1 10 5 https://farmer.umwhistory.org/files/original/2f58f7dfcabd22ea31b70ad8ffafc0b4.png b1ac62b07e89ba99f27e1bdc71879386 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oral Histories Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Kimberly Eastridge Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Christopher Williams Location The location of the interview Online Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound KIMBERLY: So, for our records, can you please state your full name? CHRISTOPHER: uh, do you want my middle name? KIMBERLY: if you want, give it to us, sure. CHRISTOPHER: [Laughing] I’ll just do Christopher Williams. KIMBERLY: Awesome, and saw that you signed our consent form, do you have any questions or comments about that? CHRISTOPHER: No, I do not. KIMBERLY: you do understand that this recording will be shared with my group members, Dr. McClurken, and will be uploaded to our website? CHRISTOPHER: Yes. KIMBERLY: Awesome, then we’ll go ahead and get started. So, Uh, When did you first meet Dr. Farmer? CHRISTOPHER: I first meet Dr. Farmer in 1996. KIMBERLY: Awesome, what was your relationship with Dr. Farmer? CHRISTOPHER: My relationship with him, I guess to give you a little bit of the back story, so one day my mom used to be an avid runner and jogger. So, she was running down our road and she just happened to bump into one of Dr. Farmer’s daughters, Tammy, who was working at the house with the horses and whatnot, and she struck up a conversation with her and she mentioned that I was a James Farmer scholar, and if she wouldn’t mind that, if my mom and I would come to the house to meet Dr. Farmer, because I was a scholar and because, you know I was interested in civil rights even at a young age. Uh, and Tam was like “Yeah sure”. Uh, and then, my mom was also friends with Brenda Sloan, Ms. Brenda Sloan, who was one of the librarians at UMW at the time, and who ended up being Dr. Farmer’s caregiver, um for the last few years of his life. So that really granted us access to him, pretty much whenever. So, the summer of my sophomore year of high school and my junior year in high school, I spent a good amount of time with dr. Farmer, a few days here and there, and just having conversations with him about the civil rights movement, you know, just life in general. Uh, So yeah, I hope that’s not too long winded. KIMBERLY: No that was great! No that was great. Uh what…I don’t, I’m not familiar with James Farmer scholars, what exactly is that? CHRISTOPHER: Oh okay, uh, well the James Farmer scholars program was founded in 1987, and has been around for the past, what is it now, 30 almost 33 years, and um the person who was the director of the program, who is still a UMW professor, Dr. Venita McCall, she is in the Education department, and um I consider her like a mother figure to me, outside of my own mother and my god mother. And being a part of that program, you get selected, so they started looking at students in the area, so it’s a program that covers the Spotsylvania school district, Caroline county, west morlin, and also Fredericksburg, the city of Fredericksburg, so you had students coming out of walker grant middle school, James Monroe high school, all the high schools in Spotsylvania county at the time, and then Caroline middle school, and Caroline high school, and west morlin, I think west morlin middle school and Washington and lee high school. So, forgive me I can’t remember the middle school in west morlin, I think I said the name of it but I may be wrong but. They started looking at students when they’re in 6th grade, and you’re selected before you hit for 7th grade. So, by the time you get into 7th grade, you’re enrolled into the James Farmer scholars program. And the program met at uh the University of Mary Washington campus a couple of Saturdays out of the month. There would be school busses dropping students off from all these schools to UMW, we used to meet in Trinkle hall room 204 as a large group and then break throughout the rest of the hall for the rest of the day with our various grade levels. Uh, then we had a summer program, a weeklong summer program at UMW, so you know the James farmers scholars program was really the first program to introduce me to what It could eventually feel like being a college student as a first gen. KIMBERLY: that’s very cool, tha sounds like a very, cool experience for you. CHRISTOPHER: haha, thank you KIMBERLY: Awesome, um how would you describe Dr. Farmer and your like personal experience with him? CHRISTOPHER: A very kind soul. Uh, he was very cerebral, ugh had a very strong baritone voice, shake the ground, uh deep, philosophical, uh, really, uh still, a real advocate, uh for those who could not represent themselves. One of the things that I tend to forget about was that Dr. Farmer represented many different identities. Uh, of course, of course he was a black man, but he also had disabilities. And you know, Disability accommodations were kinda difficult to come by especially at the time when he was teaching at the university. Uh, but he was such a giving person, great laugh haha great laugh, just really open to any questions I had. You know, I think of him very fondly, because of the time that we shared, and, uh, you know he was, he was just so great. I mean I can’t really put into words that experience. You know, he was one of my first mentors. So, um, I have been privileged to be around a few um civil rights legends in my time, but he was the first. And definitely left a [inaudible] mark on me, to this day. KIMBERLY: yeah that’s amazing, um, do you have any favorite memories with him? or ones you can share with us. CHRISTOPHER: Sure, um, I remember, so in the May issue of the Mary Washington, university of Mary Washington magazine, um that issue is going to be dedicated to Dr. Farmer, and I’m a feature in it. And one of the pictures that you saw on Instagram that I posed back in November, it was my mom, Dr. Farmer and I at his 77th birthday party that was January 12, 1997, and I remember being there and being in that room with him with my mom and us talking about things and then reading him his birthday cards because at that point he was blind. So, my mom and I were reading him his birthday cards from people you know from local to across the country, which was really cool to see the type of love he was being shown. And then, being there with Mrs. Sloan, who was his caretaker at the time, um his daughter, his granddaughter, and then another fellow scholar, Dwain K., who is reverend Dwain K. and…Ms. Sloan recently shared this with m, that he said that if the rest of the scholars could turn out like Chris and Dwain, I would’ve left a great legacy. And when she told me that I, she told me that this past summer, I was just like wow. So, I carry that with me