Interview with Ralph Ellison, February 25, 1964

Interview Summary

This interview is available in transcript only.

Ralph Ellison was an American teacher and writer. He is the author of the American classic, The Invisible Man, and he was the first African American to receive the National Book Award. In this interview, Ralph Ellison describes his family and growing up without his father. He explains his views on the philosophy of the civil rights movement of the 1960s. He discusses the difference between black American and mainstream American values and describes dealing with both Northern white liberals and Southern segregationists. Ellison states that there has been a real change in the climate and attitudes towards black Americans over the last 100 years, and he discusses what he feels are the causes of these changes. He also provides his views on historic Americans including Thomas Jefferson, John Brown, and Robert E. Lee.

Interview Keyword

Who Speaks for the Negro? (Book)

Interview LC Subject

African Americans--Civil rights Race relations

Interview Rights

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Interview Usage

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