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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection
Subject
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Agriculture
Mississippi--History
Agriculture and Industry
Description
An account of the resource
The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection is comprised of interviews whose research focus is on the environmental, social, and technological aspects of agricultural change in the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta. Interviews were conducted with a variety of subjects, including large-scale and small-scale farmers, former agricultural workers, civil rights activists, extension agents, and agro-industrial sector workers, documenting their experience of the agricultural industrialization process during the mid to late twentieth century.<br /><br /><span>The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection was donated to the Russell Library in 2017 by Brian Williams, a doctoral candidate in the Geography Department at the University of Georgia. All interviews were conducted by Williams as primary source research, spanning across various states in the southeastern United States, including Mississippi, Tennessee, and Georgia.<br /><br /><a href="http://georgiaoralhistory.libs.uga.edu/items/browse?search=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bjoiner%5D=and&advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=&range=&collection=16&type=&tags=OHMS&featured=&subcollections=0&subcollections=1&submit_search=Search+for+items">View all OHMS indexed interviews in this collection here.</a><br /></span>
Publisher
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Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Date
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2016
Rights
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http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Format
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Oral histories
Identifier
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RBRL420MA
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Mississippi
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Brian Williams
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
OHMS Object
Contains the OHMS link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer.
https://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL420MA-001/ohms
OHMS Object Text
Contains OHMS index and/or transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable.
5.4 Interview with Clyde Sartor, July 26, 2016 RBRL420MA-001 RBRL420MA Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Clyde Sartor Brian Williams oral history 0 Kaltura audio < ; iframe id=" ; kaltura_player" ; src=" ; https://cdnapisec.kaltura.com/p/1727411/sp/172741100/embedIframeJs/uiconf_id/26879422/partner_id/1727411?iframeembed=true& ; playerId=kaltura_player& ; entry_id=1_d56vse4u& ; flashvars[localizationCode]=en& ; flashvars[leadWithHTML5]=true& ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.plugin]=true& ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.position]=left& ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.clickToClose]=true& ; flashvars[chapters.plugin]=true& ; flashvars[chapters.layout]=vertical& ; flashvars[chapters.thumbnailRotator]=false& ; flashvars[streamSelector.plugin]=true& ; flashvars[EmbedPlayer.SpinnerTarget]=videoHolder& ; flashvars[dualScreen.plugin]=true& ; & ; wid=1_kuhh7bbi" ; width=" ; 304" ; height=" ; 231" ; allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozAllowFullScreen allow=" ; autoplay * ; fullscreen * ; encrypted-media *" ; frameborder=" ; 0" ; title=" ; Kaltura Player" ; > ; < ; /iframe> ; English 12 Growing up in Mississippi So Dr. Sartor, could you state your full name and tell me a bit about yourself, just to get started? Sartor talks about his experience at the University of Mississippi, where he received a bachelor's of science and a masters in biology. Sartor adds that he received a PhD in entomology at Mississippi State University. Sartor shares that after graduation, he later became the designated cotton entomologist for the state of Mississippi before he came to work at a Elba Laboratories where he gathered data as a researcher for cotton development. Sartor talks about his parent's careers ; his father was the manager of a grocery story, and his mother was the manager of a women's clothing store. Sartor describes his hometown of Water Valley, Mississippi as a close-knit, quiet community. Sartor recalls that he was often involved in nature related activities such as fishing and hunting, and always had an interest in agriculture. Elba Laboratories ; Entomology ; Hinds Community College ; Mississippi State ; Thomas Edwards ; University of Mississippi ; Water Valley, Mississippi 17 389 Cotton scouting / Cotton crop pesticides I was fortunate enough to have a man living in Water Valley that was one of the first professional... Sartor explains how Tom Edwards, one of the first professional agricultural consultants for the state of Mississippi, taught him about agriculture. Sartor explains that his experience with Tom Edwards was one of his earliest experiences in agricultural consulting. Sartor explains that he first started scouting cotton fields with Edwards in 1962, during which he observed the harm caused to fields by the Boll Weevil. Sartor explains cotton farming as manually intensive labor, though much of the process of cotton picking was mechanical. Sartor talks about the many forms of pesticides used in the 60's including DDT, powder and liquid pesticides, and methylpyridine. He explains the use of ground machines, including high clearance rigs for pesticide control. 3-methylpyridine ; Boll Weevil ; DDT (pesticide) ; Thomas Edwards 17 944 Pesticide application machinery / DDT In fact, I've seen those three-wheel drive Haehs turned over... Sartor explains that the three-wheel drive Haehn (a pesticide application machine) was less stable than the similar four-wheel drive Haehn. Sartor then recalls that, during his cotton scouting days, there were few irrigation systems in place for cotton fields, as too much water would cause cotton plants to grow too tall and eventually rot on the highest parts of the plant. Sartor recalls that throughout his career, boll weevils were the most prominent pest for cotton fields. He explains that other pests including lupers, spider mites, bud worms, and boll worms also disrupted crop production, though not to the extent of the boll weevils. Sartor states that most of the client farmers of today tend to mis-apply insecticide against the wish of consultants. Sartor explains his belief that DDT is not as potent to the environment as proclaimed by environmentalists. Sartor recalls that DDT was targeted in 1970's by environmentalists as it was one of the most commonly used insecticides. boll weevil ; boll worms ; bud worm ; DDT ; Insecticide ; irrigation ; spider mites 17 1338 Potency of DDT / Exposure to insecticide So you said DDT wasn't that potent, of course... Sartor explains his belief that DDT was not as potent to the environment as proclaimed by environmentalists. Sartor opines that utilizing DDT as a insecticide could have prevented the outbreak of diseases such as the Zika virus, which is carried through mosquitoes. Sartor talks about how people served as flagmen for the planes that sprayed insecticide over the crops. He also talks about how he believes his exposure to insecticide seems to not have caused chronic health issues, though he doesn't recommend walking through fields after recent insecticide application. Sartor relates an interaction with cotton choppers (a mostly African American population) who he states were verbally abusive, due to what he claims was " ; racial factors" ; . DDT (pesticide) ; insecticide ; Silent Springs ; World Health Organization ; Zika Virus 17 1806 Emergence of herbicides / Aero pesticide application And so over the course of the 60's, herbicide started coming in... Sartor recalls the emergence of herbicides, a form of pesticide used to kill weeds and other plants, over the course of the 1960's in America. Sartor talks about how the introduction of herbicides led to the unemployment of choppers, whom he claims didn't need to work because of welfare. Sartor explains how technology led to the lack of employment of tractor and machine operators, as increasing the size of machinery meant there was less machinery (and employees) necessary. Sartor also talks about how the flagmen used to guide the insecticide dusting planes usually had minimal education, as they only needed to know how to count to navigate the many rows of the cotton fields. Sartor relates an experience where he flew with an aero-applicator, during which he says he gained respect for the pilot's abilities to navigate the field. herbicide ; Thomas Edwards ; tractors 17 2322 Experiences in cotton scouting What was your favorite thing about cotton scouting in the early days? Sartor recalls that working outside was his favorite thing about cotton scouting during his youth. He then talks about how he didn't like getting wet from the rain and morning dew. Sartor relates a story of when he accidentally exposed himself to a concentrated dosage of insecticide, which led him to develop concentrated phosphate poisoning. He emphasizes that the poisoning was caused by his negligence, particularly the fact that he removed his gloves at some point during the pesticide mixing process. boll weevil ; cotton scouting ; pesticide application 17 2639 Pesticide aero-application Were you normally the person who applied the chemicals? Sartor explains that farm workers were often given the task of applying ground pesticides through ground machinery, and that such ground pesticide applicators came to be used as often as aero-pesticide applicators during the late 60's and early 70's. Sartor explains that the proposed idea of insecticide application by helicopter was inefficient due to mechanical problems and the fact that insecticide often entered the cockpit of the helicopter and exposed the pilot to insecticide. Sartor then talks about how GPS technology has helped aero-applicators in understanding the accuracy of pesticide spraying and positioning. Global Positioning System (GPS) ; insecticide 17 3129 Rise of technology in cotton agriculture The sixties were the time of major cotton allotments, right? Sartor talks about how the 60's was the decade that marked the increase of cotton, rice, and peanut crops. Sartor explains that in the mid-1960's there was a shortage of labor which Sartor claims is because of the increase of welfare offered by the government. Sartor describes his position that the lack of reliable labor eventually led to the increase technological innovation to account for the lack of workers. Sartor explains that, during his experience as a cotton scout, he realized that farmers varied on their level of concern for the safety of their laborers. Sartor recalls that there was no official training provided for farm workers handling insecticides, and that farm workers who stole insecticide for household application often put themselves and families at risk through their direct contact with the chemicals. Sartor recalls that workers often displayed psycho symptomatic behaviors when exposed to the pesticides, as workers often proclaimed that the felt sicker when exposed to foul-smelling herbicides, regardless of the herbicide's potency. herbicide ; labor ; technology ; welfare 17 3601 Insecticide irritants Which ones were more pungent? Sartor explains that some insecticides such as malathion, produces a bad smell which he claims might have influenced farmers in their choice of insecticide. Sartor explains that some insecticides were serious eye irritants, as some were infused with the chemicals present in peppers. Sartor talks about how the complexities innate to cotton manufacturing is what sparked his interest in cotton. malathion (insecticide) ; Mississippi State ; synthetic pyrethroid (insecticide) 17 4014 The plant bug Did you have an insect that you found more interesting that any other insect? Sartor explains that the plant bug was one of the most interesting insects he studied, as there was a lot unknown about the bug's biology and the impact the insect had on the plant. Sartor explains that the confusion over the pest's effect often created tensions between entomologist and the agriculture community, as many scientists believed that the plant bug did not harm cotton plants. Sartor explains the plant bug was often blamed for irregular cotton growing patterns during the late '70's and early '80's. He explains that the plant bug population increased in correlation with the increased emergence of corn crops in the United States, as the plant bug population often contaminated corn crops. Sartor explains that he doesn't take a polar position in the ideas whether or not the plant bug is harmful, as the science on the insect is not well-developed. corn crop ; entomologist ; Plant Bugs 17 4475 The plant bug (cont.) / Attending the University of Mississippi But did it really effect yield that much? Sartor explains that the strange cotton growth patterns, known as crazy cotton, might have been caused by the plant bug. Sartor includes, however, that crazy cotton often produced just as much cotton as plants displaying regular growth patterns. Sartor recalls that the dis-alignment between Missisippi's University and agricultural consultants over the threat posed by plant bugs to cotton crops resulted in tension between the two groups. Sartor then talks about how he came to receive a good education at the University of Mississippi, which eventually led him to teach at a community college at North Alabama. Sartor explains that when he came to acquire his Master's degree at Mississippi State University, he realized that he had a great foundation in the fundamentals of biology as opposed to his peers. crazy cotton ; herbicide ; Mississippi State University ; plant bug ; University of Mississippi ; University of North Alabama 17 4812 Attending Mississippi State University I'm not going to say where they went to school... Sartor talks about how his strong foundation in biology at the University of Mississippi helped him in obtaining his masters at Mississippi State University. Sartor talks how his teachers in community college helped him to build his approach towards teaching. Sartor recalls the integration of the first black student to Mississippi State University, James Meredith. Sartor talks about the biology PhD program at the Mississippi State University. Sartor explains that the program provided quality teaching services, though cotton and insect research were the primary concerns of the department. biology ; Mississippi State University ; University of Mississippi 17 5335 PhD research You said cotton research was the driving force even though you did your research on seed pines? Sartor explains that he conducted research at Mississippi State over the resistance of pine cones to insect species. Sartor expands on the point by explaining that paper companies often needed pine trees that were resistant to certain pesticides in the effort to maximize profits. Sartor adds that before he left Mississippi State University to teach at Gaston College in North Carolina, he planted pine trees behind the University's boll weevil lab. Sartor recalls that while he was planting the trees, he was offered a job by a fellow professor to work as an entomologist at the University of Mississippi. boll weevil ; Gaston College, North Carolina ; Mississippi State University ; seed pines 17 5707 The entomology department of Mississippi State / Working as a survey entomologist When was the shift between the old school instructor and the new school instructor? Sartor recalls that the " ; old school" ; entemology instructors at Mississippi State University differed in their teaching approach from the younger generation of instructors at Mississippi State University. Sartor explains that the older instructors mostly conducted research with the intent of the potential applied practicality of the research conducted, while the younger instructors taught with an emphasis on the implications of plant pathology and ways of developing plant resistance. Sartor recalls that as a survey entomologist hired by Mississippi State University, he provided information to the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) about the condition of insects in the region, and how they were impacting the agricultural systems of Mississippi. Mississippi State University ; plant pathology ; US Department of Agriculture (USDA) 17 6238 Entomology work (cont.) / Unintended consequences of boll weevil eradication So did you spend any more time with one region... Sartor explains that as a survey entomologist working for Mississippi State University, he conducted the majority of his research over cotton research, which he reported to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Sartor recalls that collaboration between the state and federal researchers seldom resulted in tension between the two groups. Sartor then explains that the boll weevil was the primary bug problem for cotton throughout the south. He adds that there were many problems created from the attempts by the agricultural community to control the population of the boll weevil. Sartor recalls that the bug worm became a pest due to the resistance of the bug to the phosphate based pesticides that were applied to control the boll weevil population. entomology ; Mississippi State University ; US Department of Agriculture (USDA) 17 6640 About the boll weevil / Integrated pest management Why was the boll weevil so bad? Sartor talks about how the boll weevil's high reproductive potential and its tendency to live inside the cotton plant for the majority of its life cycle makes it a formidable pest in cotton production. Sartor explains that boll weevil research has contributed greatly to the knowledge available on the boll weevil, which he claims has saved a substantial sum of money over years. Sartor talks about how he came to develop integrated pest management courses after working as an entomologist for about two years. Sartor then explains the difference between pest control and integrated pest management, as pest control is based on chemical application of pesticides to crops, while pest management takes into account the economic and environmental factors associated with pest control. boll weevil ; Integrated Pest Management (IPM) ; Mississippi State University 17 7286 Integrated pest management (cont.) / Selling pesticides Why was it that some people would just poison immediately if they saw one boll weevil? Sartor talks about how farmers would often overuse insecticide in dealing with pests simply because they would make the assumption that one pest confirmed the presence of others. Sartor talks about how pesticide companies were initially opposed to pest management, as pest management integrated environmental and economic factors in developing crop treatment plans. Sartor explains the network of members of the pesticide community in Mississippi as manufacturers often had research and technology representatives while the " ; local dealers" ; distributed pesticides and pesticide services to farmers in the region. Sartor talks about tactics employed by pesticide salesmen to encourage farmers to buy their products. He explains how the diction used by the salesman to scare farmers into applying pesticides often resulted in the overuse of pesticide products, which benefited the pesticide manufacturers. boll weevil ; Gary Larson ; pesticide 17 7769 Environmental Protection Agency and pesticide applications I would be quick to tell you... Sartor talks about how some pesticide salesmen avoided exaggerating the recommended pesticide application dosage, as this often resulted in customer loss over time. Sartor recalls the variation in the results of different pesticides, as some pesticides did not work well, while others posed a threat to the ecosystem and humans. Sartor relates how the Mississippi agricultural industries were made aware of the future ban on the insecticide DDT in the 1970's, as they were warned by members of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Sartor talks about Project Safeguard, which Sartor claims was an attempt by the EPA to control pesticide usage in the United States. Sartor talks about how the organic phosphates used in pesticides were the primary concern of the government organization, though he states that long-residual chlorinated hydrocarbons should also have been addressed in government policies. DDT(insecticide) ; ecosystem ; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ; pesticide ; Project Safeguard 17 8242 The ban on DDT Were there reports of tenants getting poisoned... Sartor talks about how tenant farmers who worked in tobacco were most likely to get poisoned from the organic phosphates present in chemical