Abernathy Family Oral History Interview: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

The oral history consists of twenty-nine digital files: 2011.174.108.1a, 2011.174.108.1b, 2011.174.108.1c, 2011.174.108.1d, 2011.174.108.1e, 2011.174.108.1f, 2011.174.108.1g, 2011.174.108.1h, 2011.174.108.1i, 2011.174.108.1j, 2011.174.108.1k, 2011.174.108.1l, 2011.174.108.1m, 2011.174.108.1n, 2011.174.108.1o, 2011.174.108.1p, 2011.174.108.1q, 2011.174.108.1r, 2011.174.108.1s, 2011.174.108.1t, 2011.174.108.1u, 2011.174.108.1v, 2011.174.108.1w, 2011.174.108.1x, 2011.174.108.1y, 2011.174.108.1z, 2011.174.108.1aa, 2011.174.108.1bb, and 2011.174.108.1cc.

Donzaleigh Abernathy, Juandalynn Abernathy, and Ralph Abernathy, III, recall their father, Ralph David Abernathy and their own experiences as children in the Civil Rights Movement. The Abernathy children spent much of their childhoods with the children of Martin Luther King, Jr. Unlike the King children, the Abernathy siblings actively participated in direct action, including the Poor People's Campaign. All three children felt palpably the fear of violence in their everyday lives. This interview offers an intimate portrait of the home of a civil rights icon and of the intense friendship between Abernathy and King.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: October 10, 2013
• Created by: Civil Rights History Project, American, founded 2009
• Interview of: Donzaleigh Abernathy, American, born 1957
• Interview of: Juandalynn R. Abernathy, American
• Interview of: Rev. Ralph D. Abernathy III, American, 1959 - 2016
• Interviewed by: Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries, American, born 1973
• Subject of: Rev. Ralph David Abernathy, American, 1926 - 1990
• Subject of: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., American, 1929 - 1968
• Subject of: Poor People's Corporation, American, 1965 - 1974
• Type: video recordings
• Type: oral histories
• Type: digital media - born digital
• Medium: digital
• Dimensions: Duration: 2 hr., 2 min., 33 sec.
• Dimensions: File size: 1 GB
• Place collected: Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, United States, North and Central America
• Place collected: Stuttgart, Germany, Europe
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Activism
• Topic: American South
• Topic: Children
• Topic: Civil Rights
• Topic: Families
• Topic: Social reform
• Topic: U.S. History, 1961-1969
• Object number: 2011.174.108.1a-cc
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in partnership with the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: © Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture and The American Folklife Center, Library of Congress Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.