Charles Siler Oral History Interview: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

The oral history consists of four digital files: 2011.174.86.1a, 2011.174.86.1b, 2011.174.86.1c, and 2011.174.86.1d.

Charles Siler remembers his early life in Louisiana, including a penchant for drawing that began before the age of two, quitting the Boy Scouts when his troop made black Scouts walk behind the horses in a local parade, and picketing Louisiana's segregated State Library as a senior in high school. He was eventually expelled from Southern University because of his activism. He joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In 1967, he was drafted and served in the military in the Vietnam War. He continued his civil rights advocacy as he took a variety of positions at cultural institutions and began a career as a cartoonist. The interview closes with Siler's reflections on identity and the process of learning from those who are ideologically different.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: May 10, 2013
• Created by: Civil Rights History Project, American, founded 2009
• Interview of: Charles Siler, American
• Interviewed by: David P. Cline Ph. D., American, born 1969
• Subject of: Boy Scouts of America, American, founded 1910
• Subject of: Southern University and A&M College, American, founded 1880
• Subject of: National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, American, founded 1909
• Type: video recordings
• Type: oral histories
• Type: digital media - born digital
• Medium: digital
• Dimensions: Duration: 1 hr., 42 min., 4 sec.
• Dimensions: Total: 168.97 GB
• Place collected: Dallas, Texas, United States, North and Central America
• Place depicted: Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Activism
• Topic: American South
• Topic: Art
• Topic: Associations and institutions
• Topic: Children
• Topic: Civil Rights
• Topic: Education
• Object number: 2011.174.86.1a-d
• 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.