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An Oral History with Honorable Unita Blackwell
This oral history is provided through a cooperative project of USM Libraries and USM's Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage It is presented here for reference purposes only. Interviews in this collection are protected by copyright and PERMISSION TO PUBLISH MUST BE REQUESTED from the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage. Please call ( 601) 266- 4574 for more information.
Biography
Unita Blackwell was born in Lula, Mississippi, on March 18, 1933. Her parents were both sharecroppers in Coahoma County. Because of limited educational opportunities for black Mississippians at that time, Ms. Blackwell had to cross the State line to attend school, in West Helena, Arkansas. Ms. Blackwell became a field worker for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in 1964, joining their efforts to register black voters in Mississippi. She also served that year as a delegate of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, which went to the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey, as an alternative to the all- white, regular Democratic Party of Mississippi. During the late 1960' s and early 1970' s, Ms. Blackwell served about ten years as a community development specialist with the National Council of Negro Women. Since 1977 she has served as mayor of the Issaquena County community of Mayersville.
Topics Discussed
Early Life Work Experiences in Florida Involvement in the Civil Rights Movement Civil Rights Workers Arrive in Issaquena County Joining SNCC ( Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) Attempting to Register Black Voters in Issaquena County The Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party and the 1964 Democratic Party Convention Reasons for Getting Involved in the Civil Rights Movement Clashes with Local Law Enforcement Officials Imprisonment of Voting Rights Protesters at the Mississippi State Fairgrounds Other Incidences Personalities in the Civil Rights Movement Stokely Carmichael Bob Moses Andrew Young
mus- coh. blackwellu. doc Page 1 of 51
Object Description
| Title | Oral history with Honorable Unita Blackwell |
| Description | Interviews conducted on 04-21-1977 and 05-12-1977 with Unita Blackwell (born 1933). Ms. Blackwell was a field worker for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in 1964 and also served that year as a delegate of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, which went to the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey, as an alternative to the all-white, regular Democratic Party of Mississippi. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Ms. Blackwell served about ten years as a community development specialist with the National Council of Negro Women. Since 1977 she has served as mayor of the Issaquena County community of Mayersville. |
| Date of interview | 21 April 1977 (1st interview); 12 May 1977 (2nd interview) |
| Interviewer | Garvey, Mike. |
| Coverage (time period) | 1933-1977 (primarily 1960s) |
| Resource type | Text |
| Format | Digital reproduction of a 51-page document. |
| Language | English |
| Publisher |
University of Southern Mississippi. Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage. University of Southern Mississippi Libraries. (electronic version) |
| Contributors | Electronic version made available through a National Leadership Grant for Libraries from the Institute for Museum and Library Services. |
| Notes | This item is part of the Civil Rights in Mississippi Digital Archive. |
| Rights | Copyright protected. Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce is required. |
| Contributing institution | Mississippi Oral History Program of the University of Southern Mississippi. |
| Digital repository | University of Southern Mississippi Digital Collections. |
| Digital collection | Oral History. |
| File size | 385.817 KB |
| File extension | |
| Identifier | mus-coh.blackwellu |
| File name | mus-coh.blackwellu.pdf |