pesticides. Sartor shares his belief that the environmentalists of the 1970's employed scare tactics in order to push their agenda. Sartor talks about how the ban of the insecticide DDT resulted in the loss of life in third world countries as DDT prevented mosquito-born diseases in those areas. Sartor explains his belief that DDT should still be used, but should be more regulated in its application. chlorinated hydrocarbons ; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ; insecticide ; Mississippi State 17 8737 Developing cotton scouting programs in Mississippi / Small scale vs. delta farming You were working with extension through '75... Sartor talks about his involvement in the development of cotton scouting programs in counties where there was a lack of professional cotton consultants. Sartor describes how he was hired as a scout supervisor in DeSoto County, Mississippi. Sartor recalls how he came to develop many cotton scouting programs throughout Mississippi. Sartor talks about the difference between working with small farmers versus large farming " ; delta farming" ; . Sartor states that small farmers had more diverse crops and often raised animals, while large farmers mostly grew selective crops on a larger scale. Calhoun County, Mississippi ; delta farming ; DeSoto County, Mississippi 17 9144 Working as a cotton consultant So did soil type ever play a role when it came to what sort of recommendations... Sartor explains that sandy loam soil was a more versatile soil for cotton crop growing, while heavy land soils often experienced different types of problems concerning insecticides. Sartor talks about how he came to inspect the effects of herbicide and plant diseases on crops as a cotton consultant working for Abbott Pesticide Manufacturers. Sartor talks about how he addressed misapplications of herbicide ; he states that, as a consultant, he attempted to handle situations as diplomatically as possible though some farmers were too difficult to deal with. Abbott Pesticide Manufacturers ; herbicide ; insecticide ; sandy land ; sandy loam 17 9570 Extension work in cotton consulting How did you decide, what led you to make the switch from... Sartor explains that his interest in biological control led him to develop his career in cotton consulting. Sartor adds that cotton consulting paid higher than extension work for Abbot pesticide manufacturers. Sartor recalls that his extension work led him to travel to many cotton-growing places in Central and South America. Aboott Pesticide Manufacturers ; Brazil ; cotton consulting ; El Salvador ; Guatemala ; University of Arizona 17 10005 Extension work (cont.) What was cotton production like in Central America at the time? Sartor talks about his extension work in Central America. Sartor recalls a particular visit to Guatemala, where he came to offer advice to a former Texan about his cotton crops in the United States. Sartor describes his visit to Nicaragua, which was a politically tormoiled region during the 1970's. Sartor also recalls his visit to Columbia, during which he states that he had a constant fear of the drug cartel. Columbia ; Guatemala ; Nicaragua ; politics 17 10536 Extension work (cont.) But the technologies were basically the same down there? Sartor talks about how the technology available in Central and South America varied in its development in relation to the cotton technologies offered in the United States. Sartor explains that application technologies were less developed than that in the United States, and relates that children were often hired for boll weevil collection in cotton fields. Sartor then recalls that scientific names assisted in the language barrier during his consulting work, though he did often need assistance in Brazil due to the variety of languages spoken in the country. Sartor recalls that during his travels in the Americas, the most common cotton pest he encountered were boll worms, bug worms, boll weevil, aphids, flee-hoppers, and lupers ; though there was variation from country to country. aphids ; boll weevil ; boll worm ; bug worm ; flee-hoppers ; loopers 17 10906 Transitioning to private cotton consulting What made you get out of that and into consulting? Sartor talks about why he decided to stop conducting extension work for Abbott Pesticide Manufacturers. Sartor explains that the emergence of Pyrethroid insecticide proved to be more effective than the insecticide that Abbot was selling. Sartor recalls one of his experiences working with Abbott Pesticide Manufacturer, in which he took part in a community pest management program. Sartor explains that the event, though it did not eliminate the budworm problem, did teach farmers about the coordination needed for a community pest management program. Sartor talks about the advantage of large scale pesticide initiatives, as it serves as a better method for a sharp reduction in the pest population. cotton consulting ; Greenwood, Mississippi ; Holmes Mississippi ; pest management ; Pyrazole insecticide ; Pyrethroid 17 11414 Private cotton consulting management How was the transition? What was consulting like at that time? Sartor talks about the difference between private consulting and consulting for the company Abbott pesticide manufacturers. Sartor explains that, as a private consultant, he had to manage problems in his company and often had to make large monetary decisions. Sartor explains that he often was concerned over the health of his employees, and concern whether his customers would pay after recieving insecticide services. Sartor talks about how private consulting was labor heavy. Sartor talks about how he found cotton scouts from communities nearby. Sartor explains that he often still checks for skin melanoma from his days of working in direct sun. business ; cotton consulting ; management ; private consulting 17 11851 Finding cotton scouts / Farm crisis of 1980 Most of the folks who worked with you... Sartor talks about how he found most of his potential cotton scouts from his community. Sartor explains that the scouts he chose often had to have high endurance as they worked long shifts and had one day a week off. Sartor recalls how the United States farm crisis of the 1980's led him to lose clients and resulted in competition between consultants. Sartor explains that during this time, he often conducted research services for insecticide companies. Sartor explains that cotton quality was not a major concern in his line of work, as his customers were more concerned with the quantity of cotton produced. 1980's farm crisis ; cotton scout 17 12251 Cotton growing as an investment Unlike a lot of consultants... Sartor explains that he often was involved with the defoliation techniques throughout his career as a private consultant. Sartor recalls that growth regulators were often used for cotton defoliation in order to speed up the cotton picking process. Sartor talks about how farmers with business experience were some of the best farmers. Sartor explains that the costs associated with cotton made cotton growing a high-risk investment. Sartor recalls that he conducted private cotton consulting services all throughout southern America and he worked with many sized fields. defoliation ; investments 17 No transcript. Resources may be used under the guidelines described by the U.S. Copyright Office in Section 107, Title 17, United States Code (Fair use). Parties interested in production or commercial use of the resources should contact the Russell Library for a fee schedule. audio 0 RBRL420MA-001.xml RBRL420MA-001.xml http://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL420MA/findingaid
Location
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Vicksburg, Mississippi
Duration
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216 minutes
Repository
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Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Interview with Clyde Sartor, July 26, 2016
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RBRL420MA-001
Creator
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Clyde Sartor
Brian Williams
Format
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audio
oral histories
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http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Type
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sound
Coverage
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Mississippi
Subject
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Pesticides
Pesticides industry
DDT (Insecticide)
Description
An account of the resource
Clyde Sartor grew up in Water Valley, Mississippi. Sartor worked as a cotton scout before he eventually came to receive a bachelor’s science and a master’s in biology at the University of Mississippi and later, a PhD at Mississippi State University. In the interview, Sartor talks about his former experience as a cotton consultant for a pesticide firm and an independent pesticide management consultant. Sartor also addresses topics including boll weevil and other cotton pest, environmental movements of the 20th century, and extension work as a cotton consultant.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-07-26
OHMS
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Agriculture
Mississippi--History
Agriculture and Industry
Description
An account of the resource
The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection is comprised of interviews whose research focus is on the environmental, social, and technological aspects of agricultural change in the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta. Interviews were conducted with a variety of subjects, including large-scale and small-scale farmers, former agricultural workers, civil rights activists, extension agents, and agro-industrial sector workers, documenting their experience of the agricultural industrialization process during the mid to late twentieth century.<br /><br /><span>The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection was donated to the Russell Library in 2017 by Brian Williams, a doctoral candidate in the Geography Department at the University of Georgia. All interviews were conducted by Williams as primary source research, spanning across various states in the southeastern United States, including Mississippi, Tennessee, and Georgia.<br /><br /><a href="http://georgiaoralhistory.libs.uga.edu/items/browse?search=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bjoiner%5D=and&advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=&range=&collection=16&type=&tags=OHMS&featured=&subcollections=0&subcollections=1&submit_search=Search+for+items">View all OHMS indexed interviews in this collection here.</a><br /></span>
Publisher
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Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Date
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2016
Rights
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http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Format
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Oral histories
Identifier
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RBRL420MA
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Mississippi
Creator
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Brian Williams
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
OHMS Object
Contains the OHMS link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer.
https://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL420MA-002/ohms
OHMS Object Text
Contains OHMS index and/or transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable.
5.4 Interview with Harry Fulton, November 29, 2016 RBRL420MA-002 RBRL420MA Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Harry Fulton Brian Williams oral history 0 Kaltura audio < ; iframe id=" ; kaltura_player" ; src=" ; https://cdnapisec.kaltura.com/p/1727411/sp/172741100/embedIframeJs/uiconf_id/26879422/partner_id/1727411?iframeembed=true& ; playerId=kaltura_player& ; entry_id=1_ohdrnlzq& ; flashvars[localizationCode]=en& ; amp ; flashvars[leadWithHTML5]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.position]=left& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.clickToClose]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.layout]=vertical& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.thumbnailRotator]=false& ; amp ; flashvars[streamSelector.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[EmbedPlayer.SpinnerTarget]=videoHolder& ; amp ; flashvars[dualScreen.plugin]=true& ; amp ; & ; wid=1_ymw8rr8d" ; width=" ; 304" ; height=" ; 231" ; allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozAllowFullScreen allow=" ; autoplay * ; fullscreen * ; encrypted-media *" ; frameborder=" ; 0" ; title=" ; Kaltura Player" ; > ; < ; /iframe> ; English 38 Early life What are some of your earliest memories growing up in Winston County? Fulton mentions growing up in Winston County, Mississippi on a family farm. He describes working alongside his brothers as they farmed cotton and raised livestock. He talks about going to Mississippi State University where he earned both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in entomology, focusing on crop and livestock insects. 4-H Club ; bugs ; Louisville, Mississippi ; marriage ; share cropping ; small farms ; tenant farming ; zoology 366 Debate around health effects of pesticides and work as a field inspector In the early years, or in the 1960s and the 1970s, when you got into entomology--when you came integrated into that, were the sort of debates and the public pressure about the environmental health effects of pesticides a major thing? Fulton discusses the debates around the environmental effects of agricultural chemicals that coincided with the beginning of his career and changed over time. He states that chemicals that kill insects are also going to affect people's health. He describes working as a district inspector for the State Planning Board where he inspected plant nurseries, beehives, licensed pest control operators, and crop damage. He talks about the problem of chemical drift from the aerial application of pesticides which damaged people's garden's and killed fish in farm ponds. aerial application ; aldrin ; Black Belt ; chlorinated hydrocarbon ; Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) ; crop dusting ; DDT ; dieldrin ; large farms ; methyl parathion ; organophosphates (OP) ; plant stock ; race ; small farms ; termites 1154 Career path and Pesticide Registration Program How long did you work as just the district inspector? Fulton talks about working as a district inspector for five years before becoming the chief apiary inspector. Then he ran the pesticide registration program for 25 years before becoming the pesticide division director and then the state entomologist. He describes the pest registration program which was put in place by a law requiring the registration of all pesticides. Companies had to pay a registration fee and furnish the label of their product to be registered. beekeeping ; chemicals ; employment ; government oversight ; pesticide companies 1366 State Oversight and The Delta Council Could you tell me a bit about overall enforcement at the state level... Fulton describes the roles of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency, mentioning how both initially focused on water quality. He talks about how the Endangered Species Act of 1973 resulted in increased regulation since farmers were using insecticides to kill predators which often harmed non-targeted species. Fulton also describes his work with the Delta Council where he served on working groups dealing with ground water protection and herbicide drift. Aldicarb (Temik) ; bald eagles ; carbofuran (Furadan) ; chemicals ; health department ; Mississippi Farm Bureau ; pesticides ; poison https://www.deltacouncil.org/ The Delta Council website 1952 State politics and federal enforcement So you probably worked with Jim Buck Ross? Fulton talks about serving as the secretary treasure for the Mississippi Beekeepers' Association (MBA) for 35 years. He describes how his work with the MBA lead him to interact with Jim Buck Ross who was the Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture from 1968 to 1995. Fulton talks about how government employees had to navigate their political work in order to avoid conflict of interest issues. He describes working with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 4 to enforce federal laws when he worked for the State Planning Board. He discusses how the EPA had stricter protocol around chemical drift investigation which lead to a more formalized process. Beekeeping ; elected officials ; grants ; Jim Buck Ross ; lobbying ; politics 2368 Challenges of pesticide regulation What about some of your biggest challenges over the years about pesticide regulation? Fulton describes the continued challenge of mitigating pesticide drift. He talks about the difficulty of getting pest control operators to do proper structural treatments for termites, but he states the the Mississippi Pest Control Association's education program has reduced the issue. He says that current pesticides are safer but less effective than past chemicals. He briefly describes the new method of termite baiting which is easier but takes more time than the older method of drilling and treating a whole structure to kill termites. He also talks about his work as the state entomologist where he supervised all the field inspectors and identified insects. agricultural chemicals ; cotton ; Fipronil ; herbicide ; rice ; roundup ready crops ; wheat 2793 Environmental Justice and the role of the EPA I know that the EPA has used the term I guess since the 90s--environmental justice. Has that ever been a thing in Mississippi... Fulton describes how the issue of environmental justice (the unequal exposure to environmental harms or benefits according to race or socioeconomic class) related to the toxic use of methyl parathion in houses to treat termites and the problem of tenant houses--both of which disproportionately affected African Americans. Fulton talks about how the lack of funding of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) resulted in the hiring of state contractors to carry out federal enforcement. chemicals ; health department ; insecticides ; national politics ; sharecropping 3062 Career highlights and change over time What are some of the proudest moments of your career? Fulton describes the proudest moments of his career as when he got promoted to state entomologist, wrote the histories of entomology and beekeeping in Mississippi, and when he raised the wages of field inspectors. He talks about the largest changes in agriculture over his lifetime, mentioning the loss of small farms, the introduction of genetically modified crops (GMOs), the Boll Weevil Eradication Program, and the increased regulation of agricultural chemicals. Fulton discusses the problem of colony collapse disorder (when worker bees abandon the hive) which he attributes the health issues rather than exposure to pesticides. beekeeping ; bees ; cotton ; employees ; salary ; state government No transcript. Resources may be used under the guidelines described by the U.S. Copyright Office in Section 107, Title 17, United States Code (Fair use). Parties interested in production or commercial use of the resources should contact the Russell Library for a fee schedule. audio 0 RBRL420MA-002.xml RBRL420MA-002.xml http://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL420MA/findingaid
Location
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Starksville, Mississippi
Duration
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62 minutes
Repository
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Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
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Interview with Harry Fulton, November 29, 2016
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RBRL420MA-002
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Harry Fulton
Brian Williams
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audio
oral histories
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sound
Coverage
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Mississippi
Subject
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Pesticides
Environmental policy
Politics and Public Policy
Description
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Harry Fulton was born in Winston County, Mississippi. He grew up on his family’s farm, and he attended Mississippi State University where he earned both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in entomology. Fulton worked as a district inspector for the State Planning Board before serving as State Apiary Inspector and the Pesticide Division Director. He then became the State Entomologist for the Mississippi Department of Agriculture & Commerce. In this interview, he talks about his career and the role of the government in regulating pesticides.
