Start Over Collection William A. Elwood Civil Rights Lawyers Project

61. Interview with Robert J. "Jeff" Norrell (59:39)

Date:
2006
Main contributors:
Elwood, William A, Kulish, Mykola
Summary:
Part one. History professor Jeff Norrell talks in Kelly Ingram Park in Birmingham, Alabama, across the street from the 16th St. Baptist Church, about demonstrations there in 1963. He remarks on the children and student participants in the demonstrations and the confrontations between demonstrators and police in early May. He talks about what Birmingham is like in 1987, what the park and the church represent, and how downtown Birmingham has changed. Part two. Mr. Norrell recalls cases heard at the old Birmingham federal courthouse, like Steele v. Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company, and the Birmingham College case. He also talks about attorney Arthur Shores, the rise of African American political power in Birmingham, and voting rights cases from Birmingham. Part three. Mr. Norrell discusses the Confederate Flag on the Birmingham courthouse and what it represents to different people. Other topics include Gomillion v. Lightfoot, gerrymandering in Tuskegee, and the importance of Tuskegee. Footage of Birmingham. At 16:22, Reuben Davis footage begins. Mr. Davis speaks about living in Birmingham before and after desegregation and the New South.

62. Interview with Robert L. Carter (1:13:48)

Date:
2006
Main contributors:
Elwood, William A
Summary:
Part one. Civil rights attorney Robert Carter recalls his childhood, his education, Howard Law School, and Charles Hamilton Houston. He says that he wasn't seriously confronted by racial discrimination until he went into the Army. Part two. Mr. Carter names three of his most important cases before the US Supreme Court: McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents, Brown v. Board of Education, and NAACP v. Alabama. He says that Brown is important because it implied that African Americans were equal to whites in all walks of life, and it gave African Americans a feeling of freedom like they never had before. NAACP v. Alabama is important because it made use of the First Amendment in a civil rights argument. Gomillion v. Lightfoot led to Baker v. Carr. He recalls it was his idea to use psychologists to show that segregated education was detrimental to African Americans, and the Prince Edward County case was the first time a state tried to counter this argument. Part three. Mr. Carter discusses the Prince Edward County case. He says that Virginia and North Carolina were the most vigorous in their legal defense in civil rights cases. Carter used local Virginia lawyers to sustain the cases the NAACP had going (Spotswood Robinson, Oliver Hill, Samuel Tucker). He also talks about the NAACP v. Button case. He gives advice to young people. Part four. More about young people; still pictures of Carter; New York CIty footage.

63. Interview with Samuel Wilbert Tucker (59:36)

Date:
2006
Main contributors:
Elwood, William A
Summary:
Part one. Civil rights attorney Samuel Wilbert Tucker recites lyrics to an unknown song and talks about patriotism. At 13:30, Tucker and Elwood go for a walk. Part two. Stills of Tucker family photographs. Interview begins at 7:30 in Tucker's law office in Alexandria, VA. Subjects of discussion include Tucker's mother and father and Parker Grey school alumni. Part three. Tucker talks about his own education, his elementary school teachers, especially teacher Rozier D. Lyles and the naming of the Lyles Crouch elementary school. Mr. Tucker started the program for adult night classes at the Parker Grey elementary school.

64. Interview with Samuel Wilbert Tucker (1:04:30)

Date:
2006
Main contributors:
Elwood, William A
Summary:
Part one. Civil rights attorney Samuel Tucker reviews his education, his experiences as a young lawyer admitted to the bar in 1934, his service in the military as a young man, and his experience as one of the first black Civilian Conservation Corps officers. Mr. Tucker became involved in the civil rights struggle with the Alexandria Library Sit-in, and he gives the basics of this event and the subsequent court cases about it. The solution, to build a separate library for black people, was not satisfactory to Tucker. Part two. Mr. Tucker talks about his childhood education. He reviews the Petersburg Library case, as well as Baker v. Carr, Wright v. Rockefeller, and the Burnett case. He recounts the case he argued in front of the Supreme Court that had the most impact, Green v. New Kent County. He says that the second most important theme in civil rights cases is reapportionment. Another civil rights issue fought in the courts concerns criminal cases like Hampton v. the commonwealth, about the death penalty for rape used only on black men who raped white women. Part three. Mr. Tucker recalls the Martinsville Seven case, concerning death penalty cases where confessions were not voluntary and representation was not adequate. He discusses what local counsel means and the role of the local community lawyer.

