Roland Freeman Oral History Interview
- Created by
- National Museum of African American History and Culture, American, founded 2003
- Interview of
- Freeman, Roland L., American, 1936 - 2023
- Interviewed by
- Navies, Kelly Elaine, American
- Recorded by
- Moir, Kim, American
- Subject of
- Poor People's Campaign, American, 1967 - 1968
- Edelman, Marian Wright, American, born 1939
- Young, Andrew Jackson, American, born 1932
- Rev. Abernathy, Ralph David, American, 1926 - 1990
- Reagon, Bernice Johnson, American, 1942 - 2024
- Long, Worth, American, born 1936
- Date
- September 26, 2018
- Medium
- digital
- Dimensions
- Duration: 01:35:28
- 34.36 GB
- Description
- An oral history consisting of a single digital video recording (2018.78.5.1). It was collected as part of the Poor People’s Campaign Interviews.
- In this interview, photographer and folklorist, Roland Freeman, discusses his life and work, and his experience documenting the Mule Train from Marks, Mississippi, to Washington, DC, for the Poor People’s Campaign in 1968.
- Freeman begins the interview with a brief discussion of his history as an Arabber in Baltimore. He then discusses his experience attending the March on Washington, which inspired him to want to join the freedom struggle, as well as how and why he got into photography. Freeman then turns to a discussion of the Mule Train from Marks, MS, to Washington, DC, for the Poor People’s Campaign. He recalls how he ended up joining the Mule Train, and his experience documenting the movement. Moving back and forth between his later work as a documentary photographer and his experience on the Mule Train, Freeman also discusses the impact of his experience with the people on Mule Train on his life and work. Freeman concludes by reflecting on why he agreed to sit for an interview with the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
- Place collected
- Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
- Place depicted
- Baltimore, Maryland, United States, North and Central America
- Marks, Quitman County, Mississippi, United States, North and Central America
- Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
- Collection title
- Poor People’s Campaign Oral Histories
- Classification
- Time-based Media - Moving Images
- Movement
- Civil Rights Movement
- African American - Latinx Solidarity
- Poor People's Campaign
- Type
- video recordings
- oral histories
- digital media - born digital
- Topic
- Activism
- Civil rights
- Humanitarianism
- Justice
- Labor
- Politics
- Poverty
- Race relations
- U.S. History, 1961-1969
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2018.78.5.1
- Restrictions & Rights
- © Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.