The Honorable Robert G. Clark, Jr. 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 eight digital files: 2011.174.75.1a, 2011.174.75.1b, 2011.174.75.1c, 2011.174.75.1d, 2011.174.75.1e, 2011.174.75.1f, 2011.174.75.1g, and 2011.174.75.1h. The Honorable Robert G. Clark, Jr., describes the early life experiences that led up to his successful campaign for political office in the Mississippi Legislature, where he became the first African American elected since Reconstruction. He discusses his childhood in Pickens, Mississippi, and he describes the family farm that he now owns, his relationship to his family, and the expectations that they had of him to receive an education. Clark discusses his career as an educator, and he describes how the Civil Rights Movement influenced him. After a failed campaign for school superintendent, he volunteered to run for state office. Clark describes his experiences in the Mississippi Legislature, focusing on how he helped to pass the Education Reform Act.

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