Film, Video Walter Bruce oral history interview conducted by John Dittmer in Durant, Mississippi, 2013 March 11.

More Resources

View 40 images in sequence.
[ 1 transcript ]
Transcript: PDF  |  XML

About this Item

Title
Walter Bruce oral history interview conducted by John Dittmer in Durant, Mississippi, 2013 March 11.
Summary
Walter Bruce shares memories of his childhood in Durant, Mississippi, where his family sharecropped. As a young man he became a carpenter and also a gospel singer. He describes his early involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, including his participation in Mississippi Freedom Summer. Bruce was involved in community and political organizing throughout the 1960s, from helping to start health clinics and participating in the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party to his involvement in sit-ins and marches. Bruce also discusses the process of choosing and running black candidates for political office in the 1960s.
Contributor Names
Bruce, Walter, 1928-2014, interviewee.
Dittmer, John, 1939- interviewer.
Civil Rights History Project (U.S.)
Created / Published
2013.
Subject Headings
-  Bruce, Walter,--1928-2014--Interviews
-  Evers, Medgar Wiley,--1925-1963
-  Till, Emmett,--1941-1955
-  Mississippi Freedom Project
-  African American civil rights workers--Mississippi--Interviews
-  Civil rights movements--Mississippi
-  Civil rights movements--United States--Songs and music
-  Civil rights movements--United States
-  School integration--Mississippi--Attala County
Genre
Filmed Interviews
Interviews
Oral histories
Video recordings
Notes
-  Recorded in Durant, Mississippi, on March 11, 2013.
-  Civil Rights History Project Collection (AFC 2010/039), Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
-  Copies of items are also held at the National Museum of African American History and Culture (U.S.).
-  The Civil Rights History Project is a joint project of the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of African American History and Culture to collect video and audio recordings of personal histories and testimonials of individuals who participated in the Civil Rights movement.
-  Walter Bruce was a civil rights activist in Mississippi. He also worked as a carpenter and gospel singer with the Soul Travelers.
-  In English.
-  Finding aid http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/eadafc.af013005
Medium
9 video files of 9 (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (85 min.) : digital, sound, color.
1 transcript (50 pages).
Source Collection
Civil Rights History Project collection AFC 2010/039: 0071
Repository
Library of Congress Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, DC USA 20540-4610 http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home
Digital Id
http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/afc2010039.afc2010039_crhp0071
afc2010039text.afc2010039_crhp0071_Bruce_transcript
Library of Congress Control Number
2015669170
Access Advisory
Collection is open for research. Access to recordings may be restricted. To request materials, please contact the Folklife Reading Room at http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.contact
Online Format
online text
image
pdf
video
LCCN Permalink
https://lccn.loc.gov/2015669170
Additional Metadata Formats
MARCXML Record
MODS Record
Dublin Core Record
IIIF Presentation Manifest
Manifest (JSON/LD)

Rights & Access

The individuals documented in these collection items retain copyright and related rights to the use of their recorded and written testimonies and memories.  They have granted the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution permission to provide access to their interviews and related materials for purposes that are consistent with each agency’s educational mission, such as publication and transmission, in whole or in part, on the Web. Their written permission is required for commercial, profit-making distribution, reproduction, or other use beyond that allowed by fair use or other statutory exemptions. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item. See our Legal Notices and Privacy and Publicity Rights for additional information and restrictions.

The American Folklife Center, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and the professional fieldworkers who carry out these projects feel a strong ethical responsibility to the people they have visited and who have consented to have their lives documented for the historical record. The Center asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here. Researchers are also reminded that privacy and publicity rights may pertain to certain uses of this material.

Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these collection materials should contact the Folklife Reading Room for assistance. 

Credit Line

Civil Rights History Project collection (AFC 2010/039), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Bruce, Walter, Interviewee, John Dittmer, and U.S Civil Rights History Project. Walter Bruce oral history interview conducted by John Dittmer in Durant, Mississippi. 2013. Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2015669170/.

APA citation style:

Bruce, W., Dittmer, J. & Civil Rights History Project, U. S. (2013) Walter Bruce oral history interview conducted by John Dittmer in Durant, Mississippi. [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2015669170/.

MLA citation style:

Bruce, Walter, Interviewee, John Dittmer, and U.S Civil Rights History Project. Walter Bruce oral history interview conducted by John Dittmer in Durant, Mississippi. 2013. Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2015669170/>.

More Films, Videos like this