Interview with Alan Anderson, June 15, 2015

Partial Transcript: This is Betty Baye` and I am interviewing Dr. Alan Anderson, a 2014 inductee into the Kentucky Commission for Human Rights Hall of Fame.

Segment Synopsis: Dr. Alan Anderson is introduced. He talks about his first encounter with racial inequality as a child growing up in Ponca City, Oklahoma. He talks about segregation, a reluctance to integrate in some towns, and briefly mentions his arrest in Albany, Georgia as part of a civil rights demonstration.

Keywords: Albany (Ga.); American Indians; Arrested; Desegregation; Dixie Hill; Family; Flooding; Jail; Jim Crow; National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP); Native Americans; Public bathrooms; Segregated schools; Social conscience; The South; Values; Water fountains

Subjects: African American neighborhoods; African Americans--Housing.; African Americans--Segregation; African Americans--Social conditions.; African Americans--Southern States.; Childhood; Discrimination in housing.; Integration; Ponca City (Okla.); Race discrimination.; Segregation in education.; United States--Race relations.

Partial Transcript: So life in Ponca City went on until you went to college or--

Segment Synopsis: Anderson talks about attending Knox College, choosing his major, and becoming friends with an African American student, Jerry Long. He talks about discrimination on campus, in particular within Greek organizations. He talks about some of the philosophers that influenced him.

Keywords: Biology; Fraternities; Influences; Jerry Long; Philosophy; Religious studies; Sororities

Subjects: African American college students--Social conditions; African Americans--Education--Kentucky--Lexington; African Americans--Segregation; College environment; College students, Black; College students--Attitudes.; Discrimination in higher education; Greek letter societies.; Knox College (Galesburg, Ill.); Minorities in higher education; Racism; United States--Race relations.; University of Chicago

Partial Transcript: And, uh, probably, uh--and here we get, uh, we get warm as to, uh, what's going on.

Segment Synopsis: Anderson talks about his membership at an integrated church in Chicago, and the beginning of his involvement in social issues. He tells a story about being unaware of social conditions for African Americans. He talks about how his involvement in the issue of public schools led to his involvement in the civil rights movement.

Keywords: Churches; Community organizations; Overcrowding; Picnics; Preaching; Public schools; Rainbow Beach; Saul Alinsky; School integration; School superintendents; Segregated; Social issues; St. James Methodist Church; University of Chicago

Subjects: African American neighborhoods; African Americans--Conduct of life.; African Americans--Education.; African Americans--Segregation; African Americans--Social conditions.; Church.; Civil rights movements--United States; Discrimination in education.; Integration; Race discrimination.; Segregation in education.; United States--Race relations.

Partial Transcript: You know, um, uh, Dr. Anderson, what's interesting is sometimes when people think civ--civil rights and segregation it's a southern thing.

Segment Synopsis: Anderson discusses the differences between de facto and de jure segregation. He talks about policies that maintain segregation. He discusses violence against the Black community, and the reasons various groups wanted segregation to continue.

Keywords: Bombings; Culture; De facto segregation; De jure segregation; Differences; Discriminatory policies; Fears; Property ownership; Property values; Race riots; Racial justice; Realtors; Southern; Teaching; The South; Traditions; Tulsa (Okla.); University of Chicago

Subjects: African American neighborhoods; African Americans--Crimes against.; African Americans--Housing.; African Americans--Segregation; African Americans--Social conditions.; African Americans--Southern States.; Chicago (Ill.); Discrimination in housing.; Race discrimination.; Racism; Regionalism--Southern States; United States--Race relations.; Violence

Partial Transcript: What--at that time, when all of this was going on, was there, uh--you, you mentioned Dr. King.

Segment Synopsis: Anderson talks about how he became involved in a civil rights demonstration in Albany, Georgia in response to a call Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. sent to ministers, clergy, and others from the northern states. He talks about fasting while in jail, and being asked by King to remain in jail a few extra days.

Keywords: Arrests; Dirt roads; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Fasting; Fears; Inmates; Jail; Media; Ministers; Nonviolent movement; Paducah (Ky.); Reverend James Bevel; University of Chicago; Violence

Subjects: African American leadership; African Americans--Segregation; African Americans--Social conditions.; Albany (Ga.); Civil rights demonstrations; Civil rights movements--United States; Clergy.; King, Martin Luther, Jr. 1929-1968; Protest movements.; Race discrimination.; United States--Race relations.

Partial Transcript: There's one more part of this story, uh, I'll tell you, and that is we thought we were done with it and I went back to Chicago...

Segment Synopsis: Anderson talks about returning to Albany, Georgia to stand trial for the crime he was arrested for during his participation in the civil rights demonstration. He talks about his lawyer, C. B. King, who was later honored for his work during the civil rights movement.

Keywords: Andy Young; C. B. King; Court reporters; Lawyers; Martin Luther King, Sr.; Methodist ministers; Stenographers

Subjects: African Americans--Social conditions.; Albany (Ga.); Civil rights demonstrations; Civil rights movements--United States; Civil rights workers; Clergy.; Protest movements.; United States--Trials, litigation, etc.

Partial Transcript: I wanted to say, in that pre-digital age were you impressed by Dr. King's understanding of the media and the significance of the media's role...

Segment Synopsis: Anderson talks about Martin Luther King, Jr. and others' use of the media as a tool for social movements. He talks about why various organizations benefit from working together as a coalition despite having different priorities.

