Oral history with Mr. Roger Barnhill

              Oral history with Mr. Roger Barnhill
This oral history is provided through a cooperative project of University of Southern Mississippi Libraries and USM's Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage.
Funding provided by a National Leadership Grant for Libraries from the Institute for Museum and Library Services
The transcript is presented here for reference purposes only. Interviews in this collection are protected by copyright. PERMISSION TO PUBLISH MUST BE REQUESTED from the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage. Please call ( 601) 266- 4574 for more information.
Biography
Mr. Roger Barnhill was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, on November 12, 1940, the son of Joe and Lilly Barnhill. He was raised in St. Louis. He attributes his predisposition for civil rights work to his mother's influence, his religious training, an African- American Boy Scout counselor, and the Jackie Robinson issue.
Barnhill was recruited into the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee ( SNCC) in his senior year at Michigan State University, where he was majoring in criminal justice. His participation in Freedom Summer began with a week- long training session at Oxford, where volunteers received instruction in American history and in the history of the civil rights movement in Mississippi as well as in what to do in case of arrest, how to prevent sabotage, and how to protect yourself when facing dogs, tear gas, and angry crowds.
Barnhill was assigned to Moss Point, where he roomed with an elderly African- American couple. Because of his criminal justice background, he worked as community liaison with the police department in Pascagoula. Over the summer, he canvassed voters in Moss Point, Pascagoula, Gulfport, and Biloxi, and he taught African- American history to high school students. He was arrested for taking part in a mass demonstration and spent several days in the county jail.
In fall 1964, Barnhill returned to Michigan State to complete his final semester. After graduating, he worked in the juvenile court in St. Louis for six years and then at the Missouri State Board of Probation and Parole, where he has been a supervisor for more that twenty years.
Transcript
This is an interview for the Mississippi Oral History Program of The University of Southern Mississippi. The interview is with Mr. Roger Barnhill and is taking place on November 7, 1995. The interviewer is John Rachal.
( A segment discussing scheduling of the interview is not included in this typed transcript.) mus- coh. barnhillr. doc Page 1 of 22