Lives in the Freedom Struggle

"Lives in the Freedom Struggle: Stories from the Civil Rights History Project"

In honor of African American History Month, join Dr. Guha Shankar of the American Folklife Center, Civil Rights History Project Director at the A Library of Congress,  as he outlines the development of the initiative, shares and discusses significant oral history interviews, and demonstrates how to navigate the online collection for research and study

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They were college students, doctors, priests, farmers, journalists, and lawyers. They were national leaders and ordinary citizens. They were members of the NAACP, SNCC, CORE and a host of specialized and local civil rights action groups across the nation. They planned and carried out dramatic, highly visible actions and events like the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (1963) and the Selma to Montgomery Rights March (1965), but also did the everyday work of organizing sit-ins, voter registration drives and freedom schools across the American South.

Fifty years and more after such life-changing historic events took place, the experiences of these remarkable individuals have been documented by the Civil Rights History Project (CRHP), a Congressionally-mandated national initiative to capture the stories of veteran activists from the Civil Rights Era through oral history interviews. In more than one hundred full-length video interviews, participants reflect on subjects including nonviolence, self-defense, collective action, religious faith, music, and many more. The interviews, collected by the Library of Congress and its partner for this initiative, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, are available for viewing through each institution's website. Visit: http://www.loc.gov/collections/civil-rights-history-project/  to get started.

Technical:

• Web discussions are held in real time via webinar software, which allows participants from around the country and the world to join us.
• Registration is required. Confirmation and log on instructions will be sent via email.
• Technology requirements: Participants must have access to an Internet-connected computer with speakers or a headset. There is also a telephone option for audio.

Registration:

Please use the registration form: http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/web-discussions_form.php?loclr=eadrs