Reverend Marion Bascom, 1976 June 18
Abstract
Reverend Marion Bascom (1925-2012) was a civil rights activist, a minister at Douglas Memorial Community Church, and the first Black fire commissioner in Baltimore, Maryland. In this interview, Bascom discusses how he became involved in the civil rights movement and his association with Douglas Memorial Community Church in Baltimore's Bolton Hill neighborhood. Bascom speaks about the evolution of the Republican Party and criticizes its lack of concern for the welfare of Black Americans. He also discusses Baltimore’s designation as a target city by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the violent disturbances in the city during the 1960s, and the relationship between local churches and civil rights organizations. Bascom further outlines who he saw as the key participants in the civil rights movement and provides his opinion on the rise of militancy in civil rights activities.
Dates
- 1976 June 18
Creator
- Bascom, Marion Curtis, 1925-2012 (Narrator, Person)
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research use.
Extent
74 Minutes (Audio recording)
32 Pages (Transcript)
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Processing Information
There are an additional 4 pages of supplementary material (biographical data, interview evaluation, and name index) included after the transcript.
Scope and Contents
This collection is comprised of 87 oral history interviews and 4 other related items. Materials available for the interviews include audio recordings, transcripts, tape indexes, newspaper clippings, biographical information, and interview evaluations. Each item record indicates whether a complete transcript or an uncorrected transcript is available for an oral history.
All recordings within the collection are digitized and continue to be added to MCHC's Digital Collections portal.
Interviews were conducted from 1975-1977, with some earlier recordings made prior to the project added to the collection. Narrators range from leaders in the Maryland civil rights movement and local activists, to people opposed to the movement. Narrators include Lillie May Carroll Jackson’s children: Juanita Jackson Mitchell, Virginia Jackson Kiah, and Bowen Keiffer Jackson; Parren Mitchell, U.S. Congressman, 1971-1987; Donald G. Murray, the first African American admitted to the University of Maryland Law School; Verda Welcome, one of the first Black women to be elected to a state Senate; Thomas J. D’Alesandro III, mayor of Baltimore, 1967-1971; Clarence Mitchell, Jr., chief lobbyist to the NAACP; Vernon Naimaster, Great Titan of the Maryland Ku Klux Klan; and Dr. J.E.T. Camper, a prominent physician who also devoted his career to seeking racial justice and equality.
In addition to these oral history interviews, there are four items related to the project that are included with the collection. There is an audio recording of a radio program on which narrators David Glenn and Judge Robert Watts appeared to discuss the McKeldin-Jackson project with host Alan Christian. There is an audio recording as well as textual materials from the colloquium and exhibition held at the Maryland Historical Society to commemorate the McKeldin-Jackson project on November 16, 1976. There is also a research paper written by a Goucher College student on Theodore R. McKeldin and the civil rights movement in Maryland and a binder containing information on the development and progress of the McKeldin-Jackson project.
Creator
- Bascom, Marion Curtis, 1925-2012 (Narrator, Person)
- Richardson, Richard (Interviewer, Person)
Repository Details
Part of the H. Furlong Baldwin Library Repository
H. Furlong Baldwin Library
Maryland Center for History and Culture
610 Park Avenue
Baltimore MD 21201 United States
4106853750
specialcollections@mdhistory.org