Top of page

Film, Video Julius W. Becton oral history interview conducted by David P. Cline in Ft. Belvoir, Virginia, 2015 December 15

Julius W. Becton oral history interview conducted by David P. Cline in Ft. Belvoir, Virginia, 2015 December 15

More Resources

View Enlarged Image
[ 1 transcript ]

About this Item

Title

  • Julius W. Becton oral history interview conducted by David P. Cline in Ft. Belvoir, Virginia, 2015 December 15

Summary

  • Julius W. Becton recalls events that led to his service in the military. He highlights being the first African American to hold many of his positions in academics, the military and post-military career. Emphasizing how the integration of the military influenced his attitude towards racial issues, he offers a unique perspective on the Civil Rights Movement. He expresses deep pride for his efforts to advance himself, his family, race, and country through his military service.

Names

  • Becton, Julius W. (Julius Wesley), 1926- interviewee
  • Cline, David P., 1969- interviewer
  • Bishop, John Melville, videographer
  • Civil Rights History Project (U.S.)

Created / Published

  • 2015.

Headings

  • -  Becton, Julius W.--(Julius Wesley),--1926---Interviews
  • -  Merritt, Jack N.,--1930-2018
  • -  Prairie View Agricultural and Mechanical College
  • -  United States.--Army--African American troops
  • -  United States.--Army.--Infantry Division, 93rd
  • -  African American generals--Interviews
  • -  Civil rights movements--United States
  • -  Discrimination in the military--United States
  • -  Generals--United States--Interviews
  • -  Korean War, 1950-1953--Personal narratives, American
  • -  United States--Race relations

Genre

  • Personal narratives
  • Filmed interviews
  • Interviews
  • Oral histories
  • Video recordings

Notes

  • -  Recorded in Ft. Belvoir, Virginia, on December 15, 2015.
  • -  Civil Rights History Project collection (AFC 2010/039: 0135), 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.).
  • -  Lieutenant General Julius W. Becton, Jr., United States Army, retired, was born in 1926 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. He joined the Army Air Corps in July 1944 and graduated from Infantry Officer Candidate School in 1945. Becton originally separated from the Army in 1946, but he returned to active duty in 1948 when the Army was officially desegregated. Eventually, rising to the rank of Lieutenant General, he served during both the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and retired from the U.S. Army in 1983 after nearly 40 years of service. After retirement, he has held numerous positions including: Director of Disaster Assistance for the Agency for International Development (AID), the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), president of Prairie View A & M University, and Superintendent for the District of Columbia school system.
  • -  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.
  • -  In English.
  • -  Finding aid http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/eadafc.af013005

Medium

  • 8 video files (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (3:08:47) : digital, sound, color.
  • transcript 1 item (.pdf) : text files.

Source Collection

  • Civil Rights History Project collection AFC 2010/039: 0135

Repository

  • Library of Congress Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, DC USA 20540 to 4610 http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/folklife.home

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2016655426

Rights Advisory

  • Duplication of collection materials may be governed by copyright and other restrictions.

Access Advisory

Online Format

  • image
  • pdf
  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

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:

Becton, Julius W. , Interviewee, David P Cline, John Melville Bishop, and U.S Civil Rights History Project. Julius W. Becton oral history interview conducted by David P. Cline in Ft. Belvoir, Virginia. 2015. Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2016655426/.

APA citation style:

Becton, J. W., Cline, D. P., Bishop, J. M. & Civil Rights History Project, U. S. (2015) Julius W. Becton oral history interview conducted by David P. Cline in Ft. Belvoir, Virginia. [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2016655426/.

MLA citation style:

Becton, Julius W. , Interviewee, et al. Julius W. Becton oral history interview conducted by David P. Cline in Ft. Belvoir, Virginia. 2015. Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2016655426/>.