Walter Bruce Oral History Interview: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

The oral history consists of nine digital files: 2011.174.71.1a, 2011.174.71.1b, 2011.174.71.1c, 2011.174.71.1d, 2011.174.71.1e, 2011.174.71.1f, 2011.174.71.1g, 2011.174.71.1h, and 2011.174.71.1i.

Walter Bruce shares memories of his childhood in Durant, Mississippi, where his family sharecropped. As a young man he became a carpenter and also a gospel singer. He describes his early involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, including his participation in Mississippi Freedom Summer. Bruce was involved in community and political organizing throughout the 1960s, from helping to start health clinics and participating in the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party to his involvement in sit-ins and marches. Bruce also discusses the process of choosing and running black candidates for political office in the 1960s.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: March 11, 2013
• Created by: Civil Rights History Project, American, founded 2009
• Interview of: Walter Bruce, American, 1928 - 2014
• Interviewed by: John Dittmer Ph. D., American, born 1939
• Subject of: Mississippi Freedom Summer Project, American, founded 1964
• Subject of: Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, American, founded 1964
• Type: video recordings
• Type: oral histories
• Type: digital media - born digital
• Medium: digital
• Dimensions: Duration: 1 hr., 24 min., 55 sec.
• Dimensions: Total: 139.57 GB
• Place collected: Durant, Holmes County, Mississippi, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Activism
• Topic: Agriculture
• Topic: American South
• Topic: Associations and institutions
• Topic: Civil Rights
• Topic: Gospel (Music)
• Topic: Labor
• Object number: 2011.174.71.1a-i
• 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.