Keywords: Coalitions; Communication; Communists; Community organizations; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Goals; Interracial Council of Methodists; Mahatma Gandhi; Press releases

Subjects: African American leadership; African Americans--Social conditions.; Chicago (Ill.); Civil rights movements--United States; King, Martin Luther, Jr. 1929-1968; Mass media--Influence--United States; Protest movements.

Partial Transcript: We actually held the first--the largest civil rights demonstrations ever conducted in this country.

Segment Synopsis: Anderson talks about a school boycott that was organized in Chicago in protest of inequality in the school system. He talks about the power of Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley, and how this may have contributed to Martin Luther King, Jr.'s sense of the movement's failure in Chicago.

Keywords: Albany (Ga.); Birmingham (Ala.); Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Failure; Funding; Mayor Richard J. Daley; Priorities; School boycotts; Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC); U. S. Department of Housing, Education, and Welfare (HEW)

Subjects: African American leadership; African Americans--Education.; African Americans--Segregation; African Americans--Social conditions.; Chicago (Ill.); Civil rights demonstrations; Civil rights movements--United States; Daley, Richard J., 1902-1976.; Discrimination in education.; King, Martin Luther, Jr. 1929-1968; Protest movements.; Race discrimination.; Segregation in education.; United States--Race relations.

Partial Transcript: Now speaking of Jesse Jackson, Jesse was young--

Segment Synopsis: Anderson talks about Jesse Jackson's role in the civil rights movement, and talks about how his personality affected his work.

Keywords: Chicago (Ill.); Insecurities; Operation Breadbasket; Personality; Power; Reverend Jesse Jackson

Subjects: African American leadership; Civil rights movements--United States; Civil rights workers; Jackson, Jesse, 1941-; Protest movements.

Partial Transcript: Tell us, um, in the Chicago movement, um, you, you, you and a colleague felt obliged to write a whole book about it.

Segment Synopsis: Anderson was the co-author of a book on the civil rights movement in Chicago and gives an overview of the argument of his book. He talks about four groups involved in the civil rights movement, on both sides of the issue. He talks about other books written on the movement, and talks about sacrifices made by those involved in the movement.

Keywords: "Confronting the Color Line: The Broken Promise of the Civil Rights Movement in Chicago"; Assessment; Books; Civic credo; Color line; Democratic Human Capacity; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Failure; Mayor Richard J. Daley; Priorities; Progress; Sacrifices; Status quo

Subjects: African American leadership; African Americans--Segregation; African Americans--Social conditions.; Chicago (Ill.); Civil rights movements--United States; Civil rights workers; Daley, Richard J., 1902-1976.; King, Martin Luther, Jr. 1929-1968; Protest movements.; Race discrimination.; Racism; United States--Race relations.

Partial Transcript: Well let me ask you, in your eightieth year, you have seen a lot.

Segment Synopsis: Anderson talks about current social issues and movements, including the Black Lives Matter movement. He says that movements of the past had a clear issue to focus on, but today's problems are a larger systemic issue which makes them more difficult to solve.

Keywords: Abilities; Albany (Ga.); Black Lives Matter movement; Coalitions; Dangerous; Equality; Future; Galvanizing figures; Inequality; Jim Crow; Modern issues; Police forces; Post-racial society; Slavery; Social structure; Society; Togetherness; Violence

Subjects: African American leadership; African Americans--Civil rights; African Americans--Crimes against.; African Americans--Social conditions.; Protest movements.; Race discrimination.; Racism; United States--Race relations.

Partial Transcript: You want to do how ca--King got to Chicago?

Segment Synopsis: Anderson talks about being the main contact point for Martin Luther King, Jr. when he went to Chicago. He talks about King giving speeches in fourteen Chicago neighborhoods. He discusses Mayor Daley's attempts to weaken the effectiveness of King's visit, and how they circumvented this issue.

Keywords: Civil Rights Act; Color Tax; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Housing discrimination; Mayor Richard J. Daley; North; Social issues; Speaking; Superintendent Willis; Voting Rights Act

Subjects: African American leadership; African American neighborhoods; African Americans--Housing.; African Americans--Segregation; African Americans--Social conditions.; Chicago (Ill.); Civil rights movements--United States; Discrimination in housing.; King, Martin Luther, Jr. 1929-1968; Protest movements.; Race discrimination.; United States--Race relations.

Partial Transcript: What happened after 1975, when you left Chicago?

Segment Synopsis: Anderson talks about his career after leaving the University of Chicago, and mentions ways in which his involvement in the civil rights movement has affected his career, particularly in Greensboro, North Carolina. He talks about teaching racial justice classes, and about a study his class conducted on the racism in the social structure of neighborhoods in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The interview concludes abruptly.

Keywords: Accomplishments; Color line; Dissertations; Expansion; Opportunities; Racial justice; Research studies; Retirement; Social structure; University of Chicago; University of North Carolina at Greensboro; Western Kentucky University; Wilberforce University

Subjects: African American neighborhoods; African Americans--Segregation; African Americans--Social conditions.; Bowling Green (Ky.); Civil rights movements--United States; Civil rights workers; College environment; College teachers--Political activity; College teachers--Social conditions; College teaching.; Educators; Integration; Race discrimination.; United States--Race relations.; Universities and colleges--Faculty.; Universities and colleges--Research