Emmett W. Bassett, Ph. D. and Priscilla Tietjen Bassett Oral History Interview: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

The oral history consists of ten digital files: 2011.174.38.1a, 2011.174.38.1b, 2011.174.38.1c, 2011.174.38.1d, 2011.174.38.1e, 2011.174.38.1f, 2011.174.38.1g, 2011.174.38.1h, 2011.174.38.1i, and 2011.174.38.1j.

Priscilla Tietjen Bassett recalls growing up in Plainfield, New Jersey, and attending Smith College, and Emmett W. Bassett, Ph. D. remembers growing up in Henry County, Virginia, serving in World War II, and attending Tuskegee Institute, where he assisted George Washington Carver with research. They tell how they met at a protest of a segregated restaurant in Massachusetts, raising money for Emmett Till's mother, their involvement in many civil rights groups in New York, and attending the March on Washington. They also discuss Dr. Bassett’s career as a professor of dairy science, Mrs. Bassett's career as a librarian, and their struggles as an interracial married couple.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: July 21, 2011
• Created by: Civil Rights History Project, American, founded 2009
• Interview of: Emmett W. Bassett Ph. D., American, 1921 - 2013
• Interview of: Priscilla Tietjen Bassett, American, born 1928
• Interviewed by: Joseph Mosnier Ph. D.
• Subject of: Smith College, American, founded 1871
• Subject of: Tuskegee Institute, American, founded 1881
• Subject of: George Washington Carver, American, 1860s - 1943
• Subject of: Emmett Till, American, 1941 - 1955
• Type: video recordings
• Type: oral histories
• Type: digital media - born digital
• Medium: digital
• Dimensions: Duration: 2 hr., 10 min., 53 sec.
• Dimensions: Total: 218.18 GB
• Place collected: Grahamsville, Sullivan County, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Place depicted: Plainfield, Union County, New Jersey, United States, North and Central America
• Place depicted: Henry County, Virginia, United States, North and Central America
• Place depicted: New York, United States, North and Central America
• Place depicted: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
• Place depicted: Massachusetts, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Activism
• Topic: Agriculture
• Topic: American South
• Topic: Civil Rights
• Topic: Domestic life
• Topic: Education
• Topic: Families
• Object number: 2011.174.38.1a-j
• 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.