The William Henry Chafe Oral History Collection spans the years 1933 through 1978, with most of the materials dated between 1972 and 1978. The collection consists mainly of oral history interview tapes and transcripts done in the 1970s, but also includes interview notes and research files related to Chafe's book Civilities and Civil Rights: Greensboro, North Carolina and the Black Struggle for Freedom , published in 1980.
As a part of the Civil Right Greensboro (CRG) project, the entire collection has been digitized. However, only portions are presented on this website. No audio is included due to poor quality and some interview transcripts were not included due to issues with content.
Most of the transcripts were edited for style, punctuation, clarity and accuracy while listening to the original audio recording. However, in some cases no original audio recording exists. Transcripts for which there is no original audio recording are versions of the original transcripts in which CRG staff attempted to correct and clarify gaps and misspellings from the original. These transcripts are indicated with a statement before the full text begins. While every effort was made to edit these transcripts as accurately as possible, it should be noted that the edited version could not be verified against the original interview. In cases where no original transcript existed, a new one was created by listing to the original audio recording.
For more information on this collection, please consult the
collection finding aid.