Interview with H. B. Harris, November 2, 1990

Interview Summary

Reverend H.B. Harris is a native Kentuckian. He went to school in Georgia but came back to Kentucky to work in a small church in Barbourville in the 1960s. Harris explains that he started to work at a community center and that is how he first became involved in the War on Poverty. He describes working with Irma Gall and Jim Kindrick and his disagreements with Mr. Hollis, a director of programs in Knox County. .

Harris recalls the atmosphere in Kentucky when the War on Poverty began. He remembers that it was something new and people believed that there would be many new jobs. He describes some new positions that were created with the building of a furniture factory. Harris recalls that he did not encounter any problems with the VISTA (Volunteers In Service To America) workers and states that the legacy of the War on Poverty is the pride it instilled in people. He explains that the War on Poverty played a role in opening Appalachia to the outside world and he is glad to see how the work that he and others did actually helped people. Harris also describes racial issues in eastern Kentucky, especially in Corbin.

Interview Keyword

anti-poverty organizations War On Poverty

Interview LC Subject

Appalachian Region Appalachian Region--Economic conditions Economic assistance Harris, H.B. Harris, H.B.--Interviews

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Interview Usage

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