Ekwueme Michael Thelwell, Ph.D. Oral History Interview: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

The oral history consists of twenty-four digital files: 2011.174.104.1a, 2011.174.104.1b, 2011.174.104.1c, 2011.174.104.1d, 2011.174.104.1e, 2011.174.104.1f, 2011.174.104.1g, 2011.174.104.1h, 2011.174.104.1i, 2011.174.104.1j, 2011.174.104.1k, 2011.174.104.1l, 2011.174.104.1m, 2011.174.104.1n, 2011.174.104.1o, 2011.174.104.1p, 2011.174.104.1q, 2011.174.104.1r, 2011.174.104.1s, 2011.174.104.1t, 2011.174.104.1u, 2011.174.104.1v, 2011.174.104.1w, and 2011.174.104.1x.

Ekwueme Michael Thelwell, Ph.D. remembers his time as a student activist at Howard University and his experiences with the Nonviolent Action Group (NAG), the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP). Working primarily out of Washington, D.C., Thelwell marched in and organized demonstrations and made major contributions to SNCC and MFDP strategy around voter registration and the MFDP's 1965 effort to challenge the seating of the Mississippi congressional delegation. He details the developing MFDP strategy, his attempts to navigate Washington politics, and his relationships with various figures involved in the effort.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: August 23, 2013
• Created by: Civil Rights History Project, American, founded 2009
• Interview of: Ekwueme Michael Thelwell Ph.D., Jamaican, born 1939
• Interviewed by: Dr. Emilye Crosby Ph. D., American
• Subject of: Howard University, American, founded 1867
• Subject of: Howard University Nonviolent Action Group, American, founded 1960s
• Subject of: Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, American, 1960 - 1970s
• Subject of: Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, American, founded 1964
• Type: video recordings
• Type: oral histories
• Type: digital media - born digital
• Medium: digital
• Dimensions: Duration: 4 hr., 15 min., 5 sec.
• Dimensions: Total: 426.26 GB
• Place collected: Pelham, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States, North and Central America
• Place depicted: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
• Place depicted: Mississippi, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Activism
• Topic: Associations and institutions
• Topic: Civil Rights
• Topic: Education
• Topic: HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities)
• Topic: Local and regional
• Topic: Politics
• Object number: 2011.174.104.1a-x
• 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.