Oral history recordings now available at J.D. Boyd Library at Alcorn State University
In 2014, the Mississippi Humanities Council (MHC) awarded a grant to Alcorn State University for an oral history project entitled “Alcorn in the 1960s: A Collection of Oral Histories.”
Recently, a copy of the tapes made during the project was placed in Alcorn’s Archives/Special Collections department at the J. D. Boyd Library. All members of the Alcorn community now have access to the recordings.
“The interviewees told fascinating stories about their lives as undergraduates at Alcorn during a very important time in the university’s history,” said Dr. Peter Malik, project director. “The committee members were honored to speak with these graduates, one of who worked directly with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on civil rights issues.”
Dr. Blanche Sanders, dean of university libraries, explained, “The library is very pleased to be able to make the recordings available for use by students, faculty, staff members, alumni and members of the general public. We feel the recordings will become a very important resource for the library in the months and years to come.”
Beginning in the spring of 2015, a total of 13 interviews were conducted with individuals who graduated from Alcorn during the years from 1960 through 1969. The interviewees were queried on topics such as academics, fraternity/sorority life, athletics, fashion and civic participation.
The project was made possible by a grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council, through support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or the Mississippi Humanities Council.
