Oral History Interview with Septima Poinsette Clark, July 30, 1976. Interview G-0017. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007).
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Abstract
Septima Clark was hired by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to continue the voter registration and community education classes she had taught through the Highlander Folk School. She recalls some of the successes of her work with the SCLC, especially the passing of the Voting Rights Act. The challenges of the work included prejudice against the female leaders in the organization, violent reactions by local police and Ku Klux Klan, and occasional class prejudice amongst SCLC leaders. Clark notes how several leaders needed to learn techniques for serving poor rural people, and she often corrected their misunderstandings. She compares the leadership strategies of Andrew Young, Wyatt T. Walker, and Ralph Abernathy and explains why the organization flourished under the influence of certain civil rights workers like Young and Jesse Jackson.
Excerpts
Many southerners avoid the interracial Highlander Folk School
Highlander Folk School volunteers go to jail for voter registration campaigns
One example of the violent opposition to the SCLC
Highlander Folk School uses local election law and farming needs to teach basic skills to communities
Highlander Folk School workers receive protection from the federal attorney general and local police
Highlander Folk School weathers various internal disputes
Female leaders are sometimes challenged and ignored in the SCLC
Some SCLC leaders have limited success in community organizing, often due to class differences
Two different women in the SCLC
Dr. King’s personal commitment to nonviolence
Different leadership styles in the SCLC
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Subjects
King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Trade-unions--Officials and employees--Southern States--Education
Highlander Folk School (Monteagle, Tenn.)
Women civil rights workers
African American civil rights workers--Georgia
Voter registration--Southern States
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