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Civil Rights Oral History Project

The Civil Rights Oral History Project, created and collected by UNCG Department of History professor William A. Link includes 71 interviews with 66 people, conducted between December 1986 and June 1990. Link personally conducted 40 of the interviews, while Kathy Hoke participated in 14. Other interviewers for the project were Kathy Carter, Kevin Costello, Wayne Jordan, and Mark Dawson. Five additional interviews are considered part of UNCG’s collection. Four were donated to the project by Greensboro News and Record reporter Jim Schlosser, who conducted them with Ima Edwards, Jack Moebes, Jo Spivey, and Geneva Tisdale between 1997 and 2001. The collection was digitized and placed online as part of a collaborative project undertaken in 2005-2007 to provide online access to civil rights oral histories at UNC Greensboro and Greensboro Public Library. Digitization was funded through a grant from the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro.

Oral history interview with George Evans by William Link
In this transcript of a November 3, 1989, oral history interview conducted by William Link with George Evans, Evans describes Greensboro during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, especially segregation in medical and transportation facilities. He also describes the city in the early 1960s, especially civil rights demonstrations, the role of the NAACP, and the work of the committee he headed to confront race problems in the city.
Oral history interview with Dargan Frierson by Kathleen Hoke
In this transcript of a January 9, 1990, oral history interview conducted by Kathleen Hoke with Dargan Frierson, Frierson discusses his disagreement with conclusions offered by William Chafe in Civilities and Civil Rights, especially concerning Frierson's use of informants.
Oral history interview with William H. Jackson by Glen Jordan
In this transcript of a August 12, 1982, oral history interview conducted by Glen Jordan with William H. Jackson, Jackson primarily discusses race relations in Greensboro and his experiences as a police officer in the city, including the 1960 sit-ins, 1963 marches, and 1969 incident at A&T. He specifically notes protestor behavior, interactions with protest leaders including Jesse Jackson, integration of the police force, and progress in the community.
Oral history interview with Boyd Morris by William Link
In this transcript of a December 9, 1986, oral history interview conducted by William Link with Boyd Morris, Morris describes his response to civil rights demonstrators at the Mayfair, his confrontation with Jesse Jackson, his reasons for not desegregating his restaurant, and the results of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 on downtown businesses including his own. He also recalls many details of his years on the city council and as mayor of Greensboro.
Oral history interview with Angeline and S. C. Smith by Kathleen Hoke
In this transcript of a September 28, 1989, interview conducted by Kathleen Hoke with Angeline and S. C. Smith, Ms. Smith reads a speech she presented at the Greensboro Historical Museum concerning her experiences with and struggles against segregation in Greensboro from the 1940s through the 1960s. The Smiths describe their experiences at NC A&T and their respective careers in education, especially Angeline's treatment after Greensboro school desegregation. The Smiths recall the demonstrations of the 1960s, especially responses to the mass incarceration of demonstrators at the polio hospital in 1963. Other topics include the history of the YMCA, coliseum, and Dudley High School, changes in education since the Brown decision, and reactions to Civilities and Civil Rights.

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