Kathleen Cleaver, Ph. D. Oral History Interview: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

The oral history consists of ten digital files: 2011.174.51.1a, 2011.174.51.1b, 2011.174.51.1c, 2011.174.51.1d, 2011.174.51.1e, 2011.174.51.1f, 2011.174.51.1g, 2011.174.51.1h, 2011.174.51.1i, and 2011.174.51.1j.

Kathleen Cleaver, Ph. D. recalls growing up in Tuskegee, Alabama, India, and the Philippines while her father worked for the Foreign Service. She remembers dropping out of college to work for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) as a secretary, and witnessing the dissolution of that organization. She discusses meeting her former husband, Eldridge Cleaver, joining the Black Panther Party, and organizing against police brutality.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: September 16, 2011
• Created by: Civil Rights History Project, American, founded 2009
• Interview of: Kathleen Cleaver Ph. D., American, born 1945
• Interviewed by: Joseph Mosnier Ph. D.
• Subject of: Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, American, 1960 - 1970s
• Subject of: Eldridge Cleaver, American, 1935 - 1998
• Subject of: Black Panther Party, American, 1966 - 1982
• Type: video recordings
• Type: oral histories
• Type: digital media - born digital
• Medium: digital
• Dimensions: Duration: 2 hr., 3 min., 9 sec.
• Dimensions: Total: 206.78 GB
• Place collected: Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, United States, North and Central America
• Place depicted: Tuskegee, Macon County, Alabama, United States, North and Central America
• Place depicted: India, Asia
• Place depicted: Philippines, Asia
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Activism
• Topic: American South
• Topic: Associations and institutions
• Topic: Civil Rights
• Topic: Education
• Topic: Social reform
• Topic: U.S. History, 1945-1953
• Object number: 2011.174.51.1a-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.