too. You know just times, just visiting. Uh, Walking around, uh his home and outside of his home and you know, just spending time with him inside the house having various conversations about his role in the civil rights movement and he would often say I just hope that people don’t forget, not only what I sacrificed, but the many people who were with my at core and the other organizations that sacrificed so that we could be in the space that were in today. So, I also remember those things as well. KIMBERLY: So, you sort of have, um you know, like layers of perspectives on Dr. Farmer as both a younger student and as a faculty emmber today. Do you find that some of these values, um, that he embodied you are instilling in your students today? Or, do you see sort of like reverberations of what you’re doing today at UMW? CHRISTOPHER: Absolutely, one of the things, when I got hired, when I came on board in September of 2017 as assistant director of the James farmer multicultural center. The first thing that Dr. Sandford wanted me to do was to expand, um the social justice piece of our office. Because, in the interview process I told her that I was the main person who was organizing…so she had attended a couple events that I had organized, so she had no idea that I was the one who organized them, so after, so when I organized the town hall leading after the Travon martin verdict, about 300 people showed up that day. Of those 300 people, um, Jordan Davis’ brother, Jordan Davis was another young African American man who was killed in Jacksonville for playing his music too loud by a white man. Um so, his brother was there, and also Oscar grant’s god mother, Oscar Grant was killed in San Francisco out in Oakland, on the Bart, Bart system is kinda like New York subway system, but it’s called Bart in Oakland. Uh, a cop killed him for no reason. So, when I organized the event I had no idea those people were going to be there. They just happened to live in the area. So, and uh, Dr. Stanford was there that day. I didn’t know that because there were so many people there. So when the interview process, one of the questions was “what is your experience in social justice work?” and I told her that I organized that event, I organized the voting town hall event on UMW’s campus, tha tshe came to hahah. Then, uh, I also marched on Washington for wokers rights and union rights with reverend Sharpton and reverend Jessie Jackson, um, I know reverend ben Chavis who was our keynote speaker this past, MLK, who was like “man good to see you” when he pulled up. And then, yeah just a few other people Julian Bond, Dianne Nash, and people like that. So, I;ve had the pleasure of being in their company and they knew who I was, and you know, it’s just, you know, not to be too long winded, so yes, so, the work that im doing in the office today, I pull from the knowledge base of Dr. Farmer, of people like merle Evers, Williams, dianna nash, Julian Bond, Dr. Ben Chavis you know people that I know, and one of the reasons why I am so passionate about the social justice work and organizing not only just the teachings that we do, but the social justice leadership summit, and the social justice fall break trip. All those are components to get students understand why we still have social justice issues in the country today, and giving them the tools to effectively address and respond to those social justice issues, to improve those issues so they no longer are social justice issues. So, we’re not here 100 ears from now talking about the same things. KIMBERLY: right, Right. So, we’ve talked a bit about Dr. Farmer’s legacy, like farmer legacy 2020 that initiative that got placed this year. But how do you think that is being represented here on campus and furthermore, as a faculty member, and just as a general person in our community, how do you think we can better represent his legacy and him as a person? CHRISTOPHER: Well I think that the campus has done a really good job of, you know, acknowledging Dr. Farmer’s legacy on campus with the Farmer legacy 2020 initiative this year. It’s been nice walking around and seeing his face adorned on the light posts around our beautiful campus. I hope those stay up. That’s my hope. I hope they are not taken down after 2020 ends, or whenever we come back to campus haha. It’s been nice that the campus has also paid attention to the James Farmer multicultural center, being that it’s our 30 year anniversary, the 20th anniversary of the center being named after Dr. Farmer, uh and the work that we’re doing in our office, so that’s also been wonderful. I think that one of the things that we can do, moving forward, is just continuing to support, uh, the initiatives and the things and the issues that Dr. Farmer would have supported if he was still with us. Not to sound biased, but, you know, having the social justice piece or component integrated into the curriculum of UMW. We have a social justice minor, which is fantastic. I am thinking even more. You know, having different cultural studies as minors, so you have African American studies as a minor, uh, or major at UMW, because many of the students have asked to have that implemented and integrated into the curriculum on campus. I think that would be a step in the right direction for the campus as a whole to continue the work of Dr. farmer. You know, he taught in the history and American studies department at UMW. Uh, so, that would be a way to carry out this legacy a little bit more. You know, just more representation in terms of faculty, you know hiring more faculty of color, you know I think that would come a long way in the name of Dr. Farmer. Cause he was one of the few who were on campus at the time he was teaching while at UMW. So I think that would be a great way to acknowledge what he brought, not only to our campus but to our society. And you know, just continue to support the other initiatives, whether eit be te office of disabilities resource office, our office, you know, I think its just important for students to realy have a balance. It’s not just enough to, I know people are just coming to college to get into their major, but before they get into their major, you know having an understanding of how our society has worked. And so, you know, having that knowledge base, because it could change lives, because I can say that the social justice and leadership summit has changed the direction of a few student’s past because of the sessions we provide at the summit. So, that, all that could be something that continues the legacy of Dr. Farmer. KIMBERLY: Yeah those are all amazing points. To, I don’t know, end on a high note. Do you have any funny antic dotes about Dr. Farmer? I know you said he had a good laugh so… CHRISTOPHER [LAUGHING]: so, let me see. I remember he had a great sense