Date
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2016-11-29
OHMS
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Dublin Core
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Title
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Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection
Subject
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Agriculture
Mississippi--History
Agriculture and Industry
Description
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The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection is comprised of interviews whose research focus is on the environmental, social, and technological aspects of agricultural change in the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta. Interviews were conducted with a variety of subjects, including large-scale and small-scale farmers, former agricultural workers, civil rights activists, extension agents, and agro-industrial sector workers, documenting their experience of the agricultural industrialization process during the mid to late twentieth century.<br /><br /><span>The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection was donated to the Russell Library in 2017 by Brian Williams, a doctoral candidate in the Geography Department at the University of Georgia. All interviews were conducted by Williams as primary source research, spanning across various states in the southeastern United States, including Mississippi, Tennessee, and Georgia.<br /><br /><a href="http://georgiaoralhistory.libs.uga.edu/items/browse?search=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bjoiner%5D=and&advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=&range=&collection=16&type=&tags=OHMS&featured=&subcollections=0&subcollections=1&submit_search=Search+for+items">View all OHMS indexed interviews in this collection here.</a><br /></span>
Publisher
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Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Date
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2016
Rights
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http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Format
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Oral histories
Identifier
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RBRL420MA
Coverage
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Mississippi
Creator
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Brian Williams
Oral History
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OHMS Object
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https://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL420MA-004/ohms
OHMS Object Text
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5.4 Interview with Frank Corban, September 6, 2016 RBRL420MA-004 RBRL420MA Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Frank Corban Brian Williams oral history 0 Kaltura audio < ; iframe id=" ; kaltura_player" ; src=" ; https://cdnapisec.kaltura.com/p/1727411/sp/172741100/embedIframeJs/uiconf_id/26879422/partner_id/1727411?iframeembed=true& ; playerId=kaltura_player& ; entry_id=1_qlx0yemp& ; flashvars[localizationCode]=en& ; amp ; flashvars[leadWithHTML5]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.position]=left& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.clickToClose]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.layout]=vertical& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.thumbnailRotator]=false& ; amp ; flashvars[streamSelector.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[EmbedPlayer.SpinnerTarget]=videoHolder& ; amp ; flashvars[dualScreen.plugin]=true& ; amp ; & ; wid=1_6spirb11" ; width=" ; 304" ; height=" ; 231" ; allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozAllowFullScreen allow=" ; autoplay * ; fullscreen * ; encrypted-media *" ; frameborder=" ; 0" ; title=" ; Kaltura Player" ; > ; < ; /iframe> ; English 20 Early life and education So Mr. Corban, can you tell me a bit about yourself growing up? Where were you born? Corban describes growing up on the family farm. He talks about their diversified approach to farming by raising dairy cattle, beef cattle, and other livestock, as well as vegetables, corn, and hay. He mentions attending Mississippi State University where he majored in animal husbandry. Corban discusses becoming an assistant county agent in Tunica County, Mississippi. cattle ; college ; dairy industry ; diversification ; forest club ; Jefferson County, Mississippi ; produce ; university 17 559 Agriculture in the 1950s-1960s What was agriculture like there at the time? Corban describes cotton production in the mid-1950s to the early 1960s, and talks about increased mechanization with mechanical pickers. He describes the problem of boll weevils and boll rot which destroyed cotton crops. bollworms ; crop dusters ; fertile soil ; hand labor ; insecticides ; insects ; rain ; tractors 17 957 Pesticides And so there were a lot of chemicals used in the 1950s, right? Corban describes the increased use of insecticides in farming and in daily life. He talks of the toxicity of early pesticides compared to the less harmful DDT, which he exemplifies through stories about an African American farm worker who got constantly covered with DDT dust and a prominent farmer who swallowed DDT. He talks about how people tried to avoid being sprayed by the crop dusters, but he states that the human toxicity of the insecticides was relatively low. airplanes ; boll weevil ; cotton ; environmentalists ; flame cultivation ; fleas ; herbicidal oil ; household insects ; immunity ; pesticides ; toxaphene 17 1881 Mississippi Delta and career as a county agent So you moved from Jefferson county to Tunica was it--well to Mississippi State then Tunica. Corban talks about the less established population of the Mississippi Delta region as a result of the dangerous wildlife, swampy terrain, and malaria outbreaks known to the area. He talks about his work as a county agent and discusses how he would refer farmers to specialists and do hands-on work like inspecting crops for insects. boll weevils ; cotton ; insecticides ; Jefferson County, Mississippi ; livestock ; Mississippi State University ; mosquitoes ; pesticides ; plantations ; soy beans ; Tunica County, Mississippi 17 2632 Race relations and loss of small farms Was there much happening with the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s in Sunflower County or Sharkey County? Corban describes how an African American county agent worked mostly with the black farmers while Corban worked mostly with the white farmers, but he mentions that they were in the same office and sometimes collaborated. Corban talks about how both black and white small farmers had to sell their land because they could not grow enough to make a living. black farmers ; home economist ; integration ; large farms ; Sharkey County, Mississippi ; small farms 17 3021 Vegetable, cotton, soybean, and corn markets Were there any small vegetable growers or were they all cotton growers? Corban describes how farmers tried to diversify their production with vegetables and livestock, but he states that they had limited success due to erratic markets. He talks about how farmers have repeatedly abandoned and then return to cotton because of varying prices. Corban discusses how farmers have recently sold their cotton farm equipment and focused on soy beans and corn which he thinks is a bad idea in the long run. Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS) ; cotton allotments ; cotton gin ; crop prices ; diversification ; green beans ; harvester ; labor ; livestock ; okra ; spinach ; sweet potatoes ; tomatoes ; vegetable farms 17 3963 Boll Weevil Eradication Program So when you were extension agent here in Sharkey County what did--what were the things you spent most of your time on? Corban describes his involvement as a county agent in every stage of cotton production. He talks about working on research and experimentation with Dr. George Mullendore which lead to the Boll Weevil Eradication Program. The program focused on preventing boll weevils from going into diapause by continuing to spray cotton crops after they reached maturity and cutting cotton stalks immediately after harvest. Corban describes facing some opposition from farmers due to the cost of the pesticides, but he says he was able to get most farmers involved and successfully eradicate the boll weevil in the area. adaptation ; aerial operators ; Boll Weevil Diapause Program ; boll weevil traps ; chemical companies ; cotton ; Cotton Board ; hibernation ; insecticides ; marketing specialists ; metaparadigm ; monitoring ; National Cotton Council ; soy beans ; Stonewall, Mississippi ; variety testing 17 4791 Agricultural differences between Sharkey County and Sunflower County How would agriculture here in Skarkey County compare to agriculture in other Delta counties during the 60s and 70s? Would you say it was about the same or were there some maybe differences? Corban talks about the difference in cotton production in Sharkey County and Sunflower County. He states that farmers in Sharkey County produced more cotton and had a higher standard of living than farmers in Sunflower County because Sharkey County had better soil. He also tells a story about a farmer who used geese for weed control. copping cotton ; cotton bails ; farm equipment ; fertilizer ; grass ; insecticides ; lime ; money ; pesticides ; productive soil ; tractors ; trucks ; Tunica, Mississippi 17 5366 Politics Did you ever know--have any dealings with any politicians like Senator Eastland? Corban describes talking with Senator James Eastland about his farming practices. He discusses local and state politics, mentioning how the extension office had agents in every county which enabled them to mobilize locals to influence elected officials and increase funding for services. 4-H ; extension agents ; families ; farming ; Mississippi Extension Office ; representatives 17 5683 Chemical regulation and representatives At the level of regulation, how did that impact agriculture around here? The regulation about chemicals and stuff. Corban describes calibrating spray rigs and recommending chemicals to farmers as a county agent. He talks about how county agents had to make chemical recommendations based on regulation and prolonged research in comparison to chemical company representatives who tried to sell particular chemicals. Corban discusses having a positive relationship with chemical company representatives and even attending their conferences. chemical regulation ; herbicides ; insecticides ; pesticides 17 6327 Retirement So you retired when you were 55? Corban describes retiring at 55 after 33 years of service as a county agent because he was able to draw civil service retirement and state retirement. He talks about doing agricultural consulting and owning a car wash and pest control business which he eventually sold. He talks about owning his childhood home and 115 acres of family land where he has horses and blueberries. children ; family ; house ; Jefferson County, Mississippi ; siblings ; small business owner 17 6680 Skip-row cotton and Clean Bean Program You were telling me a second ago that you rode a cotton cart to the mill. Corban describes working on the family dairy business as a child, miking cows and delivering the milk. He also talks about the varying cotton markets in the 1960s and 1970s and mentions how farmers increased yields of planted acres through skip-row planting in which empty rows are left between cotton plants to increase yields and drought tolerance. He discusses his Clean Bean Program in Sharkey County which he implemented to help soy bean farmers deal with johnson grass. The program killed johnson grass through intensive tilling followed by spraying herbicides. cotton allotment ; johnsongrass ; minimum tillage ; rhizomes ; Treflan herbicide 17 7311 Agricultural changes and obstacles So between the 1970s and the 1980s, were there any kind of major changes in agriculture that you saw occur in Sharkey County? Corban describes the increasing use of computers in agriculture for farm planning. He talks about how he mitigated tensions as a county agent between farmers and nearby homeowners over chemical drift from the aerial application of pesticides and herbicides. He argues that people unfairly blame agricultural air pollution for problems when indoor air pollution is worse. allergies ; computer programs ; cotton defoliation ; crop dusters ; damages ; defoliants ; hairspray ; mosquitoes ; production costs 17 7967 Carter brothers and Total Cotton Production program So you worked with the Carter brothers? Corban talks about working with the Carter brothers on their large farm where he would do test plots. He describes his Total Cotton Production program that encouraged farmers to simultaneously use all the recommendations for increasing cotton yields. Carter Brothers Farms ; county agent ; family farm ; James R. " ; Jimmy Dick" ; Carter ; Mississippi State University ; potassium ; technology 17 8345 Agricultural and social change In terms of, you know, Rolling Folk as a whole and Sharkey County as a whole, how have things, you know, changed since you moved here? Corban talks about how there are now less farmers and larger farms. He describes how commercial corn and catfish production has become increasingly popular. He discusses how Sharkey County has always been majority African American, mentioning that the diversity is good and that there has not been any major racial problems. black farmers ; Civil Rights Movement ; cotton ; County Extension Service ; Dr. George Mullendore ; Helena Chemical Company ; race relations ; rice ; soy beans ; wheat 17 8749 Success in farming What in your mind has determined which farmers have been most successful over time? Corban describes how success in farming is determined by a farmer's land and their business skills. He states that the future of Sharkey County is bright because the demand for agriculture will continue to increase as the population increases. Corban shares a story about a local black farmer who was very well read and informed about farming but was not successful because he waited too long to plant and tend to his crops. bankruptcy ; credit ; Deer Creek land ; farming tradition ; James R. " ; Jimmy Dick" ; Carter ; money ; persistence ; savings ; soil ; Sunflower County, Mississippi ; timing 17 9300 Children You have three sons you said? Did you have any daughters? Corban mentions how his first wife died of ALS after having three sons, and he talks about remarrying and gaining a step-daughter. Corban describes how all of his sons are involved in agriculture through farming, chemical companies, and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). agricultural sciences ; family ; grandchildren ; Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS) 17 No transcript. Resources may be used under the guidelines described by the U.S. Copyright Office in Section 107, Title 17, United States Code (Fair use). Parties interested in production or commercial use of the resources should contact the Russell Library for a fee schedule. audio 0 RBRL420MA-004.xml RBRL420MA-004.xml http://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL420MA/findingaid
Location
The location of the interview
Rolling Fork, Mississippi
Duration
Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.)
