William Saunders Oral History Interview: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

The oral history consists of four digital files: 2011.174.27.1a, 2011.174.27.1b, 2011.174.27.1c, and 2011.174.27.1d.

William Saunders remembers his childhood on Johns Island, South Carolina, and working with Esau Jenkins, a local civil rights leader. He recalls serving in the army during the Korean War, attending the Highlander Folk School, and working at a mattress factory. He also discusses founding the Lowcountry Newsletter, helping the workers in the Charleston Hospital Strike of 1969, and running unsuccessfully for the state senate.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: June 9, 2011
• Created by: Civil Rights History Project, American, founded 2009
• Interview of: William Saunders, American, born 1935
• Interviewed by: Kieran Walsh Taylor
• Subject of: Esau Jenkins, American, 1910 - 1972
• Subject of: Highlander Folk School, American
• Subject of: Charleston Hospital Workers Movement, American, 1968 - 1969
• Type: video recordings
• Type: oral histories
• Type: digital media - born digital
• Medium: digital
• Dimensions: Duration: 1 hr., 43 min.
• Dimensions: Total: 133.04 GB
• Place collected: Charleston, Berkeley County, South Carolina, United States, North and Central America
• Place depicted: Johns Island, Charleston County, South Carolina, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Activism
• Topic: American South
• Topic: Civil Rights
• Topic: Education
• Topic: Korean War, 1950-1953
• Topic: Labor
• Topic: Mass media
• Object number: 2011.174.27.1a-d
• 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.