of humor, I cant recall any like jokes he said or anything he said, but he had a really good sense of humor and a wonderful hardy laugh. I can tell you that I cant recall anything off hand now, but I remember the former director, the first director of the James farmer multicultural center, Forest Parker. We were at the Dr. Farmer tribute, when we first, that first Monday when we returned to campus, when we had the whole chandler ballroom packed. Afterwards him and I talked and he mentioned that “yeah me, me and dr. Farmer” I think he used to call him Jim and and he said “yeah, we used to go out for drinks and you know, he was so funny, charismatic” and I think that’s a side people didn’t get to see that often but… yeah he was great. KIMBERLY: Yeah, I agree with that, I think he was definitely painted as more of like a stoic figure, so its nice to know that he did chuckle a bit. CHRISTOPHER [LAUGHING]: haha yeah, right. I think that because of the…I think…I think about John Lewis and Dr. Farmer and Dr. King, Whitney Young, Roy Wilkens, Dorothy Hight, all these people, all they sacrificed, but they still had great sense of humor. Despite all the trauma they still found sense of Joy, so I think there’s a lesson in that. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Christopher Williams Oral History Interview Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Qr6_hadbD68" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe> Subject The topic of the resource Oral History Interview Farmer, James 1920-1999 History and American Studies Department University of Mary Washington Mary Washington College Description An account of the resource This oral history, featuring Christopher Williams, tells the story of a James Farmer Scholar, friendship, and mentorship. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Hist 428 Spring 2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available HIST 428: Farmer Group Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-03-20 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Eastridge, Kimberly Williams, Christopher Forest, John Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Youtube Video Language A language of the resource English https://farmer.umwhistory.org/files/original/34233baee31f06507f52ad90593e515e.png 7dc7769345f68a7505863be22a0d946f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oral Histories Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Eastridge, Kimberly Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed McClurken, Jeffery Location The location of the interview Zoom Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound Text: This oral history interview was created as part of a project on Dr. James Farmer’s educational legacy at the University of Mary Washington. This project was completed for the University of Mary Washington’s Adventures in Digital History class taught by Dr. Jeffrey McClurken. We would like to thank Dr. Jeffrey McClurken for agreeing to participate in this interview. Text: Thank you for agreeing to participate in this interview, Dr. McClurken. Could you please state your name for the record? Dr. McClurken: I am Jeffrey W. McClurken, a professor of History and American Studies at Mary Washington. Text: What year did you graduate? Dr. McClurken: I graduated in 1994. Text: How did you know Dr. Farmer? Dr. McClurken: I mean, I was a student in his class, but of course I’d heard about him long before that semester. People on campus had talked about him and I’d heard about him from faculty in the department about him. Text: Did you learn something in his civil rights class that you still remember today? Or changed your perspective as a person or as a teacher? Dr. McClurken: I mean the class was, it’s almost trite, but it was life changing, right? You had this sense that you were in the presence of history greatness. Right? He had this booming, powerful voice, this great smile, terrific way of telling stories. Um, yeah, I mean, I think- look, as a history major I had taken a number of classes in which the Civil Rights movement was covered. Right? But it was one thing to hear about the movement from a faculty member, but there is something fundamentally different in hearing those stories come to life, right? Come to life from someone who has been there. Come to life from someone who is physically and emotionally suffered for the cause you’re studying. It’s just a- it’s a different experience. It’s a transformative experience. Um. You know, I guess another way to put it would be to say that as a history major who had every plan of going on to graduate school, to becoming a scholar, to becoming a professor, a teacher myself, there was something deeply powerful about hearing from what was effectively a living legend. Right? And-and a living legend who was somehow simultaneously clearly human as well. Right? I mean, he was self-deprecating. He was open about his personal struggles. He would talk, for example, about how he dealt with his jealousy of Martin’s fame. Right? Just, first of all, the fact that he talked about Martin Luther King as “Martin,” right? It was a constant reminder to us his ties to the other leaders of the movement. But, that- he wasn’t name dropping. He wasn’t trying to just- he wasn’t using it in some false or pretentious way. He was-he was there. Martin was a friend of his. Dr. King was a friend of his. Um, you know, so he was always-he was just always sort of self-deprecating. He talked through how he agonized about whether or not he made the right decision to stay in jail with the other protestors in Plaquemine, Louisiana, when he could have just paid the court fees and have been at the 1960’s March on Washington. Sort of agonized over whether it was the right thing to do, even thirty years later, or forty years later. So, that sense of, of both the majesty and humanity just really- just really stuck with me. Text: What kinds of values did he instill in his students? Do you see the reverberations of those lessons in your own teachings today? Dr. McClurken: Oh, man, I hope so. Um, you know, he-I would say he instilled service, thoughtfulness, honesty, a willingness to confront oppression. A, um, but also a sense- a sense of humor, and a sense of, of the need to still laugh and to be human. Yeah, I’d love to-I’d love to think that that has influenced my own teaching, but I-but I watched—you know, I mean there were, you know, over a hundred of us in each of these classes, um, and, um, and yet you could see people just be affected and transformed by this and we talk about it outside of class. Um, you know, for me personally, that experience solidified my desire to be a historian. Solidified my desire to represent the perspective of those in the past and in the present. Um, so, you know, I-there’s no question in my