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Oral history interview with Murray Atkins Walls and John Walls, conducted July 27, 1977 by Dwayne Cox. Most of the interview focuses on Murray Atkins Walls, although her husband, John Walls, is also an active participant. They were both involved in civil rights activities in Louisville and so share many experiences.

2006 oral history interview with Suzanne Post Listen online with text transcript

Betsy Brinson, Civil Rights in KY project director for KY Oral HIstory Commission, interviewed Audrey Grevious of Lexington at her home in Fayette County, April 13, 1999. A powerful storyteller and great educator, Grevious is generous in her oral history interview though she tries to downplay the fact that she played a major role in the local civil rights movement here in central Kentucky. From KHS catalog "Audrey Grevious speaks of her early education in Black schools which led her to become a teacher. She also became an activist, and, as President of the Lexington NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) together with Julia Lewis, President of Lexington CORE (Congress on Racial Equality) led a movement to challenge segregation in employment, and public accommodations. She notes the involvement of maids and non-profession people and the scarcity of ministers, with the exception of Rev. W.A. Jones, Historic Pleasant Green Baptist Church. When school integration came to Lexington, she tells how the Black students and teachers lost out."

Oral history interview conducted with Louise Reynolds on June 13, 1979 by Mary Bobo. Louise Reynolds was the first African American woman elected alderman in the city of Louisville. Ms. Reynolds discusses her work with the Republican Party, including her work as a precinct committeewoman, in the party's headquarters, and for Representative John Robsion. She worked for Robsion in the 1950s, and was elected to Louisville's Board of Alderman in 1961. Ms. Reynolds discusses the legislation passed during her time on the board, including the Public Accommodations Ordinance, the establishment of the Human Relations Commission, and an Equal Opportunity ordinance, and her involvement in trying to pass an open housing ordinance. She discusses the administrations of mayors William Cowger, and to a lesser extent, Kenneth Schmied. She also describes a visit to the White House at the invitation of President Lyndon Johnson. She also worked for the Small Business Administration, and she talks about the advice she gives small businesspeople who approach the SBA for loans, and notes several successful African American businesspeople in Louisville.

5 interviews with civil rights activists in the early 1980s (Anne Braden, Virginia Foster Durr, Amelia Robinson, Fred Shuttlesworth, Frederick Palmer Weber) who discuss their involvement in the Southern Conference for Human Welfare/Educational Fund. Some of the main topics include segregation, poverty, legislation, and poll taxes. (Audiotapes, transcripts, and collateral materials housed in Weatherly Hall North, Room 122. Copies are also housed at the Indiana University Archives in Herman B Wells Library E460.) Braden interview by Linda Reed is 35 pages (90 minutes) - describes the disenfranchisement of Depression Era South and need for worker, economic and civil rights for Black Americans; discusses Congress of Industrial Organizations, House Un-American Activities Committee, Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, Southern Christian Leadership Conference as well as the structure of the SCEF and the Southern Patriot.

UNC's wonderful open educational resource offers up transcripts and .mp3 files of oral history interviews by such great historians as Jacquelyn Hall Dowd and Sue Thrasher.

In 1993 and 1994, Bill McCann interviewed 35 men - including several governors - about the KY Jaycees ten years after women had been admitted to this civic organization dedicated to mentoring and supporting young leaders at the local level. No transcripts are available for us to peruse and see if they spoke about the role of women in this prestigious local club.

includes principles and standards; project guidelines, purposes and objectives; interview conduct guidelines; independent researcher guidelines; educator and student guidelines; bibliography (dated 1970s-90s)

This is the transcript from an interview of the Wilma and Dava Jonathan, and Cate Fosl. It gives great insight on the author and activist Anne Braden.

This site hosted by the Kentucky Historical Society was created by oral historian and archivist Doug Boyd (now at the University of Kentucky) - it offers open access to the transcripts and the video clips of the original interview of Jennie Wilson. The video clips were then edited and used within the KET production, "Living the Story" - see that version at http://www.ket.org/civilrights/bio_jwilson.htm

This is the transcript of an interview done with Georgia Powers, Kentucky's first female African American Senator. This is also an excellent piece if anyone wants to include oral history into their project and also makes a great primary source.

Here is an excerpt from the khs catalog Eleanor Jordan Collection Name: The Civil Rights Movement in Kentucky Interview Date: 2/3/1999 Synopsis: Jordan tells of her developing awareness of civil inequalities as a young woman and memories of segregation at Louisville amusement parks, retail stores, and movies. She also remembers people involved in the civil rights activity related to schools and housing. She attributes her developing black consciousness and pride to her mother and to some school teachers who introduced her to American History and Black History.

The M.I. King Library has already preserved some oral histories pertaining to Lexington's black churches during the civil rights movement: Harry Sykes: "Sykes recalls church involvement in the civil rights marches in Lexington and discusses his chairmanship of the Commission on Religion and Human Rights in the early 1960s." Robert Jefferson: "He details the role of the African American church in the community and during the civil rights movement of the 1960s, and discusses his rejection of the non-violent faction of the movement." Albert Lee: "Reverend Lee discusses the role of the church in the African American community and the effects of segregation in Lexington." etc. There are tons of relevant interviews to be explored, most conducted with reverends. I only see ONE interview conducted with a woman about churches and the civil rights movement, perhaps a hole we could fill?

This is a program KET did from 1974 to 1992 on Kentuckians, who have made a significant contribution to all kinds of aspects of life in Kentucky. There are interviews and descriptions of eaches contributions. It could be helpful as you're working on your individual project.

After listening to an interview with Hopkinsville native, Odessa Chestine, who said the Carnegie library in Hopkinsville was segregated causing her family to have to buy books instead of being able to check them out from the library, I decided to look further to find if all Carnegie libraries were segregated. 

This article is an interview with a schoolmate who friended Helen Caise Wade years ago.

Hi Angela, I can't get this link to work...?

This is the URL. http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=AWNB&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=0EB73DCAA87B8C60&p_docnum=3&p_queryname=5

5 videos - Baiocchi discusses her family's roots in the American South--specifically, Kentucky and Tennessee. Her father and mother migrated north to Chicago in search of better vocational opportunities and fewer racist encounters. Seven siblings--four sisters and three brothers. Baiocchi tells stories of her grandparents' lives in the racist American South.