Primary Resources Archive

Video Interview Collection
After the election of Barack Obama to the U.S. presidency, Larry King, a popular talk-show host on CNN interviewed Vernon Jordan. Jordan is known as a Civil Rights “leader.” He was an advisor to President Clinton; and, at one time, CEO of the National Urban League (NUL). He is also the recipient of many honorary degrees. Formerly, the NUL was known as “The Committee on Urban Conditions Among Negroes” and “The National League of Black Men and Women.”  Founded in the early twentieth century as a “biracial” organization, in approximately 1910, the NUL paralleled the establishment of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, better known as the NAACP. The NUL was in place to assist rural blacks adjust to city urban life. 

On November 25, 2008, Larry King interviewed Vernon Jordan on the release of his new book, Make It Plain, and to get his reaction to Obama’s historic campaign victory. King asked Jordan – why is black history mostly oral? In response, Vernon Jordan replied, “It is simply because we were slaves.” He went on to say, “We did not have the tools, the mechanics with which to make our life in this country plain, and the spoken word has historically been the vehicle for inspiring our people and teaching white America.” As I listened to his response to this question, I thought, here is a man who has served in some of the highest positions in the land, has advocated on behalf of black people, and who has recently published a book entitled, Make it Plain: Standing Up and Speaking Out, and according to him, black history is mostly oral because we were slaves? How disappointing!  After hearing that, I was in no rush to read or purchase his book. 

The oral tradition, the act of passing down stories through the spoken word by a trusted member of the community is an ancient socio-political practice; it has guided many peoples of the earth. This practice has been used as a powerful pedagogical method of communication for centuries. The followers of Jesus, for example, used it to spread the message of his alleged resurrection. It is not simply an African phenomenon; and, descendants of African people do not possess it exclusively. It is a verbal testament to the power of the human spirit, period. As such, black history is connected to the many histories of the earth. 

One of my former professors, Dr. Tex Sample, claims that half of the American people act out of a traditional orality. They make sense of their lives through storytelling; they think in terms of relationships; and they make daily use of proverbs and moralistic sayings, i.e., “Yes, We Can.” This traditional sense of orality, and the use of it, is a very human and engaged pedagogy – a tried and true practice of gaining discursive control over one’s existence in an extremely violent and unfair world. The oral tradition (shame Mr. Jordan!) is a socio-historical tool of survival and liberation. The one who uses “the word” to release h/imself from pain or oppression declares that s/he is not enslaved by the circumstances of life. Though enslaved or endangered (if I may refer to jazz vocalist Dianne Reeves), she finds the strength and the resolve to say, “I sing of rebirth/no victim’s song!”          

These video excerpts are from interviews that I conducted in 2003-04. Each narrator briefly discusses biographical information and some aspect of their experience in and out of Springfield. Currently, only three short clips may appear on the website, but my goal is to construct a balanced sampling of the interview collection that is archived at the Springfield Museum of History. I hope that there will be more excerpts on this website in the very near future, and via the Museum, I will develop a grander narrative using excerpts from the entire collection. But, in the meantime, this is what you will find on this website: 

Ruth Loving shares her story of landing a showgirl job at the famous Cotton Club in New York City. The Cotton Club was a famous social/night club in Harlem; at one time blacks were not “allowed” in the audience, though they functioned as the primary entertainers. 

Benjamin Swan, who is currently the State Representative for the 11th Hampden District in Springfield, discusses his family origins and he recalls the many manufacturing companies that were located in Springfield during the 1950s. He remembers that black women were employed in these sectors as well.

Finally, Roger Williams, who was dubbed “Springfield’s Original Activist” by a local reporter, explains how he became personally involved in challenging racial discrimination in the local public schools. Williams is responsible for various local developments in Springfield, mostly in the Old Hill neighborhood, and he secured the establishment of a local branch of the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) in Springfield. Williams passed away in 2005. 
For further information on these videos, or the forthcoming video presentation on the collection, please contact me at fonza@larp.umass.edu.

annalise fonza,
PhD Candidate
Department of Landscape Architecture & Regional Planning
University of Massachusetts-Amherst
August 31, 2009

Interview With Ben Swan

Interview with Ruth B. Stewart-Loving

Interview with Roger Williams

 

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