mind that he-he, he—but I was not the only one who had-who had that kind of reaction to it, because I was sitting with all my fellow classmates, and-and-and hearing their reactions and the conversations they we have at lunch, um, or, um, you know, at the dinner table at, you know, over at what was then Seacobek. Um, you know, having these conversations. It-it went beyond just a class. It was more than just content. Um, it was— this is going to sound trite, but it was an experience, right? Text: You have a very unique perspective as both an alumni and a current faculty member. How do you think Dr. Farmer has impacted UMW and the greater Fredericksburg area? Dr. McClurken: Um, I-I think Farmer’s legacy on-on campus and-and in town is hard to quantify. I mean it’s easier to point to-to sort of organizations or institutions or things that are named after him. Uh, I think the James Farmer Multicultural Center continues on his legacy. I think the Farmer bust is an important reminder, even if not everyone knows what they’re looking at when they walk past it. I think the work being carried out in his name, a lot of the work create the A.S.P.I.R.E. concept was really based in his ideas, and his work. You know, there have been numerous, um, um, first year seminars that have been created, and, about him or with his teachings at the center. Uh, earlier groups have done oral histories with people, um, who work with him or who knew him. Um, you know, I-I I think- you know, for me, as you point out, I do have this unique perspective, right, because I was his student but now I’m back teaching at the school where he taught for almost two decades. Um, you know, my time in that classroom was transformative, and so when I had a chance to come back and teach at Mary Washington, um, I jumped at the chance to try to find ways to remember and honor him, right? For his service to the Civil Rights Movement, but also to his service to a generation of students at Mary Washington. Um, I wanted people to be able to hear that booming voice, to hear his stories as much as possible. It’s why I’ve had three different classes over the last decade create digital projects related to Farmer and his work. Um, you know, I-and I think the work your group is doing and the work those previous groups have done mean that through the work of Mary Washington students everyone can hear James Farmer words, can-can read his words, can hear him tell his stories, to come to understand why we honor James Farmer and his legacy. Text: Do you have a favorite memory or anecdote about him? McClurken: It’s central to what I’ve been talking about, I think. You know, the paper-the research paper I wrote for his class was on President Lyndon Johnson’s varied stances—and they varied quite wildly—his stances on Civil Rights over the years. I-I won’t bore you with the details, but, but I know that when I turned in that paper I was very proud of the nuanced story that I had written, the narrative that I had laid out grounded in the primary sources—it really used LBJ’s autobiography which he wrote after he stepped down as president. Now, I-I’m enough of a scholar now and there’s been enough time that looking back, given what I now know about primary sources and Lyndon Johnson, I probably bought-I bought into LBJ’s retellings of his own past more than I should have, right? He was telling his own story in a way that made him look good. But when I got the paper back Dr. Farmer—the only thing he had written on it was: “Interesting. This is not the version President Johnson told me when I was in the oval office.” And so, you know, of course I had professors tell me I needed to think more critically about my sources before, that was the first time I’d ever had a professor cite actual interactions with the people in question to indicate how wrong I was. So, I, you know, and it was-I didn’t take it-I didn’t take it in a bad way. I could hear his-I could hear the tone and his voice, the sort of wry, sardonic tone in his voice as he was like “that’s not what President Johnson told me.” Right? And, um, so that-that was the kind of person he was. He-he-he- it was education, not indoctrination. Right? Um, and so um, you know, I-I- for me the fact that he-that we are finding ways to recognize the ways that-that this man brought the Civil Rights Movement to life through that resonant voice, through that-that wry humor, that deep intelligence, that empathy, right? And-and in some cases, what amounted to an incredibly raw emotion, right? The emotion of someone who had lived through the movement. And so, um, that fact that we are able to celebrate and recognize the life and teaching of Dr. Farmer whose-whose career as a Civil Rights leader, I think, was-was complemented by his career as an educator. It’s-it’s an amazing opportunity and responsibility for all of us, but-but it’s one that I think we gladly take up. Text: Thank you again, Dr. McClurken, for helping us get to know Dr. Farmer even better! Text: Interviewee: Dr. Jeffrey McClurken; Interviewer: Kim Eastridge; Editor: Eilise Mahoney; Team Members: John Forest, Katia Savelyeva, Megan Williams; Advising Professor: Dr. Jeffrey McClurken Text: For more information on this project please go to farmer.umwhistory.org Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Zoom Video Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 10:20 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Dr. Jeffrey McClurken's Oral History Interview Subject The topic of the resource Farmer, James, 1920-1999 Faculty McClurken, Jeffrey W. Department of History and American Studies Oral History Interview University of Mary Washington Mary Washington College Description An account of the resource In this oral history interview, Dr. Jeffrey McClurken of the University of Mary Washington's History and American Studies department about his time in Dr. Farmer's Civil Rights class as well as Dr. Farmer's educational legacy at the University. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Hist 428 Spring 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EZZrI7dKSC0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><br /><br />To see this video on Youtube please click <a href="https://youtu.be/EZZrI7dKSC0" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="Link to Youtube video">here</a>. