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Oral History Interview with Joseph McNeill Smith Jr. by William Chafe
Date:
July 14, 1973
Interviewee:
John McNeill Smith, Jr.
Biographical abstract:
John McNiell Smith, Jr. (1918- ) practiced law in Greensboro from 1945 to 1998 and served in the NC House and Senate from 1970-1978.
Interviewer:
William Henry Chafe
Description:
This transcript of a July 14, 1973, oral history interview conducted by William Chafe with Joseph McNeill Smith Jr. primarily documents Smith’s involvement in civil rights issues in North Carolina.
Smith talks about growing up in Eastern North Carolina and how he became involved in civil rights issues. He discusses being involved in a human rights advisory committee, which held meetings around the state. He recalls the 1960 election and the high number of voter complaints; the enrollment of Josephine Boyd at Greensboro Senior High; and North Carolina delaying school desegregation under the guise of moderation. He talks about how the Pearsall Plan was enforced and why; the 1960 sit-ins; meeting with sit-in participants; and the sit-ins of 1963.
Subjects:
Format of original:
Oral History
Collection:
William Henry Chafe Oral History Collection
Repository:
Duke University
Item#:
4.23.695
Rights:
It is responsibility of the user to follow the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code). Materials are not to be reproduced in published works without written consent, and any use should credit Civil Rights Greensboro and the appropriate repository.
Oral History Interview with Joseph McNeill Smith Jr. by William Chafe
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