Conwell, Susan

Abstract Colonel William A. “Box” Harris (1918-1985) was a soldier, high-ranking police officer, and member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Harris was the first Black man to become a parole officer and Marshall for the state of Maryland. In this oral history interview, Harris details his time with the Baltimore Police Department and National Guard, including his involvement with the Cambridge and Baltimore riots of the 1960s. Harris addresses charges of...

Abstract Evelyn T. Burrell was a civil rights activist and member of the Baltimore, Maryland, branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Baltimore Community Relations Commission, and the Model Cities Board. In this oral history interview, Burrell recounts several battles relating to racial equality in which she was involved, including seeking employment at the police station and acceptance to the University of Maryland Law School. She discusses the NAACP’s...

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Frieda Lynn Coleman (1923-1982) was a social worker and an employee of the Family and Children's Society. In this oral history interview, she discusses the early days of the Congress of Racial Equality (C.O.R.E.) in Baltimore, Maryland; picketing and police responses; Colonel William A. ("Box") Harris; the Omnibus Civil Rights Bill of 1964; Governor Theodore R. McKeldin and Lillie May Carroll Jackson; and the Baltimore riots of 1968.

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Glenn Grossman was a civil rights activist in Baltimore, Maryland. In this oral history interview, he discusses his perspective on Baltimore’s socioeconomic and political situation, and how that affected the city’s participation in the civil rights movement throughout the 1960s and early ‘70s. Grossman further discusses bus and school integration efforts in Baltimore, as well as the lasting impacts of the 1968 riots.

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Joseph L. Carter (1904-1991) was a judge on the Baltimore City Supreme Bench from 1952 to 1974. In this interview, Carter discusses the early life of Theodore R. McKeldin and his appointment by McKeldin to the bench; McKeldin's campaigns; Carter's own unsuccessful mayoral campaign against Thomas D'Alesandro, Jr.; and freedom fighter Lillie May Carroll Jackson.

Abstract Milton Burke Allen (1917-2003) was a founding partner in 1949 of Brown, Allen, & Watts, the first African American law firm in Maryland. He also served on the Supreme Bench of Baltimore City from 1976 to 1986. In this oral history interview, Allen discusses the legal aspects of the history of the civil rights movement; the selection of test cases; legal challenges sponsored by the National Assocation for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP); Charles Houston; Lillie May Carroll...

Abstract Parren James Mitchell (1922-2007) was an activist, U.S. Congressman, and was the first Black individual elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from the state of Maryland. In this oral history interview, Mitchell discusses his entry into civil rights activism, including early recollections about the City-Wide Young People's Forum and picketing against segregation at Ford's Theatre in Baltimore, Maryland. He further touches upon the Donald Murray civil rights case, desegregation efforts...

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Tucker R. Dearing (1916-1992) was a lawyer and longtime legal counsel for the Maryland branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In this oral history interview, Dearing discusses freedom fighter Lillie May Carroll Jackson and Theodore R. McKeldin; legislative accomplishments at the NAACP; the Veney Brothers case; the Sandy Point Park case; Lunsford vs. Beverly; public accommodations; Carl Murphy; and Juanita Jackson Mitchell.