159 minutes
Repository
Name of repository the interview is from
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Interview with Frank Corban, September 6, 2016
Identifier
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RBRL420MA-004
Creator
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Frank Corban
Brian Williams
Format
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audio
oral histories
Rights
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http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Type
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sound
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Mississippi
Subject
The topic of the resource
Pesticides
Race relations
Description
An account of the resource
Frank Corban was born in 1934 in Jefferson County, Mississippi. He was raised on the family farm, and he attended Mississippi State University for Animal Husbandry. He worked as a county agent for 55 years in Tunica County, Sunflower County, and Sharkey County where he advised local farmers. In this interview, Corban discusses agricultural changes, pesticides, and his Boll Weevil Eradication Program.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-09-06
OHMS
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Agriculture
Mississippi--History
Agriculture and Industry
Description
An account of the resource
The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection is comprised of interviews whose research focus is on the environmental, social, and technological aspects of agricultural change in the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta. Interviews were conducted with a variety of subjects, including large-scale and small-scale farmers, former agricultural workers, civil rights activists, extension agents, and agro-industrial sector workers, documenting their experience of the agricultural industrialization process during the mid to late twentieth century.<br /><br /><span>The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection was donated to the Russell Library in 2017 by Brian Williams, a doctoral candidate in the Geography Department at the University of Georgia. All interviews were conducted by Williams as primary source research, spanning across various states in the southeastern United States, including Mississippi, Tennessee, and Georgia.<br /><br /><a href="http://georgiaoralhistory.libs.uga.edu/items/browse?search=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bjoiner%5D=and&advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=&range=&collection=16&type=&tags=OHMS&featured=&subcollections=0&subcollections=1&submit_search=Search+for+items">View all OHMS indexed interviews in this collection here.</a><br /></span>
Publisher
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Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016
Rights
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http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Format
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Oral histories
Identifier
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RBRL420MA
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Mississippi
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Brian Williams
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
OHMS Object
Contains the OHMS link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer.
https://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL420MA-005/ohms
OHMS Object Text
Contains OHMS index and/or transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable.
5.4 Interview with Kevin Corban, September 6, 2016 RBRL420MA-005 RBRL420MA Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Kevin Corban Brian Williams oral history 0 Kaltura audio < ; iframe id=" ; kaltura_player" ; src=" ; https://cdnapisec.kaltura.com/p/1727411/sp/172741100/embedIframeJs/uiconf_id/26879422/partner_id/1727411?iframeembed=true& ; playerId=kaltura_player& ; entry_id=1_uj86udx3& ; flashvars[localizationCode]=en& ; amp ; flashvars[leadWithHTML5]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.position]=left& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.clickToClose]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.layout]=vertical& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.thumbnailRotator]=false& ; amp ; flashvars[streamSelector.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[EmbedPlayer.SpinnerTarget]=videoHolder& ; amp ; flashvars[dualScreen.plugin]=true& ; amp ; & ; wid=1_pmlnz3hs" ; width=" ; 304" ; height=" ; 231" ; allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozAllowFullScreen allow=" ; autoplay * ; fullscreen * ; encrypted-media *" ; frameborder=" ; 0" ; title=" ; Kaltura Player" ; > ; < ; /iframe> ; English 11 Early Life Mr Corban, could you tell me a bit about yourself growing up? Corban describes growing up in Rolling Fork, Mississippi where he lived across from a cotton field. He talks about how white people previously lived in town before gradually moving to the county as African Americans moved into town. He mentions going to a partially integrated school under Freedom of Choice before his school became fully integrated in third grade. Civil Rights Movement ; county agent ; Frank Corban ; integration ; picking cotton ; public school ; school teacher ; segregation ; Sharkey County, Mississippi 342 Early work in agriculture How did agriculture change in the, you know, in the early days you remember? Corban describes working in agriculture from age ten when he started hoeing cotton in the field by his house. He talks about cotton scouting from age 14 when he began by counting insects in fields. After Corban assessed the insects levels, his father made the chemical recommendations. Later, Corban operated his own cotton scouting business after college. He states that cotton scouts were mostly white since the farmers hired them through community connections. He also talks about flagging fields for agricultural aircraft to show the pilots where to spray chemicals. He mentions a summer job when he was in college where he worked in a boll weevil laboratory that sterilized boll weevils before returning them to the wild. He describes attending Mississippi State University where he received a B.S. in Agronomy and a Masters degree in Crop Pest Management. boll weevils ; bollworms ; child labor ; cotton scout ; crop dusters ; DDT ; education ; entomology ; farm crews ; graduate school ; insecticides ; minimum wage ; Organophosphates (OP) ; plant bugs ; race ; tractor 1411 Independent work as a cotton scout For a couple of summers there I would--after I'd graduated and gotten my license, I was on my own, and I had a few farmers that I worked with. Corban describes conducting informal crop inspections while he was in college before he became certified and started his own business. He discusses the difference between inspecting soy beans and cotton, mentioning how cotton required more work because it was vulnerable to insects for a longer period of time and required more frequent applications of pesticides. He talks about filling out forms about each field and discussing the results with the farmers. boll weevils ; bollworms ; cotton scout ; farm labor ; farm workers ; plant bugs ; spider mites 1776 Chemical recommendations Did having people out in the fields cause any complications in terms of the chemicals you could recommend or anything like that? Corban describes how workers would stay out of the fields immediately after pesticide applications. He talks about how insects would develop resistance to pesticides over time, necessitating the development of new chemicals. He discusses his process for making insecticide recommendations to farmers based on price, effectiveness, and state guidelines. Corban talks about how most farmers began to use crop consultants and scouts to determine pesticide applications in the late 1950s instead of the previous method of automatic application. AZODRIN ; boll weevils ; bollworms ; bud worms ; EPN ; insect thresholds ; Methyl parathion ; Monocrotophos ; Organophosphates (OP) ; Pyrethroid 2205 Negotiating chemical application with farmers Were there any sort of situations in which the things you would recommend would be different from what a farmer wanted to do? Corban describes negotiating with farmers, discussing how some farmers did not listen to his recommendations and others delayed pesticide applications which increased insect damage. He talks about how some insects like bollworms could only be killed when they were small. Corban describes how some farmers were influenced by advertisements and chemical salesmen, but he says that he based his recommendations on Mississippi State University's insect control guides. advertising ; chemical companies ; chemical resistance ; cotton scout ; employers ; insecticides ; marketing 2582 Managing cotton scouting business And so, during this period of time--during the 1980s, were you still working for the Carter brothers? Corban describes hiring young adults to help him inspect fields for insects during the summer. He discusses how good cotton scouts were healthy, honest, and reliable. Corban says that while he only had male employees, he knew some female scouts. He talks about how he initially scouted soy beans before switching to cotton until prices dropped and he returned to soy beans and corn. He describes how he began his career by working with smaller farmers, and he talks about the consolidating of farms over the years which caused many small farmers to go out of business. crop inspectors ; crop scouts ; gender ; insects ; small business 2953 Agricultural chemicals and catfish farming So is there catfish farming around here as well? Corban discusses the problem of chemical drift into catfish ponds which could kill the fish. He talks about how farmers would avoid spraying pesticides next to the ponds or use ground machines since they caused less chemical drift than airplanes. He also talks about how he mostly recommended pesticides as a cotton scout while county agents and chemical companies made herbicide recommendations. He describes how homeowners had mixed reactions to pesticide use, talking about how some did not want agricultural airplanes flying over their house while others asked the pilots to spray insecticides when they flew by. agricultural aircraft ; crop duster ; fish farming ; pesticide applicators ; pilots ; pisciculture ; pollution 3285 Crop insurance When did you get into insurance? Corban describes his switch from scouting cotton to selling crop insurance, talking about how inspecting crops was hard physical labor and time consuming during the summer months. He discusses how he used his social connections in the community and agricultural knowledge to successfully sell crop insurance. Corban describes how crop insurance is based on farmers' established yields, and he discusses how farmers could buy different levels of coverage to protect them if they had low yields. He talks about how the majority of farmers buy some level of crop insurance and mentions how crop insurance is subsidized by the government. He states that crop insurance does not factor significantly into pesticide applications since farmers have to prove that they put in all the necessary inputs like fertilizer, weed control, and pesticides in order to claim damages. Federal Crop Insurance Program ; insurance claims ; insurance premiums ; Methodist church ; segregation academy ; soy beans 3959 Agricultural changes You said that farms have gotten bigger in Sharkey county over the years, how else has agriculture changed since you started out? Corban describes how agriculture has changed over his lifetime, mentioning how farms have gotten bigger and become increasingly mechanized. He talks about how Roundup Ready cotton enabled farmers to spray herbicides directly over the plants which eliminated the need for hand labor. He describes how BT cotton changed bollworm control since the plant was genetically modified to produce its own insecticide. He also talks about the positive impact of the boll weevil eradication program which further decreased the need for pesticides. Corban describes how many people continued to grow cotton instead of switching to other crops because of tradition, soil type, and investment in machinery. He discusses how there were some African American farmers who he worked with at the beginning of his career, but he states that many of them have since lost their farms. budworms ; cotton gin ; economy of scale ; Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) ; plant bugs ; small farms 4414 Future of agriculture What do you think the future of agriculture in the Delta is? Corban states that agriculture is the only future for the Mississippi Delta since there is good soil, flat land, and a high water table. He says that people will continue to grow what they can make money on. He describes how agriculture no longer plays a large role in combating poverty in the region because it requires fewer employees who need to have high education levels in order to operate the equipment and technology. Corban discusses how agriculture is still the largest industry in the area despite the fact that most agricultural inputs like pesticides and fertilizers are produced outside the region. industrialization ; inequality ; irrigation ; mechanization ; unemployment No transcript. Resources may be used under the guidelines described by the U.S. Copyright Office in Section 107, Title 17, United States Code (Fair use). Parties interested in production or commercial use of the resources should contact the Russell Library for a fee schedule. audio 0 RBRL420MA-005.xml RBRL420MA-005.xml http://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL420MA/findingaid
Location
The location of the interview
Rolling Fork, Mississippi
Duration
Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.)
82 minutes
Repository
Name of repository the interview is from
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Interview with Kevin Corban, September 6, 2016
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RBRL420MA-005
Creator
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Kevin Corban
Brian Williams
Format
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audio
oral histories
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Type
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sound
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Mississippi
Subject
The topic of the resource
Pesticides
Pesticides industry
Business enterprises
Description
An account of the resource
Kevin Corban was born in 1961 in Tunica County, Mississippi. He attended Mississippi State University where he received a bachelor’s degree in agronomy and a master’s degree in crop pest management. He worked as a cotton scout for over twenty years before he began selling crop insurance. In this interview, he talks about his career as a cotton scout and agricultural changes.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-09-06
OHMS
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Agriculture
Mississippi--History
Agriculture and Industry
Description
An account of the resource
The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection is comprised of interviews whose research focus is on the environmental, social, and technological aspects of agricultural change in the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta. Interviews were conducted with a variety of subjects, including large-scale and small-scale farmers, former agricultural workers, civil rights activists, extension agents, and agro-industrial sector workers, documenting their experience of the agricultural industrialization process during the mid to late twentieth century.<br /><br /><span>The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection was donated to the Russell Library in 2017 by Brian Williams, a doctoral candidate in the Geography Department at the University of Georgia. All interviews were conducted by Williams as primary source research, spanning across various states in the southeastern United States, including Mississippi, Tennessee, and Georgia.<br /><br /><a href="http://georgiaoralhistory.libs.uga.edu/items/browse?search=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bjoiner%5D=and&advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=&range=&collection=16&type=&tags=OHMS&featured=&subcollections=0&subcollections=1&submit_search=Search+for+items">View all OHMS indexed interviews in this collection here.</a><br /></span>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016
Rights
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http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Oral histories
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RBRL420MA
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Mississippi
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Brian Williams
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
OHMS Object
Contains the OHMS link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer.
https://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL420MA-006/ohms
OHMS Object Text
Contains OHMS index and/or transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable.