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-04-09 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource McClurken, Jeffrey W. Eastridge, Kimberly Mahoney, Eilise Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Youtube Video Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available HIST 428: Farmer Group Dr. Jeffrey McCLurken Education James Farmer Legacy Oral History Oral History Interview https://farmer.umwhistory.org/files/original/c30a872af631d6fbd02a4cca4873cc78.png 6718a0ad923d8e40c76694f6b6b4fd0e Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oral Histories Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Eastridge, Kimberly Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Dellinger, Mary Hellen Location The location of the interview Zoom Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound Text: This oral history interview was created as part of a project on Dr. James Farmer’s educational legacy at the University of Mary Washington. This project was completed for the University of Mary Washington’s Adventures in Digital History class taught by Dr. Jeffrey McClurken. We would like to thank Dr. Jeffrey McClurken for agreeing to participate in this interview. Text: Thank you for agreeing to participate in this interview, Ms. Dellinger. Could you please state your name for the record? Ms. Dellinger: Mary Hellen Dellinger Text: What year did you graduate? Ms. Delligner: 1990. Text: What was your major? Ms. Delligner: History. Text: How did you know Dr. Farmer? Ms. Delligner: He was a visiting professor there. I’m not quite sure what his actual title was. And I knew him by his classes. Text: You were in his Civil Rights class? Ms. Delligner: I think that’s the only one he taught. Yes, that’s the one I took. Text: What do you remember learning about in his class? Ms. Delligner: I remember sitting there thinking—I was a senior when I took it— “I’m looking at a living history.” I mean, right in front of me. Just straight out of the pages of a history book. And I remember learning things about the Civil Rights Movement that I didn’t know. Um, I liked the fact that the class addressed a lot of the—I don’t want to call it the pre-movement, because it was all the movement, I guess, but, uh, a lot of the early things from the 1950s. He talked a lot about that, thing that I’d never gone into before, and then quite a bit of time about his personal experiences literally on the front lines of the south. I’d probably say it was the best class I’d ever taken, and I completed the graduate courses at George Mason University. So, yeah, that’s hands-down the best class. Text: How would you describe Dr. Farmer? Ms. Delligner: I’d describe him as a very, um, compassionate person. One that despite all his experiences wanted to share. He wasn’t bitter in the least, didn’t harbor any animosity towards anybody, and, um, was very eager for us to understand his story, so as to, you know, not repeat those types of things. Try and make us better people, I guess you could say. Text: Do you have a favorite memory of him? Ms. Delligner: I remember-my favorite memory is the laugh he had. He had a James Earl Jones kind of voice. One of those really deep voices—you can probably look him up online; I know there are recordings of him out there—but that voice, and when he would laugh—even though at that time he was blind and had to be brought into class on a wheelchair, he had an aide that brought him in, he had that signature eyepatch, but he still couldn’t see—his whole face would light up when he would remember something fondly or a person fondly, or when someone would ask a question that made him laugh. That’s—I know that’s not really a historical type of answer, but that’s the thing I remember the most is sitting there thinking “everything he’s been through, what people did to him solely because of the color of his skin, and yet he sits here and shares that story with a room of- we were all white students; not that he would know there wasn’t one minority student in the room, and he just, you know, just-it was like he was just telling a story.” Text: What kinds of values or lessons did he instill in his students? Ms. Dellinger: Well, I think that it was always that we shouldn’t judge other people. I, at that time, was-my roommate, my college roommate Freshman and Sophomore year, Junior and Senior year is still one of my very best friends, um, was from-was-was a minority student. She had been adopted by a white family as a young-as a young infant, um, and brought to the states and was a US citizen. And I think it made me see her life experiences a little more differently. Um, you know, just to- just to live with somebody that goes through the world and experiences the world differently than I do, I think that was one thing that I kind of learned from him. Does that answer your question? Text: What kind of impact did he have on your time at Mary Washington? Ms. Dellinger: Well, this was in the late 80s, obviously, um, so the Civil Rights Movement wasn’t even 25 years old at that point, 30 years old. Um, there were a lot of people who lived through that- both sides of it and remembered it, um, and I know that dateline or nightline, one of the big news programs of the time had been to Fredericksburg at that point and had interviewed a lot of people. It was a big, big story. We all watched it in the dorms. It talked about how racism was still a problem. Um, so I think to-to-to sit in his class, to kind of be exposed to, you know, that story… that was such an experience, um, you know, living in a different time I can’t say that it’s any better now. I don’t know-I don’t know. I’m not a minority person-to be living through that, I guess, I guess that’s a good answer. Text: Would you say that he has had an impact on your life outside of Mary Washington? Do you think about him sometimes? Ms. Delligner: I do. Definitely. I have two copies of his book, one in hard cover, one in soft cover, both autographed. He was still able to do that. And I-I’ve read them more than once. And I do think about that sometimes when I think-when I see on the news about racial injustice, or when I, you know, have dealings with-with people of color or minority-minority, um people. You know, I sometimes-I can just hear his voice in my head talking about the injustices that he felt and I always try and think “I’d like to do a better job, um, as a person.” Um, again, I move through the world as a white woman, and so that’s how I experience the world. And, so, um, I think that colors everything I do. And so it’s good that I had this class to kind of remember, you know, that there are people out there that-that experience horrible things every day based on just what they look like, um, or what they might sound like. So, that’s a thing I carry with me, and I think it does have an impact, yes. Text: How do you think he is being represented on campus today? Ms. Delligner: Definitely more of a presence today than when I was a student. I mean, obviously at that time he was still a teacher there. Um, since that time, obviously, he has passed away. Um, before he died President Clinton awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is, I think, is the highest civilian honor we give in this country; well deserved, long overdue. Um, there’s