Interview with Kenneth Bancroft Clark, April 7 and 15, 1964

Interview Summary

Dr. Kenneth Bancroft Clark (1914-2005) was an educator, psychologist and civil rights leader. Dr. Clark attended Howard University where he received his Master's Degree in Psychology in 1935 and received his Ph.D. in psychology from Columbia University in 1940. Dr. Clark was a professor at the City College of New York from 1942 until 1975 where he was the first African American to receive a full professorship. In 1946 he and his wife, Dr. Mamie Phipps Clark (1917-1983), founded the Northside Center for Child Development in Harlem and were among founders of the organization Harlem Youth Opportunities Unlimited (HARYOU) in 1962. The Clarks were authors of a valuable study that used dolls to examine the effects of racial discrimination on children. The study was cited by the plaintiffs in the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court case of Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas in which school segregation laws were overturned. In this interview Dr. Kenneth Clark begins by discussing Reverend Milton Galamison, the process of desegregating the New York City school system, and bussing for school integration. He discusses both African American identity and African identity at length. Dr. Clark provides his views of Malcolm X and the relationship between the past and present for African Americans. Dr. Clark explains the meaning of the term "race" and provides three different perspectives. He also discusses the role of interracial marriage and miscegenation. In addition, Dr. Clark discusses President Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, and briefly discusses Thomas Jefferson and the philosophy behind the Declaration of Independence. He also provides his thoughts on John Brown and compares him to Jesus Christ. Dr. Clark explains the role of ethics in American government and the role of violence in forcing changes in society. He considers whether the civil rights movement is a revolution and discusses civil rights demonstrations and African American leadership within the civil rights movement. Dr. Clark concludes by discussing the rationality of believing in nonviolence.

Interview Keyword

American moral schizophrenia Malcolm X Great Melting Pot Hitler-Stalin Pact Who Speaks for the Negro? (Book)

Interview LC Subject

African American leadership African American psychologists African Americans--Civil rights African Americans--Race identity. African Americans--Relations with Africans Blacks--Race identity Brown, John, 1800-1859 Busing for school integration Civil rights demonstrations Civil rights movements--United States Clark, Kenneth Bancroft, 1914-2005 Clark, Kenneth Bancroft, 1914-2005--Interviews Galamison, Milton A. (Milton Arthur), 1923-1988 Interracial marriage Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826 Jesus Christ Lee, Robert E. (Robert Edward), 1807-1870 Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865--Views on slavery Miscegenation Political ethics Race relations Race relations--Philosophy Racism School integration Segregation in education United States. Declaration of Independence X, Malcolm, 1925-1965

Interview Rights

All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.

Interview Usage

Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.