Abernathy Family Oral History Interview

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

The oral history consists of twenty-nine digital files: 2011.174.108.1a, 2011.174.108.1b, 2011.174.108.1c, 2011.174.108.1d, 2011.174.108.1e, 2011.174.108.1f, 2011.174.108.1g, 2011.174.108.1h, 2011.174.108.1i, 2011.174.108.1j, 2011.174.108.1k, 2011.174.108.1l, 2011.174.108.1m, 2011.174.108.1n, 2011.174.108.1o, 2011.174.108.1p, 2011.174.108.1q, 2011.174.108.1r, 2011.174.108.1s, 2011.174.108.1t, 2011.174.108.1u, 2011.174.108.1v, 2011.174.108.1w, 2011.174.108.1x, 2011.174.108.1y, 2011.174.108.1z, 2011.174.108.1aa, 2011.174.108.1bb, and 2011.174.108.1cc. Donzaleigh Abernathy, Juandalynn Abernathy, and Ralph Abernathy, III, recall their father, Ralph David Abernathy and their own experiences as children in the Civil Rights Movement. The Abernathy children spent much of their childhoods with the children of Martin Luther King, Jr. Unlike the King children, the Abernathy siblings actively participated in direct action, including the Poor People's Campaign. All three children felt palpably the fear of violence in their everyday lives. This interview offers an intimate portrait of the home of a civil rights icon and of the intense friendship between Abernathy and King.

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