a statue to him out in front of—what will hopefully be renamed—uh Trinkle Hall, and I know there’s the-I think the multicultural center is named after him. So, those are good steps. Um, I was recently asked to participate in a survey about the renaming of Trinkle Hall and I strongly suggested it should be named for James Farmer because the statue is right across the way. So, I think that’s great. Um, and I’m sure there are other things that I’m missing that I don’t know. I think the school does a good job of that, um, but only in the Mary Washington community. I think the bigger community-if you’re a Fredericksburg resident and you’re walking down campus you might not know that story. Um, and I think it’s critically important that people know he was one of the big four, he taught there. Um, very few people had more of an impact on the Civil Rights Movement than he did. Of course, Martin Luther King is a big name but he was just as important in doing a lot of the heavy lifting. If you-I can’t remember what the statue says, but obviously it identifies all—a statue like that does—but I know I’ve been on campus with people, ‘cause I live right next to campus, I can walk there from my home, and we’ll walk our dogs there and sometimes people will say “well, who’s that?” I mean, they just don’t know. He’s not a face that is recognized like Martin Luther King who is the face of the Civil Rights Movement, um but just as important if not more important. So, I know that can’t just name a day after him or anything, but they-you know, yeah, I think they do a good job of within the Mary Washington community, but outside not so much. So, I think, you know, it’s a good job that the school is doing, but there’s always room to do more, you know. Text: Do you have any funny anecdotes or other stories about Dr. Farmer? Ms. Delligner: Ah, man, I’m trying to think. It was a very serious class. You could feel the weight of the subject, um, as he was talking about it and because he couldn’t see, he sat at the front of the room and just talked. Um, you know, I don’t remember. I really don’t. I’m trying to think. I was kind of a serious student. I didn’t fool around a lot. Um, I can’t remember anything. I just remember going to his office one time and waiting quite a while to have him sign the book, and I guess he had heard me out there and he thanked me for waiting. I, um, he didn’t really meet with his students one-on-one, he wasn’t on campus as much as some of the other professors. I don’t know if that was due to his health or just the arrangement, they had with him. I can’t think of anything, I’m sorry. Text: Did you ever attend any of his guest lectures? Ms. Delligner: I didn’t do any of those, I just attended his classes, never missed one, never took any notes either—you didn’t have to. I mean, you just kind of sat there and listened. And I don’t-I just remember he gave us a couple papers to write, I don’t think we had any exams. I think it was more just like papers and that was it. Everybody passed if you just showed up and paid half-way attention, which I don’t see how you couldn’t. Um, yeah, so that’s just what I remember. Text: Thank you again, Ms. Dellinger, for helping us get to know Dr. Farmer even better! Text: Interviewee: Mary Hellen Dellinger; Interviewer: Kim Eastridge; Editor: Eilise Mahoney; Team Members: John Forest, Katia Savelyeva, Megan Williams; Advising Professor: Dr. Jeffrey McClurken Text: For more information on this project please go to farmer.umwhistory.org Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Zoom Video Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 9:38 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Mary Hellen Dellinger Oral History Interview Subject The topic of the resource Oral History Interview Farmer, James 1920-1999 Dellinger, Mary Hellen History and American Studies Department Faculty University of Mary Washington Mary Washington College Description An account of the resource In this oral history interview, Mary Hellen Dellinger speaks about her time in Dr. Farmer's Civil Rights class and his educational legacy at the University. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Hist 428 Spring 2020 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6-aHZqm0Dmk" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><br /><br />To see this video on Youtube please click <a href="https://youtu.be/6-aHZqm0Dmk" title="Youtube Link to Oral History">here</a>. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available HIST 428: Farmer Group Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-03-31 Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Dellinger, Mary Hellen Eastridge, Kimberly Mahoney, Eilise Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Youtube Video Education James Farmer Legacy Mary Hellen Dellinger Oral History Oral History Interview Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oral Histories Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Eastridge, Kimberly Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Davis, Pam Dellinger, Mary Hellen McClurken, Jeffery Williams, Christopher Location The location of the interview Zoom Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound Text: Dr. Farmer’s former students graciously allowed us to ask them questions about their experiences learning from one of the Civil Rights Movement’s most important leaders. Text: This is what they had to say… Mary Hellen Dellinger: It’s critically important that people know that he was one of the big four. He taught there. Um, very few people had more an impact on the Civil Rights Movement than he did. Pam Davis: He-He really, you know, opened my mind and, you know, my knowledgebase on just how deep the Civil Rights Movement was beyond Dr. Martin Luther King, and, um, that it didn’t really start with Dr. Martin Luther King. Dr. Jeffery McClurken: It went beyond just a class. It was more than just content. It was-this is going to sound trite, but it was an experience. Mary Hellen Dellinger: Everything he’s been through, what people did to him solely because of the color of his skin, and yet he sits here and shares that story with a room of-we were all white students, he wouldn’t know that, but I mean there wasn’t one minority student in the room, and he just-you know-just, it was like he was telling a story. Pam Davis: The biggest thing I remember from his class was, um, his stories. His stories were just so vivid. Um, he was such a, um, such a great storyteller. Um, he added a lot of detail, um, his memory, um, was amazing. Christopher Williams: Dr. Farmer represented many different identities. Um, of course he was a black man but he also had disabilities. Dr. Jeffery McClurken: There’s something fundamentally different in hearing those stories come to life, right? Come