Peter Edelman Oral History Interview: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

An oral history consisting of a single digital video recording (2018.78.8.1). It was collected as part of the Poor People’s Campaign Interviews.

In this interview, Peter Edelman, a law professor and lifelong anti-poverty advocate, discusses his experience working with Senator Robert Kennedy (RFK) in the 1960s and reflects on how that experience affected his life’s work.

Edelman begins the interview by talking about his upbringing and the influence of his parents, but he soon turns to a discussion of how he came to be working for RFK in 1965. Edelman then discusses his experiences with RFK from 1965-1968, particularly their work on issues of race and poverty in America. Edelman also reflects on the evolution of RFK’s political thinking in the years before his assassination and discusses how he was changed by his experiences during those years. He then speaks about the continued issue of poverty in the United States and the efficacy of public policy (such as Social Security, the Earned Income Tax Credit, Foodstamps, Housing Vouchers, etc.) in the fight against poverty. Edelman concludes the interview by offering his advice to the younger generations in the fight for economic justice.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: February 28, 2018
• Created by: National Museum of African American History and Culture, American, founded 2003
• Interview of: Peter Edelman, American, Harvard University, born 1938
• Interviewed by: Marc B. Steiner, American, born 1946
• Recorded by: Kim Moir, American
• Subject of: Poor People's Campaign, American, 1967 - 1968
• Subject of: Senator Robert F. Kennedy, American, 1925 - 1968
• Subject of: Marian Wright Edelman, American, born 1939
• Subject of: Cesar E. Chavez, American, 1927 - 1993
• Type: video recordings
• Type: oral histories
• Type: digital media - born digital
• Medium: digital
• Dimensions: Duration: 01:17:29
• Dimensions: 13.21 GB
• Place collected: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
• Place depicted: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Activism
• Topic: Civil Rights
• Topic: Humanitarianism
• Topic: Justice
• Topic: Labor
• Topic: Politics
• Topic: Poverty
• Object number: 2018.78.8.1
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
• 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 and Culture Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.