People and Communities: Leaders and Organizers

Bayard Rustin
This transcript of an interview for Eyes on the Prize documents the leadership strategies of March on Washington organizer Bayard Rustin.

Bayard Rustin: A Freedom Budget, Part 2
This audio excerpt from Bayard Rustin's 1967 "Freedom Budget" speech outlines a nine-year plan to end poverty in America.

Burke Marshall
Assistant Attorney General Burke Marshall, in this transcript of an interview for Eyes on the Prize, remembers mediating the 1962 desegregation of the University of Mississippi.

Colonel Stone Johnson
In this oral history from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Colonel Stone Johnson describes how civil rights activists were physically attacked for their work.

Diane Nash and the Sit-Ins
Diane Nash was a college student when she started leading sit-in demonstrations to protest discrimination. In this interview, recorded for Eyes on the Prize, Nash describes her role in the Civil Rights movement.

Excerpts from the March on Washington, Part 1
This audio compilation, recorded live at the 1963 March on Washington, captures the voices of several civil rights leaders.

Excerpts from the March on Washington, Part 3
Recorded live at the 1963 March on Washington, this audio segment captures the voice of SNCC leader John Lewis.

Harry Briggs, Sr. and Eliza Briggs
In this transcript of an interview for Eyes on the Prize, Harry and Eliza Briggs describe their experience in the first school desegregation case, Briggs v. Elliott.

Ike and Little Rock
This video segment, adapted from American Experience: "Ike", profiles the president's controversial response to the Little Rock school desegregation crisis in 1957.

Implementing Brown
Point/counterpoint commentary on the president's actions after the Brown ruling; from American Experience: "Eisenhower."

Jim Zwerg
In this interview transcript from People's Century, northern civil rights activist and Freedom Rider Jim Zwerg describes his experiences.

Little Rock Nine
This collection of photos shows scenes from the controversial desegregation of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957.

Malcolm X: Black Nationalism
In this archival news footage, civil rights leader Malcolm X describes the political, economic, and social aspects of black nationalism.

March on Washington Flyers
These 1963 flyers announce the speakers and issues for the March on Washington; from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.

Reconsidering Brown
In these video segments, leading historians and legal scholars reflect on the promise of the Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, and why it remains unfulfilled.

Rev. C. T. Vivian
In this transcript of an interview for Eyes on the Prize, the Reverend C. T. Vivian remembers his leadership role in the Civil Rights Movement and the risks civil rights activists took in challenging segregation.

Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth
This oral history transcript from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute documents the tumultuous life and leadership of the Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth, who survived a bomb attack that destroyed his home.

Robert Moses
In this video segment, recorded for Eyes on the Prize, activist Robert Moses talks about the Mississippi voting rights campaign.

Simple Justice 1: A Handful of Lawyers
This segment from American Experience: "Simple Justice" profiles Charles Houston's strategy for attacking segregation and how he trained the legal team that eventually argued the Brown case.

Simple Justice 4: Arguing the Fourteenth Amendment
This segment from American Experience: "Simple Justice" explores the issue at the heart of Brown v. Board of Education: whether the Fourteenth Amendment applied to segregated schools.

Simple Justice 6: Justice Warren Reads the Decision
This segment from American Experience: "Simple Justice" explores the dynamics and arguments among the Supreme Court justices who ruled in Brown v. Board of Education.

Sonia Sanchez: Meeting Malcolm X
In this video segment, recorded for Eyes on the Prize, poet Sonia Sanchez recalls the pivotal moment when she first heard civil rights leader Malcolm X speak.

Vanessa Venable
In this transcript of an interview for Eyes on the Prize, Vanessa Venable describes the impact of school closings in Prince Edward County, Virginia from 1959-1964.