The Civil Rights History Project: Survey of Collections and Repositories

Nashville business leaders oral history project

Repository: Nashville Public Library. Special Collections Division

Collection Description (CRHP): Several excerpts of interviews in this collection that address civil rights and race relations are available in the Nashville Public Library's Digital Collections at http://digital.library.nashville.org

Collection Description (Extant): Scope and content: The collection consists of audio interviews with Nashville business and civic leaders.
Series I. The Southern Foodways Nashville Eats Interviews were conducted at the Nashville Public Library in July 2006 as a collaboration between the Southern Foodways Alliance and the library. The Nashville Eats Interviews are part of the Alliance's Oral History Initiative, which seeks to capture stories of Southerners who grow, create, serve, and consume food and drink. Interviewees were selected by the Alliance, and the interviews were conducted at the library by John Egerton. Interviewees in the Southern Foodways Alliance Nashville Eats Interviews include: David Swett, Jr. and James B. 'Hap' Townes, Jr.
Series II. The Turner Interviews were envisioned by Special Collections Center donor Steve Turner, with support and input from Keel Hunt, president of The Strategy Group, and Cabot Pyle, Director of the James Stephen Turner Charitable Foundation, who also serves as the Turner Interviews series interviewer. Individuals selected for inclusion are business leaders that have leveraged their success in Nashville's business community into projects that served to better their community. Interviewees in the Turner Interviews series include: Nelson Andrews; George H. Cate, Jr.; Edward F. Jones; Kenneth L. Roberts; James Stephen Turner; E.W. ("Bud") Wendell; and David Kirkpatrick (Pat) Wilson.
Series III. The Library Interviews series consists of interviews conducted by library staff and volunteers with Nashville business and civic leaders. Interviewees in this series include: John Arriola; Kathy Bloodworth; Douglas B. Havron; Thomas C. Jones; Seong Sun ('George') and Soo Kim; Joan Mehlman; Eva Mendelsohn; Win and Patti Myint; Betty C. Nixon; Douglas G. ('Doug') Odom, Jr.; and Margaret Ann Robinson.

Date(s): 2006-ongoing

Digital Status: Born-digital

Extent: sound discs: digital ; 4 3/4 in.; 2 transcripts

Language: English

Interviewees: Nelson Andrews, Edward F. Jones, Betty Chiles Nixon, Kenneth L. Roberts, David Swett, Jr.

Rights (CRHP): Contact the repository which holds the collection for information on rights

Subjects:

African Americans--Civil rights--Tennessee
Business enterprises
Businesspeople
Civic leaders
Civil rights movements--Tennessee
Segregation--Tennessee
Tennessee--Race relations

Genres:

Interviews
Sound recordings
Transcripts