to life from someone who has been there. Come to life from someone who’s physically and emotionally suffered for the cause that you’re studying. It’s just a different experience. It’s a transformative experience. Christopher Williams: He would often say, “you know I just hope that people don’t forget not only what I sacrificed, but the many people who were with me in C.O.R.E.” Mary Hellen Dellinger: I sometimes-I can just hear his voice in my head talking about the injustices that he felt, and I always try to think “I’d like to do a better job, um, as a person.” Dr. Farmer: I look forward to a great future for you. Not only in academia, but in life after academia, and, indeed, there is life after academia. Thank you. Text: Thank you to the Special Collections and University Archives at the University of Mary Washington for providing access to these photographs of Dr. Farmer for our project. Text: Thank you to our interviewees for taking the time to share their memories of Dr. Farmer with us. Text: For more information about this project and these oral histories please go to farmer.umwhistory.org Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Zoom Video Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 3:06 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oral Histories Highlights Reel Subject The topic of the resource Farmer, James, 1920-1999 Description An account of the resource In this brief highlight reel, viewers can a sense of the topics and tones of the oral history interviews done to get a better understanding of his legacy at Mary Washington. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Mahoney, Eilise Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uBz-LZ5xoi0" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><br /><br />To see this video on Youtube please click <a href="https://youtu.be/uBz-LZ5xoi0" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="Highlights Video Link to Youtube">here</a>. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Hist 428 Spring 2020 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-04-20 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Mahoney, Eilise Eastridge, Kimberly Dellinger, Mary Hellen Davis, Pam McClurken, Jeffery Williams, Christopher Special Collections and University Archives Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Youtube Video Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Christopher Williams James Farmer James Farmer Photographs Jeffrey McClurken Mary Hellen Dellinger Oral History Oral History Interview Pam Davis Special Collections and University Archives https://farmer.umwhistory.org/files/original/c1261ae8f3b78fc71d7629fb47def2d6.png 4e1f8ae5a7b3dbcb7fdbd8b79a491fe0 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oral Histories Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Eastridge, Kimberly Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Davis, Pam Location The location of the interview Zoom Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound Text: This oral history interview was created as part of a project on Dr. James Farmer’s educational legacy at the University of Mary Washington. This project was completed for the University of Mary Washington’s Adventures in Digital History class taught by Dr. Jeffrey McClurken. We would like to thank Ms. Davis for agreeing to participate in this interview. Text: Thank you for agreeing to participate in this interview, Dr. McClurken. Could you please state your name for the record? Ms. Davis: My name is Pamela Smith Davis Text: What year did you graduate? Ms. Davis: ’91. Text: What was your major? Ms. Davis: I was a business administration major with a concentration in finance, but, uh, I ended up not staying in that field very, very long and went into grad school and went into teaching. Text: How did you know Dr. Farmer? Ms. Davis: So, I, uh, took his Civil Rights class my Junior year, and um it-I always loved history, took a lot of history courses at Mary Washington. Actually, if I go back and look at my transcripts I could have majored-I mean minor in American Studies very easily. Kim Eastridge: Wow. Yeah. Ms. Davis: That was what allowed me, when I went to my master’s program, to, um, certify to teach Social Studies, actually was from all the history and geography and poli sci that I had taken at Mary Washington. All those gen. ed. Courses paid off. Text: What do you remember from his class? Ms. Davis: So, the biggest thing I remember from his class was, um, his stories. His stories were just so vivid. Um, he was such a, um, such a great storyteller. Um, he added a lot of detail, um his memory was amazing. Um, I remember, um, him telling us a story about Freedom Summer when he, um, and some of his colleagues and C.O.R.E. were actually, um, in Mississippi when um Cheney, and, um, the two other, um young people were helping with voter registration were killed. And he was somewhere in Mississippi, and, um he was hiding out min a funeral home and actually escaped from that town in the back of a hearse. That-That was one of the stories that really stuck with me, just, you know, his experiences, um, were just, um, almost unbelievable, but certainly he was a piece of living history. So, it was just an honor, it was very humbling, um, sitting in his class and just listening, um, to his stories that he told. Of course, we read his book Lay Bare the Heart, um, as part of the course. And at that time, um, I believe it was Ken Burns who was putting together, um Eyes on the Prize, that PBS series so he, uh, we got to see some of that series before it ever came out on TV. Uh, it was, um, it was such a blessing to be able to take that class from someone who was actually there and lived it. Text: What was the style of his lecture? Was it a large class? Ms. Davis: I-you know, I remember it being probably about 30—it was probably one of the larger classes. Of course, not like Eastern and Western Anglo Geography which was in the-I guess there used to be an auditorium in the basement of Monroe, um, I’m assuming it’s still there. Besides that class being the largest class, everyone wanted to get into Dr. Farmer’s Civil Rights class. Everybody did. And I just got lucky my junior year because back then you signed up-you registered for classes based on how many credits you had, so the more credits you had the earlier you were able to sign up for classes. Kimberly Eastridge: Right. Ms. Davis: I had more credit hours than the rest of my-a lot of people in my class because I took summer classes, and so I finished a semester early. So, I was able to uh register for his class my junior year. I think there may have been like twenty/thirty of us in that, but I can’t recall how many sections of the class he offered. But it was, it was one of the larger classes, but it wasn’t