65. Interview with Samuel Wilbert Tucker and Otto L. Tucker (1:33:37)

Date:
2006
Main contributors:
Elwood, William A
Summary:
Part one. Civil rights attorney Samuel Wilbert Tucker recalls the Negro national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” and the song, “We Fought Every Race’s Battle But Our Own.” Poor picture quality begins 4:00. Tucker talks about attending a meeting of civil rights attorneys from across the country in Atlanta, Georgia right after the Brown v. Board of Education decision. Tucker recounts becoming a lawyer and why he chose that profession. He never went to law school but passed the bar at age 20. Part two. Tucker discusses his first cases, particularly a murder case. He then goes into detail about his pivotal involvement in the 1939 Alexandria Library Sit-In and its outcome. Part three. Mr. Tucker's brother, Otto, joins the interview. They talk about the library sit-in and the consequent court cases. Part four. Samuel Tucker recalls Charles Houston counseling him about the library sit-in case. Mr. Tucker also imparts advice to young law students. Part five. Tucker argues that the Brown v. Board of Education decision didn't mandate immediate desegregation, so it took years of court cases make it happen slowly. He also discusses civil rights in 1985. At 7:00 there is footage of brothers Samuel and Otto Wilbert visiting the Alexandria Library. At 9:50, interview with William Evans begins. There is no sound until 11:54. Evans discusses his participation in the 1939 Alexandria Library Sit-In.

66. Interview with Solomon S. Seay (1:39:26)

Date:
2006
Main contributors:
Elwood, William A, Kulish, Mykola
Summary:
Part one. Shots of Beulah Johnson's Tuskegee house and neighborhood. At 3:40 change to William Elwood interviewing Mayor Johnny Ford outside Tuskegee municipal building about the impact of the Voting Rights Act, Gomillion v. Lightfoot case, Fred Gray, and being mayor for 15 years. At 12:05 change to Elwood interviewing civil rights attorney Solomon S. Seay, Jr., in Montgomery about Seay's background and education, his military service experience, and watching the top Brown v. Board of Education lawyers practice the case at Howard Law School. Part two. Seay recounts why he became a lawyer, his reaction to the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, what white leaders did in Montgomery to circumvent the Brown decision and keep schools segregated, and how both sides used the law to get what they want. Part three. Seay tells the history of the neighborhood of Madison Park in Montgomery and goes over cases he’s tried. Part four. Mr. Seay compares working on criminal cases to trying civil rights cases. He discusses Drake v. Covington County Board of Education, the Montgomery march, and voting rights. Disc 121. Footage of Seay's office, Montgomery outdoor scenes.

67. Interview with Stephen Wright (1:55:15)

Date:
2006
Main contributors:
Elwood, William A, Norton, James A. (James Adolphus)
Summary:
Part one. Dr. Stephen Wright, former president of Fisk University and prominent educator, is presented by James "Dolph" Norton for the Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia. Dr. Wright delivers remarks concerning historically African American colleges and universities. He covers the emergence and growth of these schools. Part two. Dr. Wright says that the development of African American colleges in America has been influenced by seven events: publication of two Department of the Interior studies, "Negro Education" by Dr. Thomas Jesse Jones in 1917 and "Survey of Negro Colleges and Universities" by Arthur Klein in 1928; accrediting African American institutions in the South in 1930, which enabled African American collegians to enter graduate school programs; the US Supreme Court's Gaines decision of 1938; the Brown v. Board of Education decision of 1954; the Civil Rights Act of 1964; and the Adams v. Richardson case filed in 1970. Part three. Dr. Wright talks about public policy, student enrollment trends, and educational needs. He relates stories of African American educators' struggles for equal salaries in the 1930s in the South. The African American teachers made 50% of what white teachers did, with the same teaching certificate. Part four. Dr. Wright explains the effects of desegregation, especially concerning its impact on the fulfillment of the educational needs of African American students at traditionally African American schools. He addresses the special case of Berea College, which was integrated before Plessy v. Ferguson, and therefore had to be segregated after that court decision. It was reintegrated immediately after the Brown v. Board of Education decision. He talks about the influence of Myles Horton. Dr. Wright also discusses student financial aid programs and Rosenwald schools. Part five. Dr. Wright describes being an expert witness in desegregation cases in the South, especially Bulah v. Gebhart in Delaware, one of the cases combined to become Brown v. Board of Education. He evaluated the schools involved in the case and documented their differences. He also assisted NAACP Legal Defense Fund lawyers during cross examinations, as in the Durham, N.C., city schools case. At 12:45, footage of different camera angles of Dr. Wright with no sound. At 15:33, interview resumes with discussion of higher education. Part six. Dr. Wright advocates for strong general education curricula, especially at the college level. He also describes the functions of boards of education, student assessments, and testing.