5.4 Interview with James Richard Carter, September 6, 2016 RBRL420MA-006 RBRL420MA Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia James Richard Carter Brian Williams oral history 0 Kaltura audio < ; iframe id=" ; kaltura_player" ; src=" ; https://cdnapisec.kaltura.com/p/1727411/sp/172741100/embedIframeJs/uiconf_id/26879422/partner_id/1727411?iframeembed=true& ; playerId=kaltura_player& ; entry_id=1_2bwtqmek& ; flashvars[localizationCode]=en& ; amp ; flashvars[leadWithHTML5]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.position]=left& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.clickToClose]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.layout]=vertical& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.thumbnailRotator]=false& ; amp ; flashvars[streamSelector.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[EmbedPlayer.SpinnerTarget]=videoHolder& ; amp ; flashvars[dualScreen.plugin]=true& ; amp ; & ; wid=1_y09lmp7w" ; width=" ; 304" ; height=" ; 231" ; allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozAllowFullScreen allow=" ; autoplay * ; fullscreen * ; encrypted-media *" ; frameborder=" ; 0" ; title=" ; Kaltura Player" ; > ; < ; /iframe> ; English 13 Early farming days And, Mr. Carter, you were born here in Rolling Fork... Carter talks about his childhood growing up in Rolling Fork, Mississippi. Carter explains that, as a kid, he was part of the 4-H and Rotary club and recalls that his father was a delta planter. Carter states that, at fifteen, after his father's death, he started his first crops, on which he grew corn and cotton. Carter explains that he eventually had to put a hiatus on farming and joined the army reserves due to the onset of World War II. Carter talks about farming conditions during the mid 1900's. Carter states that mules were often used for labor, and sharecroppers performed much of the manual work. Mississippi State University ; Rolling Fork, Mississippi ; United States Army ; World War II 428 Farming during the 1940's and '50's And did your mother always have a kinda... In order to assist with the family farm, Carter recalls he had his college courses at Mississippi State scheduled so that he could farm in the afternoon. Carter explains that three successful farmers in the community also gave him and his family advice on running the farm. Carter talks about the fact that many African American tenant farmers worked on his farm, and that the majority of them received daily wages. Carter explains that Lyme, nitrogen fertilizers, and pesticides were utilized for farm management and soil nutrition. Carter states that he started to use tractors and pesticides on the family farm around 1948 and that shortly after, during the 1950's, many tenant farmers were let go. Carter recalls that the family farm was a partnership previously owned by the older generation of men in the family. fertilizers ; Lyme ; pesticides ; tenant farming 871 4-H Club/ The Delta Council Did you get involved in, kinda, the politics... Carter talks about some of his work conducted at the Delta Council and 4-H Clubs while he was in school at Mississippi. Carter explains that the Delta Council conducted agricultural research through Mississippi State University. Carter recalls that he often traveled around as a member of the State-Wide Farm Bureau and was very active in the Delta Council. 4-H Club ; Delta Council, Mississippi ; Mississippi State University 1210 Delta Council (cont.) / National Cotton Council Were the interest of the farm Bureau always the same... Carter recalls that, throughout his time in the Delta Council, the Farmers Bureau and the Delta Council were aligned in their ideologies concerning farming. Carter explains that as a member of the Delta Council, he assisted in the development and distribution of cotton gins for agriculture. Carter describes the racial makeup of the Delta Council, as no African Americans served in leadership positions on the council. Carter recalls that as a later member of the National Cotton Council he often assisted in communications between congressmen (such as James Eastland) and the agricultural community. Delta Council ; Farm Bureau ; James Eastland ; National Cotton Council ; Theodore G. Bilbo 1621 The Delta Experiment Station / The impact of farming research Who were, on a day-to-day basis... Carter talks about his typical interactions as a farmer during the 1950's and 60's. Carter recalls that most of his interactions revolved around communicating with researchers from the Delta Experiment Station and county agents (government officials who advised farmers on farming and marketing techniques). Carter explains how his farm's management got increasingly complex as the farm grew in size. Carter talks about how the 1960's bought on an era of change in farming research and technology. Carter states that decisions over insecticide usage required the assistance of researchers, as competition among farmers spurred high-crop yields. county agent ; Entomologist ; marketing ; research 1999 The impact of farming research (cont.) / The expansion of Carter's farm Would you always follow the recommendation of... Carter explains that the research conducted over pesticide distribution and farming economics by experiment stations in the 1960's proved useful providing farmers with advice on farm management. Carter explains, that during the 1950's and 60's, his farm rose to a size of 18,000 acres which spanned over both Sharkey and Issaquena County, Mississippi. Carter states that many of his partnerships are with family members. economics ; Issaquena County, Mississippi ; pesticide ; Sharkey County, Mississippi 2428 Challenges of farming / Changes in Mississippi You might be the person who's been farming the longest in all the delta... Carter explains that his biggest challenge in farm management is fortifying relationships between family members and also farm workers. Carter talks about the development of the tractors he used on his farm throughout the years. Carter describes the variety of foods his farm provides which includes soybeans, rice, corn, cotton, and more recently he has invested in catfish farming. Carter explains that his farm's cotton production has decreased throughout the years, while he has increased his acreage of irrigated crops. Carter recalls that the research provided through the pesticide manufacturers was often taken with a grain of salt due to their possible intentions. Carter talks about the rise of black politicians in the state of Mississippi. Carter adds that after school integration in Mississippi there is a new division of races where blacks students are concentrated in public schools while the majority of white students are in private schooling. African American ; Delta, Mississippi ; Frank Corban ; Rolling Fork, Mississippi ; segregation No transcript. Resources may be used under the guidelines described by the U.S. Copyright Office in Section 107, Title 17, United States Code (Fair use). Parties interested in production or commercial use of the resources should contact the Russell Library for a fee schedule. audio 0 RBRL420MA-006.xml RBRL420MA-006.xml
Location
The location of the interview
Rolling Fork, Mississippi
Duration
Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.)
50 minutes
Repository
Name of repository the interview is from
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Interview with James Richard Carter, September 6, 2016
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RBRL420MA-006
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
James Richard Carter
Brian Williams
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
audio
oral histories
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
sound
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Mississippi
Subject
The topic of the resource
Economic development
Farm management
Description
An account of the resource
James Carter was born in Rolling Fork, Mississippi in 1928. He served in the Reserves during WWII and has been a farmer since he was fifteen. Carter has been a member of the Delta Council, the National Cotton Council and the State-Wide Farm Bureau. In this interview, Carter talks about farming in the 1950s, his work in the Delta Council and National Cotton Council, and his research at the Delta Experiment Station.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-09-06
OHMS
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Agriculture
Mississippi--History
Agriculture and Industry
Description
An account of the resource
The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection is comprised of interviews whose research focus is on the environmental, social, and technological aspects of agricultural change in the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta. Interviews were conducted with a variety of subjects, including large-scale and small-scale farmers, former agricultural workers, civil rights activists, extension agents, and agro-industrial sector workers, documenting their experience of the agricultural industrialization process during the mid to late twentieth century.<br /><br /><span>The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection was donated to the Russell Library in 2017 by Brian Williams, a doctoral candidate in the Geography Department at the University of Georgia. All interviews were conducted by Williams as primary source research, spanning across various states in the southeastern United States, including Mississippi, Tennessee, and Georgia.<br /><br /><a href="http://georgiaoralhistory.libs.uga.edu/items/browse?search=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bjoiner%5D=and&advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=&range=&collection=16&type=&tags=OHMS&featured=&subcollections=0&subcollections=1&submit_search=Search+for+items">View all OHMS indexed interviews in this collection here.</a><br /></span>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Oral histories
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RBRL420MA
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Mississippi
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Brian Williams
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
OHMS Object
Contains the OHMS link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer.
https://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL420MA-007/ohms
OHMS Object Text
Contains OHMS index and/or transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable.
5.4 Interview with Mike Ellis, September 8, 2016 RBRL420MA-007 RBRL420MA Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Mike Ellis Brian Williams oral history 0 Kaltura audio < ; iframe id=" ; kaltura_player" ; src=" ; https://cdnapisec.kaltura.com/p/1727411/sp/172741100/embedIframeJs/uiconf_id/26879422/partner_id/1727411?iframeembed=true& ; playerId=kaltura_player& ; entry_id=1_qjpp0v86& ; flashvars[localizationCode]=en& ; amp ; flashvars[leadWithHTML5]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.position]=left& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.clickToClose]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.layout]=vertical& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.thumbnailRotator]=false& ; amp ; flashvars[streamSelector.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[EmbedPlayer.SpinnerTarget]=videoHolder& ; amp ; flashvars[dualScreen.plugin]=true& ; amp ; & ; wid=1_x5dv1b7h" ; width=" ; 304" ; height=" ; 231" ; allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozAllowFullScreen allow=" ; autoplay * ; fullscreen * ; encrypted-media *" ; frameborder=" ; 0" ; title=" ; Kaltura Player" ; > ; < ; /iframe> ; English 14 Childhood I was born in Memphis, Tennessee Mike Ellis talks about his childhood, during which he lived in many areas in Mississippi and spent some time in Tennessee. Ellis recalls that his father worked for Mississippi Power and Light while his mother was a school teacher. Ellis explains that the community Mississippi delta was very involved with agriculture. Ellis recalls his first cotton-related job as a cotton ginner, during which he conducted mechanical work on cotton gins. Ellis explains that the number and size of cotton pickers is something that has changed since his childhood. bayou ; Delta State University ; Memphis, Tennessee ; Sumner, Mississippi 424 Early farming initiatives Is that what all the bailing... Ellis talks about the efficiency of the John Deere round baler as a tool used in cotton gathering. Ellis explains that his wife's father who was a farmer was the person that initially got him interested in being a farmer. Ellis recalls that a drought in 1980 killed off his soybean cover crop, which eventually led him to grow rice for around two years, before he eventually sold his land for profit. Ellis states that he learned his farming techniques from his father-in-law, techniques which he then applied to his own farming initiatives. Ellis describes the land his father-and-law worked on, called Lost 40 Plantation. cotton baler ; Lost 40 plantation ; Mississippi State University 845 Farming financial struggles / Staplcotn When that happens, then... Ellis talks about the financial struggles faced by farmers, as many farmers are not able to borrow money from banks due to low collateral. Ellis explains the economics behind the challenges faced by many farmers today. Ellis talks about his education experience at Delta State University as he studied business, social science, and biology before he got a masters degree in natural sciences. Ellis recalls that he came to work at Staplcotn after he sold his farm during the 1980's. Ellis explains that while at Staple Cotton Cooperative Association, he worked as a salesman and in marketing advisory. Ellis describes the motive behind the move made by Staplcotn to sell their chemical department. commodities ; Delta State University ; finances ; margin of profit ; Mississippi State University ; Staplcotn 1259 Mississippi Valley Chemical Company And did Valley, I remember reading somewhere... Ellis talks about the creation of Valley Chemical Company, a farm supply distributor, that was created by farmers in their effort to heighten their purchasing power. Ellis explains how Valley Chemical company eventually needed an agronomist to study the effects of chemical pesticides and fertilizers on crops. Ellis explains the role of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations on crop management. Ellis talks about the of banning of DDT, as it was a chemical that had increased longevity in the natural environment. DDT ; Environmental Protection Agency ; Greenville, Mississippi ; insecticide ; Mississippi Valley Chemical Company ; Organo-phosphate 1601 Synthetic Insecticides / Emergence of Sanders Co. How did you get in contact with farmers... Ellis talks about his experience working with famers as an agronomist for Valley Chemical Company. Ellis explains the benefits of organo-phosphate insecticides in relation to other insecticides. Ellis describes how, in the late 70's, synthetic pyrethroids took over the insecticide market. Ellis explains that the emergence of the new insecticide created competition between Valley Chemical Company and other synthetic pyrethroid distributors. Ellis talks about the emergence of Sanders Co. as a competitive pesticide distributor in Mississippi. 3-3 ; malathion ; organophosphates ; Sanders Co. ; StapleCotn ; synthetic pyrethroid ; Valley Chemical Company 2072 Fertilizer distribution competition / Marketing techniques In terms of fertilizer, how could they... Ellis describes the competitive relationship of the fertilizing distributing sectors of Mississippi Valley Chemical Company and Sanders Co.. Ellis recalls the preference of some farmers towards certain brands of pesticides including Treflan. Ellis explains some of the marketing techniques utilized by pesticide distributors to maximize profits. Johnson Grass ; Mississippi Valley Chemical Company ; Sanders Co. ; Treflan 2499 The Sanders Co. business model / Technological Impacts on agriculture Considering that lot of the company... Ellis talks about his experience working for the farm supply distributors, Sanders Co. Ellis explains that Sanders Co. had few personnel, and maintained a business model that ran on small marginal costs with careful business investments. Ellis recalls that the many of the profits for Sanders Co. during the 1980's-90's derived from the fertilizer industry. Ellis explains how the advent of GPS (Global Positioning System) led to more efficient scouting techniques and more effective soil-nutrients distribution. fertilizer ; GPS (Global Positioning System) ; Sanders Co. 2924 Technological impacts on agriculture (cont.) And then, that data would be transferred... Ellis continues describing the utilization of technology in fertilizer distribution by Sander Co. Ellis recalls that cotton crops were the most profitable crop, as many of the fertilizer and pesticides manufacturers geared towards the control of cotton agriculture were already in competition. GPS (Global positioning system) ; variable rate technology 3408 The Delta & ; Pine Land Company buyout / Plant pest Delta and Pine got bought out by Monsanto, right? Ellis describes the effect of the buyout of Delta & ; Pine by Monsanto on farming communities, which he claims has benefited farmers due to the wide variety of resources owned by the larger company. Ellis talks about many of the plant threats to crops including Pigweed and Cocklebur. Ellis explains some of the challenges that volatility poses in pesticide manufacturing and distribution, as chemicals that are too volatile may " ; evaporate" ; before they acts as a pesticide. Amaranth ; Banvel ; Cocklebur ; Delta & ; Pine Land Company of Mississippi ; Monsanto 3824 Pesticide drift / Recent farming endeavors Has drift been a significant problem in the past... Ellis explains how the volatility of a pesticide can greatly effect the application process of the pesticide. Ellis describes how pesticide drifting (when a pesticide remains in the air instead of settling) can lead to lawsuits as drifting can result in negative impacts on surrounding agricultural plots and even residential gardens. Ellis talks about his recent farming experiences in rice, soybean, and corn, though he currently is not in the farming industry. 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (24-D) ; Mississippi Department of Agriculture ; Roundup 4211 Reason behind Mississippi poverty Did you see, kinda the downturn happening? Ellis relates his decision to sell his farming equipment as a result of the declining value of commodities during the early 2010's. Ellis describes the poor economy of the Mississippi Delta as a result of the lack of job opportunities in the area. Ellis recalls that the reluctance of the Mississippi delta region farmers to capitalize on manufacturing, along with the rise of technology was what has led to unemployment in Mississippi. Ellis explains that unemployment has led to increased entitlement programs for many families in the Mississippi delta region. Agricultural Science ; Mississippi State University 4613 Webb, Mississippi demographic changes Have you seen many changes in Tallahatchie County... Ellis explains that the population makeup of Webb, Mississippi has significantly changed, as sharecroppers (many of them African American) have moved into the city due to the lack of jobs in the surrounding delta region. Ellis explains that many younger generations have also fled due to the lack of jobs. Ellis talks about the typical farming demographic in the delta region of Mississippi. Ellis expands on how technologies such as the round-bale cotton picker has decreased the need for employees. black farmers ; round-bale cotton picker ; sharecropper ; Sumner, Mississippi ; Tallahatchie County, Mississippi ; Webb, Mississippi 4950 Economy of Webb, Mississippi / Concluding thoughts I don't see many good things happening to Webb in the future... Ellis talks about his belief that the economy of Webb, Mississippi will not recover, as the fleeing populations have resulted in a decreased tax base for the city, and increased taxes for farmers owning land. Ellis explains that Mississippi is in need of government assistance for infrastructure. Ellis talks about the cultural aspects of Mississippi as a music center and as the setting for one of the major events that inspired civil rights movements, the murder of Emmett Till. Ellis talks about his belief that race relations have significantly improved in the delta over time. Delta region, Mississippi ; Emmett Till ; Tallahatchie County, Mississippi ; Webb, Mississippi No transcript. Resources may be used under the guidelines described by the U.S. Copyright Office in Section 107, Title 17, United States Code (Fair use). Parties interested in production or commercial use of the resources should contact the Russell Library for a fee schedule. audio 0 RBRL420MA-007.xml RBRL420MA-007.xml http://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL420MA/findingaid
Location
The location of the interview
Webb, Mississippi
Duration
Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.)