too large. None of the classes at Mary Washington were very large, which is a great selling point for the university. Text: How do you think Dr. Farmer is being represented on campus? Ms. Davis: Well, I-I saw the bust of him across from-I think it’s across from Trinkle, or what is now being renamed. Which, by the way, I think should be named Farmer Hall, but that’s just my opinion. That’s what I voted for on the survey! Um, yeah, um, so I’ve seen that there, um, I do know that and I wish able to have seen the bus, the commemorative bus for the Freedom Rides that went around to several of the school divisions and there on campus. I was not able to see that, um, I would’ve loved to have seen that. Um, but you know, I think one of the highest honors that the college, the university, can give him is naming Trinkle after him. Text: Do you have a favorite memory of him? Ms. Davis: You know, I-I- he was older, of course, um, when I was there. Um, he was just about partially blind, so he did have an aide who would walk him in and guide him into the classroom, and he sat, um, he sat behind his desk. Um, he could see, he could see us if we were in, um, you know a certain area of the room. He did wear a patch- he did have the patch on his eye at that time. Um, and, um, he-he- the biggest piece I remember about him was him being such a phenomenal storyteller. Um, I had never heard of C.O.R.E. before I had gotten to his class. I mean, I knew about Rosa Parks, I knew the Montgomery Bus Boycott, I knew, you know, about those things, but never knew any other organization other than the SCLC and Martin Luther King. And he really-I-you know, opened my mind, and my-you know, and my knowledge base on just how deep the Civil Rights Movement was beyond Dr. Martin Luther King, and that it didn’t really start with Dr. Martin Luther King. It had started, you know, a decade prior to that. Kimberly Eastridge: Right. Ms. Davis: Right after World War II. So, and-and- it was, you know, it was just- and that’s one thing I remember about him most was, um, just his storytelling. He didn’t do much in the way of walking around the class when he taught. Um, he did teach from his chair. Uh, he did-he did sneak in some of those clips of what we now know as Eyes on the Prize, because he’s in them. Um, I-you know, we had to write a paper, um, for his class and the paper had to be about a time where we had experienced discrimination. And, uh, I wrote about an incident that happened at my high school when I was a freshman where, um, we came to school Monday morning with racist epitaphs written all over our parking lot, there had been a cross burned out on our pitcher’s mound on the baseball field in front of our school, and um wrote about just how frightened I was as a young girl and never really understood, you know, why that-why someone would be that way. I was a member of a pretty diverse school; Charlottesville High School is pretty diverse for this area. Um, and so I remember researching that and writing about that. So, um, I still have that paper. Kimberly Eastridge: Wow. Ms. Davis: I saved a few things from my time at Mary Washington and that’s one of them. Um, but, um, it definitely- and as a history teacher, U taught history for about fifteen years, and um those are the lessons and stories that aren’t found in the history books. And so I would bring that into the classroom, um, myself, um, just to, you know to honor him and to honor the work of others that aren’t mentioned so much in the history books. And so, I think that’s really what he made me appreciate, is that there is more to the story than what we read in books. And um, that is a lesson that I’ve kind of, you know, held onto all this time. Text: Would you say that he was a harsh grader, easy grader, or in between? Ms. Davis: I would say he was somewhere in between. Um, we had-I, you know-I-I assume we had quizzes or whatever, they never stood out in my brain. The paper did. He always talked about the paper. He always said, you know, “how’s it going? You should be doing this by now. You should be doing that by now.” So, you know, he wasn’t a professor that kept the goal, or the target, from you. He always kind of gave you the timeline of what he expected, um, by when. It wasn’t, you know, it wasn’t just something you turned in at the end of the time. It was a process, and, um, you know, I think got an A on that paper. I’m pretty sure I did. Text: You said that he inspired the content you were teaching, did he also inspire the methods that you taught in? Ms. Davis: You know, again, the biggest lesson that he taught me was that there’s more to the story than what you read in the history books. And, um, the really inquire, you know, have kids dig-dig deeper than what they’re learning, or are getting from one or two sources. Um, that there are other players, um, that are nine out of ten times behind the scenes of everything else that they’re reading about and they are just as important as those big-name people who show up in history books. Kimberly Eastridge: Right. Text: Thank you again, Dr. McClurken, for helping us get to know Dr. Farmer even better! Text: Interviewee: Pam Davis; Interviewer: Kim Eastridge; Editor: Eilise Mahoney; Team Members: John Forest, Katia Savelyeva, Megan Williams; Advising Professor: Dr. Jeffrey McClurken Text: For more information on this project please go to farmer.umwhistory.org Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Zoom Video Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 13:22 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Pam Davis Oral History Interview Description An account of the resource In this oral history interview Pamela Davis speaks about her time in Dr. Farmer's Civil Rights class and Dr. Farmer's educational legacy at the University. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2020-03-19 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Davis, Pamela Eastridge, Kimberly Mahoney, Eilise Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Youtube Video Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Moving Image Subject The topic of the resource Oral History Interview Farmer, James 1920-1999 Davis, Pam Faculty History and American Studies Department University of Mary Washington Mary Washington College Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Hist 428 Spring 2020 Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available HIST 428: Farmer Group Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6owDOg1f5n8" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><br /><br />To see this video on Youtube please click <a href="https://youtu.be/EZZrI7dKSC0" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="Youtube video link">here</a>. Education James Farmer Legacy Oral History Oral History Interview Pam Davis