Interview with community leader Bruce R. Watkins, Jr. Watkins discusses his early life and education, the history of the Watkins family including his father Bruce R. Watkins and grandfather T. B. Watkins, the founding of Freedom Inc., and his work to share the story of slavery, former slaves, and the Watkins family in Platte County, Missouri. He also shares thoughts on the importance of leaving a legacy and learning personal and family history
Four part interview with attorney, activist, and former Missouri state representative Harold Holliday, Sr.
In Part 1, Holliday discusses his family and early life living between Oklahoma and Kansas City, growing up in the then-rural Leeds area, his high school and college experiences, the Lloyd Gaines lawsuit, being drafted at the start of World War II, and his experience as a Black soldier stationed in Mississippi.
In Part 2, he discusses his work history, including stints with the Works Progress Administration and Veterans Administration, finishing Officers Candidate School, being stationed in England and Fort Knox, Kentucky, among other locations, and includes some explicit discussion of relationships with women during the war years. He also shares thoughts on the Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Pearl Harbor, Missouri Congressional representative Richard Bolling, the Pendergast era, efforts to make lynching a federal offense, and numerous contemporary politicians.
In Part 3, he discusses the Nixon administration and Watergate, whether America is susceptible to dictatorship, his thoughts on nationally and locally prominent Black intellectuals and entertainers including Paul Robeson, Lucile Bluford, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and D. A. Holmes, the difficulties and advancement of Black people, including his family members in academics and public life, considers the legal profession and his work in bringing the Kansas City public accommodations ordinance to the Supreme Court, and choosing to leave elected office.
In Part 4, he considers what changes he might make to his life if he could live it over again and whether he believes himself to be a good man, his hopes for the future, more thoughts on the Pendergast era, as well as memories of Harry Truman and other local politicians. He also shares thoughts on civil rights efforts and the US Constitution.
Interview with state representative Henry C. Ross. Ross discusses his family and early life, attending Lincoln High School, his early jobs and involvement in politics, being elected to the Missouri House of Representatives in 1964, the work of lawmaking and politics, and his plans to run for state senate office. He also shares thoughts about Freedom Inc., prominent Black Kansas Citians and other politicians, local political factions, the upcoming Republican National Convention, and the role of the police in the protests following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Part 3 of an interview with former Kansas City mayor Ilus W. Davis. He discusses his election to city council, his campaign for mayor, the development of Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Hospital, his thoughts on racial issues and the civil rights movement, the city's public accommodation ordinance, and Black political engagement. He also discusses the protests that happened in the wake of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination, his disinterest in future political office, and remarks on the importance of access to education and jobs for the Black community.
Parts 1 and 2 of an iterview with former Kansas City mayor Ilus W. Davis. Davis discusses many aspects of his life and career, including his upbringing and education, memories of the Great Depression, his career as a lawyer, his time as an army officer during World War II on bases through the United States and in the Pacific on General MacArthur's staff, and his views of the Pendergast machine and Harry Truman. He also discusses segregation in Kansas City and the efforts to desegregate venues including the Music Hall and Municipal Auditorium and his election to the Kansas City city council.
Interview with pharmacist and former Missouri state representative James McKinley Neal. Neal discusses his path to Kansas City and the pharmacy business, his service in the state legislature from 1946 to 1964, his sponsorship of civil rights bills, being elected by a primarily white electorate, and witnessing and promoting the desegregation of many public facilities during that time. He notes that he was the first Black person permitted to stay in a white hotel in the state of Missouri, having previously been required to stay in Lincoln University dormitories while in Jefferson City. He also discusses the accomplishments of his family members, his involvement in the Urban League and Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital, and shares thoughts about the Model Cities program, employment, and education.
Interview with former city council member Joanne Collins during her 1976 campaign. She discusses her upbringing in Kansas City, Kansas, her education at local schools, working at Jane Hull House in Chicago, and attending the University of Kansas as a Black student. She describes encountering racism while working as a babysitter for a wealthy white family, her tumultuous first marriage to Gerald Spence, and working in real estate and at the post office. She also discusses her experience as a lifelong Black Republican and the perceived disconnect between the party and the Black community, running for the Jackson County legislature and Kansas City city council, and her other political involvement, including running for Congress against incumbent Richard Bolling at the time of the interview.
Two-part interview with Jackson County circuit court judge Lewis Clymer. Clymer discusses his early life in Neosho, Missouri, historically Black colleges and universities, including, his attendance at Lincoln and Howard universities and Howard's law school, his work with the war production board during World War II, the Lloyd Gaines and Lucile Bluford legal cases, and his work as a Jackson County prosecutor, Kansas City municipal court judge, and the first Black man nominated to the Jackson County Circuit Court. He also discusses his views on crime in Black communities, as well as his involvement in state politics (including working on Harry Truman's Senate campaign), his memories of Carl Johnson, Kansas City NAACP leader and first local Black municipal court judge, as well as other community leaders.
Interview with union leader and Missouri state representative Leo McKamey. McKamey discusses his early life in the St. Louis area, working at a variety of jobs, moving to Kansas City, serving a brief stint in the army, the lack of Black leadership in labor unions, and his work in union leadership. He also discusses Freedom, Inc., his work as a state representative, the importance of job training and the value of unions to the Black community, and shares his plans for his own future and hopes for the future of young people.
Interview with Jackson County legislator Mamie Hughes. Hughes discusses her early years in Florida and New York, her family background, their focus on learning Black history, working as a teacher, living in Mississippi and later moving to Kansas City, encountering racism and segregation, becoming involved in politics and activism, and being elected to the Jackson County legislature in 1972 and re-elected in 1974. She also discusses the growth and support of Freedom, Inc., the involvement of Black people in politics and activism, the importance of social services, employment opportunities, and education access, and other thoughts on building a strong community. She also shares thoughts about organizations such as Planned Parenthood, the Nation of Islam, and issues including property taxes, utility rates, the Equal Rights Amendment, and racism in feminism.