90 minutes
Repository
Name of repository the interview is from
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Interview with Mike Ellis, September 8, 2016
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RBRL420MA-007
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Mike Ellis
Brian Williams
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
audio
oral histories
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
sound
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Mississippi
Subject
The topic of the resource
Pesticides
Pesticides industry
Public welfare
Description
An account of the resource
Mike Ellis was born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1952, and grew up in Webb, Mississippi. Ellis has been in the field of agricultural sales and services for 35 years and has farmed occasionally throughout his career. Ellis has worked at many companies including Valley Chemical Company, Staplcotn, and Sanders Co. In this interview, Ellis talks about his work experience as a farmer and pesticide distributor, the impact of technology on cotton farming, pesticide drift, and changes in Mississippi demographics.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-09-08
OHMS
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Agriculture
Mississippi--History
Agriculture and Industry
Description
An account of the resource
The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection is comprised of interviews whose research focus is on the environmental, social, and technological aspects of agricultural change in the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta. Interviews were conducted with a variety of subjects, including large-scale and small-scale farmers, former agricultural workers, civil rights activists, extension agents, and agro-industrial sector workers, documenting their experience of the agricultural industrialization process during the mid to late twentieth century.<br /><br /><span>The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection was donated to the Russell Library in 2017 by Brian Williams, a doctoral candidate in the Geography Department at the University of Georgia. All interviews were conducted by Williams as primary source research, spanning across various states in the southeastern United States, including Mississippi, Tennessee, and Georgia.<br /><br /><a href="http://georgiaoralhistory.libs.uga.edu/items/browse?search=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bjoiner%5D=and&advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=&range=&collection=16&type=&tags=OHMS&featured=&subcollections=0&subcollections=1&submit_search=Search+for+items">View all OHMS indexed interviews in this collection here.</a><br /></span>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Oral histories
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RBRL420MA
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Mississippi
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Brian Williams
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
OHMS Object
Contains the OHMS link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer.
https://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL420MA-008/ohms
OHMS Object Text
Contains OHMS index and/or transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable.
5.4 Interview with Mary Mackey, September 13, 2016 RBRL420MA-008 RBRL420MA Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Mary Mackey Brian Williams oral history 0 Kaltura audio < ; iframe id=" ; kaltura_player" ; src=" ; https://cdnapisec.kaltura.com/p/1727411/sp/172741100/embedIframeJs/uiconf_id/26879422/partner_id/1727411?iframeembed=true& ; playerId=kaltura_player& ; entry_id=1_1rx5qjii& ; flashvars[localizationCode]=en& ; amp ; flashvars[leadWithHTML5]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.position]=left& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.clickToClose]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.layout]=vertical& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.thumbnailRotator]=false& ; amp ; flashvars[streamSelector.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[EmbedPlayer.SpinnerTarget]=videoHolder& ; amp ; flashvars[dualScreen.plugin]=true& ; amp ; & ; wid=1_narpeskj" ; width=" ; 304" ; height=" ; 231" ; allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozAllowFullScreen allow=" ; autoplay * ; fullscreen * ; encrypted-media *" ; frameborder=" ; 0" ; title=" ; Kaltura Player" ; > ; < ; /iframe> ; English 21 Family and childhood home Mrs. Mackey, if I recall, you weren't born here in Tutwiler, were you? Mackey describes growing up on a farm outside of Tutwiler, Mississippi. She talks about how her father was a farm worker and her mother had 11 children. Mackey was the oldest girl and she discusses taking care of her younger siblings and cooking for the family. She describes her childhood house as a two-bedroom shack, mentioning the wood burning heater, outhouse, water pump, and well. childbirth ; community ; cotton ; Florida oranges ; Leflore, Mississippi ; survival skills ; welcoming ; work ethic 17 623 Parents What was, uh, what was the farm like? Mackey describes how her father worked as a tenant farmer on a plantation for a white man. She talks about how he had to work everyday in order to keep the land, mentioning how he was unhappy in his old age when he could no longer work. Mackey describes her mother's caring disposition which motivated her to take in another mother and her three children in order to keep that family together. blood clots ; community ; farming ; fishing ; sharecropping 17 1074 Chopping cotton You, uh, you said all the kids were out chopping cotton and picking cotton some. Mackey describes how she worked in the field chopping cotton in order to pay for her school clothes and support her family. She talks about earning six dollars for a 12 hour day of hard work, mentioning the dangers posed by the heat, snakes, and hoes. She discusses having a child at 16 and continuing to work. She describes being sprayed by chemicals from crop dusters and tractors as she was working. cotton scout ; herbicides ; Johnson grass ; motherhood ; pesticides 17 1677 Education And so, you were, uh, you said you were chopping to pay for your school clothes. You were going to school at this time? Mackey describes attending school through 7th grade. She talks about how she hated school because her teachers did not believe in her potential. She mentions how a local doctor and nun helped her receive her GED after she dropped out of school. She discusses taking care of five children on her own before marrying and having more kids. children ; marriage ; motherhood ; survival 17 2058 Hunting and fishing You said your dad taught you how to survive. Mackey describes how her father taught her survival skills, including hunting, fishing, cooking, gardening, and chopping wood. She talks about how hunting and fishing provided a large part of her diet. She discusses how she did not worry about the health of the animals and fish until people started talking about pollution in the early 1970s after fish started dying and cattle were poisoned from the water. bayou ; Black Bayou, Mississippi ; buffalo fish ; Cassidy Bayou ; catfish ; family ; pollutants ; toxins ; Vance, Mississippi ; water quality 17 2520 Positive memories What are some of your good memories, the things you like thinking about? Mackey describes her positive memories of her children and siblings. She talks about living in the same area as her family after she married until her father was forced to leave when he could no longer farm. She describes saving money and purchasing a house in Tutwiler with loans from the bank. husband ; kickball ; soccer ; tenant farming ; trustworthiness 17 2929 Garden and paternal family So growing up, did you say you had a garden as well? Did your family have a garden? Mackey describes raising gardens both as a child and as an adult. She talks about her limited knowledge of her father's childhood, mentioning his isolation from other family members. She discusses how she barely knew her father's family and only grew close to some of them once her father died. aunts ; family history ; greens ; okra ; paternal family ; peas ; tomatoes ; uncles 17 3198 Granddaughter's career and family reunion Did you have family members that moved up North or to any big cities? Mackey describes how some of her family members moved North or to large Southern cities, mentioning her daughter, granddaughter, and sister. She talks about how one of her sons died when Mackey's house burned down, forcing his daughter to move back in with her mother. Mackey describes that granddaughter's experience at college and her career with a blood bank. Mackey also talks about how she created her own holiday, Pig's Day, where family members would come together on Labor Day weekend. career ; commercial driver's licence ; death ; extended family ; Freeport, Illinois ; Hattiesburg, Mississippi ; house fire ; nursing home 17 3696 Chemicals in the garden and pollutants in town You said, you were telling me earlier, uh, one time that a plane flew over your garden when you were growing up. What happened there? Mackey describes how her family got sick after a crop duster flew over their garden and sprayed it with chemicals. She talks about the horrible working conditions in the picture frame factory where she worked, mentioning an ongoing lawsuit about toxins in the factory. She also discusses living near a cotton gin that polluted the air with dust and other particulates. asthma ; community center ; doctor ; family garden ; pesticides ; poisoning ; volunteering 17 4075 Quilting program So how was, uh, how has Tutwiler changed over the years. What was it like in the 1970s as you remember it? Mackey describes how Tutwiler has lost many businesses since the 1970s. She talks about her involvement at the community center where she is the director of the senior citizens program and involved with the children's program and the quilting program. She talks about how the quilting program was started in the late 1980s when a community organizer arrived in town and connected quilters in the community with buyers in California. Mackey talks about the success of the quilting program, mentioning how it was feature on the television program < ; i> ; Sixty Minutes < ; /i> ; quilt tops ; quilting ; tote bags ; Tutwiler Community Education Center ; Tutwiler Quilters 17 No transcript. audio Resources may be used under the guidelines described by the U.S. Copyright Office in Section 107, Title 17, United States Code (Fair use). Parties interested in production or commercial use of the resources should contact the Russell Library for a fee schedule. 0 RBRL420MA-008.xml RBRL420MA-008.xml http://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL420MA/findingaid
Location
The location of the interview
Tutwiler, Mississippi
Duration
Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.)
78 minutes
Repository
Name of repository the interview is from
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Interview with Mary Mackey, September 13, 2016
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RBRL420MA-008
Creator
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Mary Mackey
Brian Williams
Format
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audio
oral histories
Rights
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http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
sound
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Mississippi
Subject
The topic of the resource
African American women
Pesticides
Community organization
African Americans--History
Description
An account of the resource
Mary Mackey was born in 1956 outside Tutwiler, Mississippi. Her father was a farm worker, and she grew up chopping cotton. Mackey works as the Quilting Program Coordinator at the Tutwiler Community Education Center. In this interview, she describes her childhood, family, and involvement with the community center.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-09-13
OHMS
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Agriculture
Mississippi--History
Agriculture and Industry
Description
An account of the resource
The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection is comprised of interviews whose research focus is on the environmental, social, and technological aspects of agricultural change in the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta. Interviews were conducted with a variety of subjects, including large-scale and small-scale farmers, former agricultural workers, civil rights activists, extension agents, and agro-industrial sector workers, documenting their experience of the agricultural industrialization process during the mid to late twentieth century.<br /><br /><span>The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection was donated to the Russell Library in 2017 by Brian Williams, a doctoral candidate in the Geography Department at the University of Georgia. All interviews were conducted by Williams as primary source research, spanning across various states in the southeastern United States, including Mississippi, Tennessee, and Georgia.<br /><br /><a href="http://georgiaoralhistory.libs.uga.edu/items/browse?search=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bjoiner%5D=and&advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=&range=&collection=16&type=&tags=OHMS&featured=&subcollections=0&subcollections=1&submit_search=Search+for+items">View all OHMS indexed interviews in this collection here.</a><br /></span>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Oral histories
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RBRL420MA
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Mississippi
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Brian Williams
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
OHMS Object
Contains the OHMS link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer.
https://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL420MA-009/ohms
OHMS Object Text
Contains OHMS index and/or transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable.
