Ernesto Vigil 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.

An oral history consisting of a single digital video recording (2018.78.11.1). It was collected as part of the Poor People’s Campaign Interviews. In this interview, Ernesto Vigil, author and Chicano Movement activist, discusses his early life in Denver, Colorado; his work with Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales and the Crusade for Justice; his experience of the Poor People’s Campaign of 1968; and his current work as an author. Vigil begins the interview with a discussion of his family history in New Mexico and his parents move to Denver by the time of his birth. He then discusses his upbringing and education in the Elyria neighborhood of Denver and his experience at Goddard College in Vermont before dropping out and returning to Denver in 1967. Throughout this discussion of his early life, Vigil traces the experiences that led to his growing political consciousness.

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