Walter Bruce Oral History Interview

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

The oral history consists of nine digital files: 2011.174.71.1a, 2011.174.71.1b, 2011.174.71.1c, 2011.174.71.1d, 2011.174.71.1e, 2011.174.71.1f, 2011.174.71.1g, 2011.174.71.1h, and 2011.174.71.1i. 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.

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