5.4 Interview with Genether Spurlock, September 22, 2016 RBRL420MA-009 RBRL420MA Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Genether Spurlock Brian Williams oral history 0 Kaltura audio < ; iframe id=" ; kaltura_player" ; src=" ; https://cdnapisec.kaltura.com/p/1727411/sp/172741100/embedIframeJs/uiconf_id/26879422/partner_id/1727411?iframeembed=true& ; playerId=kaltura_player& ; entry_id=1_0ohcl42q& ; flashvars[localizationCode]=en& ; amp ; flashvars[leadWithHTML5]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.position]=left& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.clickToClose]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.layout]=vertical& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.thumbnailRotator]=false& ; amp ; flashvars[streamSelector.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[EmbedPlayer.SpinnerTarget]=videoHolder& ; amp ; flashvars[dualScreen.plugin]=true& ; amp ; & ; wid=1_zvpblbtu" ; width=" ; 304" ; height=" ; 231" ; allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozAllowFullScreen allow=" ; autoplay * ; fullscreen * ; encrypted-media *" ; frameborder=" ; 0" ; title=" ; Kaltura Player" ; > ; < ; /iframe> ; English 13 Growing up and sharecropping So Mrs. Spurlock, could you tell me when and where you were born? Spurlock describes growing up in Tallahatchie, Mississippi. She talks about how her mother worked as a domestic worker and her father worked in a factory, describing how both also worked as farmers. Spurlock discusses the role of storytelling in her family and describes how her father would tell the children family stories, ghost stories, and fables. Charleston, Mississippi ; Enid, Mississippi ; oral tradition ; sharecropper ; Tar-Baby ; Tutwiler, Mississippi ; Uncle Remus stories 17 862 Racial terror And you said that he told a story about somebody getting thrown in the creek. Was this about the time that all that--everything happened with Emmett Till. Spurlock describes being told stories about incidents of racial terror in the community. She talks about how she lived in fear for herself and her brothers because so many people were hurt or lynched. Spurlock discuses the prevalence of domestic violence in the African American community which she attributes to the mistreatment of black men by white people. domestic abuse ; lynch mob ; racial violence ; suffering 17 1273 Civil Rights Did organization or any sort of resistance or movement happen with civil rights here in Tallahatchie country area? Spurlock describes how black community leaders in Tallahatchie promoted compliance and dissuaded involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. She talks about how activist Solomon Gort, Jr organized a voter registration drive, hosted Civil Rights rallies, and brought in outside speakers, but most people remained uninvolved. Spurlock mentions how the local schools did not integrate until 1971. Brown vs Board of Education ; freedom of choice ; integration ; pastors ; protest ; school principals 17 1733 Black landowners losing their land Did black people around here have much economic power in the years around or before the Civil Rights Movement? Spurlock describes how African Americans had no economic power because most of them worked for white people. She talks about how many black landowners lost their land to their white neighbors. chopping cotton ; Farm Home Administration (FHA) ; farms ; husband ; picking cotton ; Sunflower, Mississippi 17 2110 Education and teaching As soon as I got out of high school, I went to college... Spurlock describes how she went to college and became a teacher in order to avoid farming. She talks about commuting to Delta State University where she earned a degree in business education. She mentions that Delta State was the first time she had white teachers and white classmates, but she says that only had one incident of racial discrimination in the classroom. Spurlock describes her 27 year career as a teacher in Tutwiler, mentioning how she loved the students but disliked the educational bureaucracy. She talks about being married twice and describes how her first husband had a farm in Sunflower County. college ; elementary school ; family ; farm work ; high school ; husband ; integration ; marriage ; Tutwiler Community Education Center 17 2641 Racial progress and economic change in Tutwiler So how has Tutwiler changed over the years? Spurlock describes how Tutwiler used to be a thriving community with many businesses before factories closed and new labor laws and agricultural practices caused many people to lose their jobs and move away. She talks about how there were very few black-owned business in town, recalling only one neighborhood store. Spurlock describes the racial progress in Tutwiler and states that children today take their freedom and ability to go to school for granted. She talks about changing agricultural practices as farmers had to comply with new labor laws and began to use more herbicides. child labor ; domestic worker ; economic decline ; education ; juke joints ; loss of industry ; maid ; minimum wage ; out migration ; plantations ; school ; school lunch 17 3628 Public Office So you became mayor eventually of Tutwiler? Spurlock describes her experience as the mayor of Tutwiler, Mississippi. She talks about how her desire to give a voice to the people motivated her to run for office. Spurlock mentions working to improve the roads, organize the police department, and increase access to housing while in office. She states that her biggest regret is that she was unable to build a park for the children to play in because of disputes with the board. accountability ; affordable housing ; basketball ; constituents ; law enforcement ; politicians ; prisons ; public servants ; streets ; tax base 17 4164 Tutwiler Community Education Center and changing agricultural practices They still have no place that they can--if it wasn't for this particular center here they would have--and the children of Tutwiler are blessed. Spurlock describes her role as a founding member of the Tutwiler Community Education Center and mentions how it has greatly benefited the community. She also describes the lack of connection between Tutwiler and the surrounding farms which prevents the town from expanding. Spurlock describes how new labor laws led to the increased mechanization of agriculture. She talks about being exposed to herbicides while chopping cotton as a child, but she states that she is unsure about lasting affects. agricultural technology ; chemicals ; children ; disability benefits ; farming ; illness ; Kellogg Grant ; Sister Maureen Delaney ; Social Security ; unemployment benefits 17 4704 Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility Can you think of some major events that have happened that we haven't talked about here in Tutwiler? Spurlock describes major events Tutwiler, mentioning the closing of the factory, school, bank, and other businesses. She talks about her initial opposition to the construction of the Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility ; however, she states that she now thinks it has been a blessing to the community due to increased jobs and funding. prison ; safety ; unemployment 17 No transcript. audio Resources may be used under the guidelines described by the U.S. Copyright Office in Section 107, Title 17, United States Code (Fair use). Parties interested in production or commercial use of the resources should contact the Russell Library for a fee schedule. 0 RBRL420MA-009.xml RBRL420MA-009.xml http://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL420MA/findingaid
Location
The location of the interview
Tutwiler, Mississippi
Duration
Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.)
85 minutes
Repository
Name of repository the interview is from
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Interview with Genether Spurlock, September 22, 2016
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RBRL420MA-009
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Genether Spurlock
Brian Williams
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
audio
oral histories
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
sound
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Mississippi
Subject
The topic of the resource
Women--Political activity
African American women
Community organization
Race relations
African American teachers
African American politicians
Local government
African Americans--History
Politics and Public Policy
Women teachers
Description
An account of the resource
Genether Spurlock was born in 1951 in Enid, Mississippi. She grew up chopping cotton before attending college and becoming a teacher. She served as the mayor of Tutwiler and works as the Education Coordinator at the Tutwiler Community Education Center. In this interview, she describes sharecropping, race relations, and her experience in public office.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-09-22
OHMS
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Agriculture
Mississippi--History
Agriculture and Industry
Description
An account of the resource
The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection is comprised of interviews whose research focus is on the environmental, social, and technological aspects of agricultural change in the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta. Interviews were conducted with a variety of subjects, including large-scale and small-scale farmers, former agricultural workers, civil rights activists, extension agents, and agro-industrial sector workers, documenting their experience of the agricultural industrialization process during the mid to late twentieth century.<br /><br /><span>The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection was donated to the Russell Library in 2017 by Brian Williams, a doctoral candidate in the Geography Department at the University of Georgia. All interviews were conducted by Williams as primary source research, spanning across various states in the southeastern United States, including Mississippi, Tennessee, and Georgia.<br /><br /><a href="http://georgiaoralhistory.libs.uga.edu/items/browse?search=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bjoiner%5D=and&advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=&range=&collection=16&type=&tags=OHMS&featured=&subcollections=0&subcollections=1&submit_search=Search+for+items">View all OHMS indexed interviews in this collection here.</a><br /></span>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Oral histories
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RBRL420MA
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Mississippi
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Brian Williams
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
OHMS Object
Contains the OHMS link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer.
https://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL420MA-010/ohms
OHMS Object Text
Contains OHMS index and/or transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable.
5.4 Interview with Eddie Carthan, October 3, 2016 RBRL420MA-010 RBRL420MA Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Eddie Carthan Brian Williams oral history 0 Kaltura audio < ; iframe id=" ; kaltura_player" ; src=" ; https://cdnapisec.kaltura.com/p/1727411/sp/172741100/embedIframeJs/uiconf_id/26879422/partner_id/1727411?iframeembed=true& ; playerId=kaltura_player& ; entry_id=1_u6nvmihm& ; flashvars[localizationCode]=en& ; amp ; flashvars[leadWithHTML5]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.position]=left& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.clickToClose]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.layout]=vertical& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.thumbnailRotator]=false& ; amp ; flashvars[streamSelector.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[EmbedPlayer.SpinnerTarget]=videoHolder& ; amp ; flashvars[dualScreen.plugin]=true& ; amp ; & ; wid=1_7zyg6r1w" ; width=" ; 304" ; height=" ; 231" ; allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozAllowFullScreen allow=" ; autoplay * ; fullscreen * ; encrypted-media *" ; frameborder=" ; 0" ; title=" ; Kaltura Player" ; > ; < ; /iframe> ; English 20 Growing up with his Grandparents Mr Carthan, could you tell me a bit about your grandparents? They were here in Tallulah, Mississippi, weren't they? Carthan describes being raised by his grandparents on a small farm. He talks about how his grandfather acquired his land in the 1930s through a government loan program designed to help African Americans after the Civil War. Carthan discusses working on the farm while attending school. He describes his grandfather's career as a farmer and his grandmother's career as a midwife. 40 acres and a mule ; birth certificates ; community ; Emancipation Proclamation ; family ; hard work ; no electricity ; pastors ; plantations 17 800 Life on plantations Did your--your grandmother worked as a midwife and went from plantation to plantation and to homesteads around as well. Did she tell you any stories about the way conditions were on plantations as opposed to your farm? Carthan describes his grandparents' negative experience with plantation life. He talks about his own isolation from white people on the family farm, mentioning how he was taught to be polite to white people during his limited encounters with them in town. He describes how his grandfather navigated racial politics in order to get credit at stores and loans from the bank. abuse ; Civil Rights Movement ; debt ; hard work ; racism ; sharecroppers ; sharecropping 17 1336 Generational shift in farming You were telling me about the history of 40 acres and a mule and the redistribution of plantations--or the promise of that after the Civil War. Was that something that your grandparents talked about-- that you heard from your grandparents or did you learn about that later on? Carthan describes how his grandparents acquired their land through the Farm Home Administration (FHA)--now called the Farm Service Agency (FSA). He talks about the different types of land on the family farm, mentioning how the sandy soil was better for planting. He discusses the differences between his grandfather's farm and his father's farm. His grandfather had a smaller farm and used mules while his father farmed over 2,000 acres using tractors. clay ; college ; fertile soil ; Green Revolution ; gumbo soil ; maternal grandparents ; Mississippi Delta ; paternal grandparents ; plantations ; sand ; Third Agricultural Revolution 17 1703 Herbicides and pesticides But he would use Chemicals all over and around the house. Carthan describes how his father began to experiment with different chemicals in order to increase his farm's productivity. He talks about how his father risked losing his cotton crop by spraying a mix of herbicides over his entire field, and discusses how his father's success encouraged other local farmers to use chemicals. Carthan talks about the negative impacts of herbicides and pesticides which he blames for his father's early death from cancer at 74. He describes the large class action lawsuits that white farmers took out against the chemical companies, stating that they excluded African American farmers from their lawsuit. carcinogen ; environmental impact ; experimentation ; Green Revolution ; health ; innovation ; Third Agricultural Revolution ; toxins 17 2316 Agricultural Disputes Who were the farmers adjacent to your grandparents' farm? Who owned the surrounding area? Carthan describes living in a community of Black farmers. He discusses farming his father's land after his death. He talks about the infrequent agricultural disputes over property lines and herbicide that got blown into another farmer's land and killed crops. crop dusters ; land ; land surveyor ; leasing 17 2628 African Americans losing their land The big problem that we had all over the South: blacks losing their land--much of it was taken because many of them--they were good farmers, but they couldn't read or write, but they knew how to farm... Carthan describes how the biggest problem for black farmers was keeping their land because many white lawyers and plantation owners took advantage of their lack of education to trap them with contracts and debt. He talks about how banks refused to give loans to African American farmers so they had to reach out to the Farm Home Administration (FHA). He discusses how he almost lost his own land because the FHA would delay loans or not grant them at all to black farmers. Carthan talks about filing a class action lawsuit against the local FHA which concluded that the FHA discriminated against black farmers. He also describes owning multiple businesses and being elected as Mayor and then County Supervisor of Holmes County. bankruptcy ; black congressmen ; Bonds ; business owner ; Civil Rights Movement ; Farm Home Administration (FHA) loans ; public office ; racial discrimination ; racism ; white southerners 17 No transcript. audio Resources may be used under the guidelines described by the U.S. Copyright Office in Section 107, Title 17, United States Code (Fair use). Parties interested in production or commercial use of the resources should contact the Russell Library for a fee schedule. 0 RBRL420MA-010.xml RBRL420MA-010.xml http://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL420MA/findingaid
Location
The location of the interview
Tchula, Mississippi
Duration
Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.)
