketing Louisiana's segregated State Library as a senior in high school. He was eventually expelled from Southern University because of his activism. He joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In 1967, he was drafted and served in the military in the Vietnam War. He continued his civil rights advocacy as he took a variety of positions at cultural institutions and began a career as a cartoonist. The interview closes with Siler's reflections on identity and the process of learning from those who are ideologically different.
LOC ID: afc2010039_crhp0086
Place collected
Dallas, Texas, United States, North and Central America
Place depicted
Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States, North and Central America
Collection title
Civil Rights History Project
Classification
Media Arts-Film and Video
Movement
Civil Rights Movement
Type
video recordings
oral histories
digital media - born digital
Topic
Activism
American South
Art
Associations and institutions
Children
Civil rights
Education
HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities)
Identity
Military
Social reform
U.S. History, 1961-1969
Vietnam War, 1961-1975
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
2011.174.86.1a-d
Restrictions & Rights
© Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture and The American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5a348e1d8-4123-481d-b886-1b3e91a30040

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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