68. Interview with University of Virginia Students (1:12:59)

Date:
2006
Main contributors:
Elwood, William A
Summary:
Part one. Students sit on The Lawn at the University of Virginia and discuss Charles Hamilton Houston, Thurgood Marshall, James Nabrit, and Samuel Tucker. Each student explains why he/she got involved with the Elwood project. They discuss their own generation participating in the civil rights struggle. Part two. Students discuss differences among generations of black Americans. Part three. Students change location to William Elwood's house. Topics include the importance of education and the difference between overt versus subtle discrimination. Part four. Continuation of conversation in William Elwood's house about the status of black students at the University of Virginia and pressures on black students in 1985.

69. Interview with Walter N. Ridley (2:34:21)

Date:
2006
Main contributors:
Elwood, William A
Summary:
Part one. Dr. Walter Ridley discusses his experience at Howard University, Virginia State University, and the University of Virginia. When he was admitted to the University of Virginia in 1950, Colgate Darden stated that Dr. Ridley would have access to all university facilities. Dr. Ridley said that he did not feel out of place at the university and if people did not want him there, he was not aware of it. He also mentions Mordecai Johnson at Howard University, Carter Woodson, Charlie Thompson and George Ferguson. Part two. Dr. Ridley discusses his part in the integration of the African American Teachers Association with the white National Education Association. He recalls how the janitors and custodians at U.Va. told him they would protect him while he was a student there. Ridley was the first African American person to get a doctorate from a southern university. He recounts stories from his career in education. Part three. Dr. Ridley discusses his family and educational history. He comments on his time spent at the University of Virginia, the non-violent approach to obtaining civil rights, and the achievement of excellence.

70. Interview with Wiley Branton (1:13:01)

Date:
2006
Main contributors:
Elwood, William A, Kulish, Mykola
Summary:
Part one. After serving in World War II, Wiley Branton returned to discriminatory voter registration laws in his home state of Arkansas. He participated in voter education and was arrested and convicted (wrongfully) of rigging an election. This incident inspired him to go to law school. He participated in forcing the integration of University of Arkansas Law School in 1947. He describes Jim Crow professional schools in the South. Part two. Mr. Branton recalls the Moore v. Dempsey case from his childhood. Mr. Branton goes over a case he tried in eastern Arkansas called State of Arkansas v. Paul Lewis Beckwith. Mr. Branton discusses his childhood. He talks about desegregation in Arkansas and the education situation for African Americans at the time of the Brown v. Board of Education decision. Interestingly, some eastern Arkansas school districts integrated immediately after Brown. Mr. Branton talks about his many legal actions to get Little Rock schools integrated. Part three. Mr. Branton describes the Little Rock Crisis and its legal aftermath. He remembers the Arkansas governor closing public schools after the Army left, an action that damaged the Arkansas economy. Mr. Branton discusses Charles Houston. Branton returns to his own experiences during the Little Rock Crisis: His family lived under armed guard for two years and crosses were burned at his family cemetery. Mr. Branton talks about his legal representation of Freedom Riders in Jackson, Mississippi. Part five. Mr. Branton discusses how bail was raised for Freedom Riders in Mississippi and Arkansas. Mr. Branton discusses the Voter Education Project, which he directed from 1962 to 1965. He tells about the project's programs to support small, local voter registration groups with money and advice on handling obstacles. He recalls registrars blocking African Americans from registering by administering outrageous tests. Mr. Branton reveals that he would let white sheriffs think he was white, too, when talking to them on the phone in order to get people out of jail.