Kay Tillow 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 five digital files: 2011.174.99.1a, 2011.174.99.1b, 2011.174.99.1c, 2011.174.99.1d, and 2011.174.99.1e. Kay Tillow describes learning about the Civil Rights Movement as a student at the University of Illinois, where she got involved with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). She remembers attending the trials of Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) workers in Cairo, Illinois, and traveling to Ghana in 1962. When she returned to the United States in 1963 she participated in sit-ins in Atlanta, Georgia, and demonstrations in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. She discusses her work with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1199, a hospital workers' union, and organizing victories in Pennsylvania. Tillow also discusses her role in the Coalition of Labor Union Women and her current work on health care reform.

Explore Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture ↗