Sharon Roberson describes community organizing work over time and the growing tension that transpired among Vanderbilt students from one summer to the next, particularly in light of apartheid in South Africa and the ongoing domestic fight for civil rights. Many students sought to transition from healthcare to more expansive, basic racial justice issues. Roberson notes …
Ron Carson showcases an old check with an emblem of what used to be called “Negro Head Rock” and shares the story about his grandmother’s 1968 petition to have it renamed. It’s now known as Stoneface Rock. Interestingly, former Student Health Coalition (SHC) participants active with the clinic in St. Charles, Va. recall having referred …
Ron Carson details post-Reconstruction African American migration trends from cotton fields to coal camps in St. Charles, Va. (including migration years later in the mid-20th century to northern urban centers for manufacturing jobs) and their impact on resulting Black diaspora in the area. Full footage of Ron Carson’s tour of the African American Cultural …
Post-Reconstruction African American migration and the St. Charles coal camps Read More »
Ron Carson discusses the history of the Rosenwald School (or Pennington Gap Colored School, now the site of the African American Cultural Center) between the 1930s and 1960s, showcasing various school records and sharing stories about its day-to-day operations. More information about historical Rosenwald Schools in the southern United States can be found at the …
History of Rosenwald School in Pennington Gap, VA, 1930s-1960s Read More »
Ron Carson discusses Dr. Daniel Gabriel, M.D. and his local legacy in African American healthcare as the only doctor who in the 1940s and 50s would see Black patients. Full footage of Ron Carson’s tour of the African American Cultural Center.
Meryl Rice recalls her family’s business encounters with Byron De La Beckwith (prior to his murder of civil rights activist Medgar Evers) and speaks to their horror at learning what he’d committed. Recorded on June 2, 2018. Full footage of Randall and Meryl’s discussion about rural healthcare.
Rev. Anderson discusses the foundation of Tent City in Fayette County, Tenn. and other community responses to the civil rights violations imposed on Black sharecroppers registered to vote. He links one of the leading incentives behind registration to Black representation within the justice system. Visit this webpage at the University of Memphis for additional information …
Rev. Anderson on the origins and operation of Tent City Read More »
Contributed by Irwin Venick, May 2016 I arrived in Nashville, Tenn. on a hot, humid day in August 1971 not really knowing what to expect. One thing for sure was that I was not in Kansas (meaning for me, New York City suburbs) any more. A recent graduate of the State University of New York …
