Interview with Ezell A. Blair, Jean Wheeler, Stokely Carmichael, Lucy Thornton, March 4, 1964

Interview Summary

Stokely Carmichael (1941-1998) was a civil rights activist. While a student at Howard University, Carmichael became leader of the Nonviolent Action Group (NAG), an affiliate of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). By 1966 he had become Chairman of SNCC. Prominent in the Black Nationalism movement Carmichael coined the phrase "Black Power". As his message became stronger he was asked to leave SNCC in 1967 and joined the Black Panther Party. Carmichael then left the Black Panther Party in disagreement with the notion of working with whites for the revolutionary struggle. He moved to Guinea and changed his name to Kwame Ture. Carmichael died in Guinea in 1998 of prostate cancer. Ezell A. Blair, Jr. (1941- ) was a civil rights activist and one of the Greensboro Four who, in 1960, sat-in at the lunch counter of a Woolworth's store in Greensboro, North Carolina to challenge the store's refusal to serve African Americans. While at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University Blair was elected president of the junior class, president of the student government association, the campus NAACP, and Greensboro's chapter of the Congress for Racial Equality (CORE). In 1965 he moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts after finding life difficult in Greensboro for a labeled "troublemaker". In 1968 he joined the Islamic Center of New England and changed his name to Jibreel Khazan. Lucy Thornton was a civil rights activist and attended Howard University. Jean Wheeler was a civil rights activist and attended Howard University. This interview begins with Ezell Blair, Jr. describing his involvement with the Greensboro sit-ins. Blair explains what inspired the sit-in, those that were involved, and the role that NAACP and CORE played in the sit-ins. Stokely Carmichael and Blair also discuss the relationship between the NAACP, SNCC, CORE, and the SCLC. Blair discusses the effectiveness of legal and nonviolent methods in the civil rights movement while Carmichael joins to discuss mass movements. Blair also discusses the concept of the "New Negro". Lucy Thornton enters the conversation with Blair and Carmichael to extensively discuss African American identity, integration, and cultural assimilation in America and the importance of taking pride in African culture. White southerner identity and culture is also discussed. In the second part of this interview, Stokely Carmichael is not present. Jean Wheeler and Blair discuss the importance of history, education, wealth and political power in the civil rights movement. Thornton, Wheeler and Blair each respond to the question "What is a Negro?" and consider the revolutionary aspects of the civil right movement including a change in American morals and views. The differences between the North and the South and between different social classes in the civil rights movement are also discussed. Additionally, the growing impatience in the African-American community and the possible resulting violence is addressed. To conclude, Blair and Wheeler discuss violence within the civil rights movement.

Interview Keyword

Joseph McNeil David Richmond Franklin McCain National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Reconstruction Who Speaks for the Negro? (Book)

Interview LC Subject

African American leadership African Americans--Civil rights African Americans--Cultural Assimilation African Americans--Economic conditions African Americans--Education African Americans--Race identity. African Americans--Relations with Africans African Americans--Segregation African Americans--Social conditions Blacks--Race identity Carmichael, Stokely Carmichael, Stokely--Interviews Civil rights demonstrations--North Carolina--Greensboro Civil rights leaders--United States Civil rights movements Civil rights movements--United States Congress of Racial Equality Khazan, Jibreel, 1941- Khazan, Jibreel, 1941- --Interviews National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Nonviolence Nonviolence--Philosophy Race relations Sit-ins--North Carolina--Greensboro--1960 Social classes--United States Southern Christian Leadership Conference Southern States--Race relations Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (U.S.) Thornton, Lucy Thornton, Lucy--Interviews United States--Race relations United States. Civil Rights Act of 1964 Whites--Southern States Young, Jean Wheeler Smith Young, Jean Wheeler Smith--Interviews

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Interview Usage

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