55 minutes
Repository
Name of repository the interview is from
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Interview with Eddie Carthan, October 3, 2016
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RBRL420MA-010
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Eddie Carthan
Brian Williams
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
audio
oral histories
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
sound
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Mississippi
Subject
The topic of the resource
African American politicians
Local government
Discrimination
Pesticides
African Americans--History
Politics and Public Policy
Description
An account of the resource
Eddie Carthan was born in 1949 and was raised by his grandparents on their family farm in Mississippi. He attended college and became a businessman and then a farmer. Carthan was the first Black Mayor of Tchula, Mississippi before becoming the County Supervisor of Holmes County. In this interview, he talks about his experience growing up and his fight to keep his farm when faced with the discrimination of banks and the Farm Home Administration (FHA) against black farmers.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-10-03
OHMS
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Agriculture
Mississippi--History
Agriculture and Industry
Description
An account of the resource
The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection is comprised of interviews whose research focus is on the environmental, social, and technological aspects of agricultural change in the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta. Interviews were conducted with a variety of subjects, including large-scale and small-scale farmers, former agricultural workers, civil rights activists, extension agents, and agro-industrial sector workers, documenting their experience of the agricultural industrialization process during the mid to late twentieth century.<br /><br /><span>The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection was donated to the Russell Library in 2017 by Brian Williams, a doctoral candidate in the Geography Department at the University of Georgia. All interviews were conducted by Williams as primary source research, spanning across various states in the southeastern United States, including Mississippi, Tennessee, and Georgia.<br /><br /><a href="http://georgiaoralhistory.libs.uga.edu/items/browse?search=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bjoiner%5D=and&advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=&range=&collection=16&type=&tags=OHMS&featured=&subcollections=0&subcollections=1&submit_search=Search+for+items">View all OHMS indexed interviews in this collection here.</a><br /></span>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Format
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Oral histories
Identifier
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RBRL420MA
Coverage
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Mississippi
Creator
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Brian Williams
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74 minutes
Location
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Coffeeville, Mississippi
URL
<h3><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><a href="http://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL420MA-011/audio" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Access Interview </a></span></h3>
Repository
Name of repository the interview is from
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
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RBRL420MA-011
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Interview with James Lowe, October 4, 2016
Date
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2016-10-04
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James Lowe
Brian Williams
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http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
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oral histories
Type
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sound
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Mississippi
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Agriculture
Mississippi--History
Agriculture and Industry
Description
An account of the resource
The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection is comprised of interviews whose research focus is on the environmental, social, and technological aspects of agricultural change in the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta. Interviews were conducted with a variety of subjects, including large-scale and small-scale farmers, former agricultural workers, civil rights activists, extension agents, and agro-industrial sector workers, documenting their experience of the agricultural industrialization process during the mid to late twentieth century.<br /><br /><span>The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection was donated to the Russell Library in 2017 by Brian Williams, a doctoral candidate in the Geography Department at the University of Georgia. All interviews were conducted by Williams as primary source research, spanning across various states in the southeastern United States, including Mississippi, Tennessee, and Georgia.<br /><br /><a href="http://georgiaoralhistory.libs.uga.edu/items/browse?search=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bjoiner%5D=and&advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=&range=&collection=16&type=&tags=OHMS&featured=&subcollections=0&subcollections=1&submit_search=Search+for+items">View all OHMS indexed interviews in this collection here.</a><br /></span>
Publisher
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Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Date
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2016
Rights
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http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Oral histories
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RBRL420MA
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Mississippi
Creator
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Brian Williams
Hyperlink
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Duration
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65 minutes
Location
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Memphis, Tennessee
URL
<h3><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><a href="http://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL420MA-012/audio" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Access Interview </a></span></h3>
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Name of repository the interview is from
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Dublin Core
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RBRL420MA-012
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Interview with Charles Conley, October 18, 2016
Date
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2016-10-18
Creator
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Charles Conley
Brian Williams
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http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Format
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oral histories
Type
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sound
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Mississippi
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Agriculture
Mississippi--History
Agriculture and Industry
Description
An account of the resource
The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection is comprised of interviews whose research focus is on the environmental, social, and technological aspects of agricultural change in the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta. Interviews were conducted with a variety of subjects, including large-scale and small-scale farmers, former agricultural workers, civil rights activists, extension agents, and agro-industrial sector workers, documenting their experience of the agricultural industrialization process during the mid to late twentieth century.<br /><br /><span>The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection was donated to the Russell Library in 2017 by Brian Williams, a doctoral candidate in the Geography Department at the University of Georgia. All interviews were conducted by Williams as primary source research, spanning across various states in the southeastern United States, including Mississippi, Tennessee, and Georgia.<br /><br /><a href="http://georgiaoralhistory.libs.uga.edu/items/browse?search=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bjoiner%5D=and&advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=&range=&collection=16&type=&tags=OHMS&featured=&subcollections=0&subcollections=1&submit_search=Search+for+items">View all OHMS indexed interviews in this collection here.</a><br /></span>
Publisher
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Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016
Rights
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http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Oral histories
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RBRL420MA
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Mississippi
Creator
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Brian Williams
Hyperlink
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Duration
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39 minutes
Location
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Tutwiler, Mississippi
URL
<h3><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><a href="http://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL420MA-013/audio" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Access Interview </a></span></h3>
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Name of repository the interview is from
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
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RBRL420MA-013
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Interview with Modella Hayes, October 21, 2016
Date
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2016-10-21
Creator
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Modella Hayes
Brian Williams
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http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Format
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oral histories
Type
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sound
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Mississippi
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Agriculture
Mississippi--History
Agriculture and Industry
Description
An account of the resource
The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection is comprised of interviews whose research focus is on the environmental, social, and technological aspects of agricultural change in the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta. Interviews were conducted with a variety of subjects, including large-scale and small-scale farmers, former agricultural workers, civil rights activists, extension agents, and agro-industrial sector workers, documenting their experience of the agricultural industrialization process during the mid to late twentieth century.<br /><br /><span>The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection was donated to the Russell Library in 2017 by Brian Williams, a doctoral candidate in the Geography Department at the University of Georgia. All interviews were conducted by Williams as primary source research, spanning across various states in the southeastern United States, including Mississippi, Tennessee, and Georgia.<br /><br /><a href="http://georgiaoralhistory.libs.uga.edu/items/browse?search=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bjoiner%5D=and&advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=&range=&collection=16&type=&tags=OHMS&featured=&subcollections=0&subcollections=1&submit_search=Search+for+items">View all OHMS indexed interviews in this collection here.</a><br /></span>
Publisher
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Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Date
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2016
Rights
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http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Oral histories
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RBRL420MA
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Mississippi
Creator
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Brian Williams
Hyperlink
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Duration
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53 minutes
Location
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Tutwiler, Mississippi
URL
<h3><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><a href="http://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL420MA-014/audio" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Access Interview </a></span></h3>
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Name of repository the interview is from
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
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RBRL420MA-014
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Interview with Burnester Jones, October 24, 2016
Date
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2016-10-24
Creator
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Burnester Jones
Brian Williams
Rights
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http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Format
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oral histories
Type
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sound
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Mississippi
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Agriculture
Mississippi--History
Agriculture and Industry
Description
An account of the resource
The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection is comprised of interviews whose research focus is on the environmental, social, and technological aspects of agricultural change in the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta. Interviews were conducted with a variety of subjects, including large-scale and small-scale farmers, former agricultural workers, civil rights activists, extension agents, and agro-industrial sector workers, documenting their experience of the agricultural industrialization process during the mid to late twentieth century.<br /><br /><span>The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection was donated to the Russell Library in 2017 by Brian Williams, a doctoral candidate in the Geography Department at the University of Georgia. All interviews were conducted by Williams as primary source research, spanning across various states in the southeastern United States, including Mississippi, Tennessee, and Georgia.<br /><br /><a href="http://georgiaoralhistory.libs.uga.edu/items/browse?search=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bjoiner%5D=and&advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=&range=&collection=16&type=&tags=OHMS&featured=&subcollections=0&subcollections=1&submit_search=Search+for+items">View all OHMS indexed interviews in this collection here.</a><br /></span>
Publisher
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Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016
Rights
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http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Oral histories
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RBRL420MA
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Mississippi
Creator
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Brian Williams
Hyperlink
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Duration
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84 minutes
Location
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Tutwiler, Mississippi
URL
<h3><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><a href="http://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL420MA-015/audio" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Access Interview </a></span></h3>
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Name of repository the interview is from
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Dublin Core
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RBRL420MA-015
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Interview with Betty Martin, October 25, 2016
Date
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2016-10-25
Creator
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Betty Martin
Brian Williams
Rights
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http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
oral histories
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
sound
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Mississippi
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Agriculture
Mississippi--History
Agriculture and Industry
Description
An account of the resource
The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection is comprised of interviews whose research focus is on the environmental, social, and technological aspects of agricultural change in the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta. Interviews were conducted with a variety of subjects, including large-scale and small-scale farmers, former agricultural workers, civil rights activists, extension agents, and agro-industrial sector workers, documenting their experience of the agricultural industrialization process during the mid to late twentieth century.<br /><br /><span>The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection was donated to the Russell Library in 2017 by Brian Williams, a doctoral candidate in the Geography Department at the University of Georgia. All interviews were conducted by Williams as primary source research, spanning across various states in the southeastern United States, including Mississippi, Tennessee, and Georgia.<br /><br /><a href="http://georgiaoralhistory.libs.uga.edu/items/browse?search=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bjoiner%5D=and&advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=&range=&collection=16&type=&tags=OHMS&featured=&subcollections=0&subcollections=1&submit_search=Search+for+items">View all OHMS indexed interviews in this collection here.</a><br /></span>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Oral histories
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RBRL420MA
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Mississippi
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Brian Williams
Hyperlink
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Duration
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45 minutes
Location
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Tutwiler, Mississippi
URL
<h3><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><a href="http://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL420MA-016/audio" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Access Interview </a></span></h3>
Repository
Name of repository the interview is from
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
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RBRL420MA-016
Title
A name given to the resource
Interview with Lucinda Berryhill, October 26, 2016
Date
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2016-10-26
Creator
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Lucinda Berryhill
Brian Williams
Rights
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http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
oral histories
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
sound
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Mississippi
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Agriculture
Mississippi--History
Agriculture and Industry
Description
An account of the resource
The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection is comprised of interviews whose research focus is on the environmental, social, and technological aspects of agricultural change in the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta. Interviews were conducted with a variety of subjects, including large-scale and small-scale farmers, former agricultural workers, civil rights activists, extension agents, and agro-industrial sector workers, documenting their experience of the agricultural industrialization process during the mid to late twentieth century.<br /><br /><span>The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection was donated to the Russell Library in 2017 by Brian Williams, a doctoral candidate in the Geography Department at the University of Georgia. All interviews were conducted by Williams as primary source research, spanning across various states in the southeastern United States, including Mississippi, Tennessee, and Georgia.<br /><br /><a href="http://georgiaoralhistory.libs.uga.edu/items/browse?search=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bjoiner%5D=and&advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=&range=&collection=16&type=&tags=OHMS&featured=&subcollections=0&subcollections=1&submit_search=Search+for+items">View all OHMS indexed interviews in this collection here.</a><br /></span>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Oral histories
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RBRL420MA
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Mississippi
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Brian Williams
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
OHMS Object
Contains the OHMS link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer.
https://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL420MA-017/ohms
OHMS Object Text
Contains OHMS index and/or transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable.
5.4 Interview with Carlton Layne, October 29, 2016 RBRL420MA-017 RBRL420MA Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Carlton Layne Brian Williams oral history 0 Kaltura audio < ; iframe id=" ; kaltura_player" ; src=" ; https://cdnapisec.kaltura.com/p/1727411/sp/172741100/embedIframeJs/uiconf_id/26879422/partner_id/1727411?iframeembed=true& ; playerId=kaltura_player& ; entry_id=1_xy5qgzzc& ; flashvars[localizationCode]=en& ; amp ; flashvars[leadWithHTML5]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.position]=left& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.clickToClose]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.layout]=vertical& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.thumbnailRotator]=false& ; amp ; flashvars[streamSelector.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[EmbedPlayer.SpinnerTarget]=videoHolder& ; amp ; flashvars[dualScreen.plugin]=true& ; amp ; & ; wid=1_3mur7lmh" ; width=" ; 304" ; height=" ; 231" ; allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozAllowFullScreen allow=" ; autoplay * ; fullscreen * ; encrypted-media *" ; frameborder=" ; 0" ; title=" ; Kaltura Player" ; > ; < ; /iframe> ; English 14 Childhood / The Vietnam draft Mr. Layne, could you tell me a bit about your life... Layne recalls growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania- where his father worked as an electrician. Layne states that he attended college Clarion State University. Layne explains that he graduated in 1968, and recalls the influence that the Vietnam War made on his after-college decisions. Layne states that he was hired to work with the U.S Department of Agriculture and was based in central Florida. Layne adds that he failed the Vietnam draft physical due to high blood pressure. Layne recalls that he eventually married and had kids, and was officially labeled as unfit for military services. Clarion University ; Elon, Virginia ; Portsmouth. Virginia ; US Department of Agriculture (USDA) 17 410 Working for the US Department of Agriculture So I worked for USDA for five years... Layne recalls that he worked in the government in Lake County, Florida at a citrus manufacturing facility before he came to work in Camelo, Georgia. In Camelo, he ran a lab which conducted research over the mold species, Aspergilus Flavus, which was then known to be a toxin and carcinogen, and was present in peanut and cotton seeds. Layne mentions another project he co-created, called Environmental Thrust, which was a group that collected unused cars. Layne explains that he eventually left the USDA and started to work for the EPA Aspergilus flavus (mold) ; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ; Rachel Carson ; US Department of Agriculture (USDA) 17 808 Experience as a health inspector / Upholding FIFRA So I took the position with EPA... Layne recalls that he worked in the public health sector of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Layne explains that he was hired to be a food inspector in Kentucky, where he conducted testing over the pesticides present in agricultural foods. Layne explains that his work in the newly created EPA was revolutionary, as previous Federal Environmental Pesticide Control Acts (FIFRA) did not focus as much on the safety of pesticides and were more concerned with the pesticide involved in interstate commence. Layne explains that the lack of regulation over the usage of pesticides was a government concern that was later addressed in the amended FIFRA. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ; Federal Environmental Pesticide Control Act (FIFRA) 17 1333 Relationship between EPA and manufacturers They caused unknown, adverse affects on the environment... Layne talks about how the U.S Department of Agriculture did not address the environmental impact of pesticides on the environment. Layne recalls how the Environmental Protection Agency was disliked by pesticide distributors and members of the agricultural community. Layne explains how as an EPA investigator over pesticide use, he often met oppositions from said groups. Layne recalls that the EPA set up regulations for restricted use of pesticide application. Layne talks about how in 1974, he started to conduct work in developing the state plan for Mississippi's pesticide control. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ; Insect Control Conference ; US Department of Agriculture (USDA) 17 1850 Experience in Mississippi I went over, at one point, to the Insect Control Conference Layne talks about how he came to work in Mississippi for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Layne recalls that he was kept in Mississippi, where he was shown around Mississippi to learn more about agriculture. Layne explains that he was taught about agriculture by Edgar Hobbs, who was the face of the Agricultural Aviation Board. Layne explains that he used his learning experience in Mississippi and other states to assist in the writing of legislation for the EPA. Agricultural Aviation Board ; Edgar Hobbs ; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ; Insect Control Conference ; Roy Clarke 17 2246 SFIREG / Working in Florida There was also a regional organization called SFIREG... Layne explains that he came to work for SFIREG, a national and state pesticide regulation group, which met in order to create the state plan legislation for the Environmental Protection Agency. Layne recalls he eventually left Mississippi for Florida, where he worked as an inspector for the Floridian crops. Layne recalls that in Florida, he learned about the invasive species, Hydrilla Florida, and the dangers the mosquito population posed to Floridian waterways. Dr. Bill Howler ; Environmental Protection Agency ; Gainesville, Florida ; Hydrilla Florida ; Mississippi ; SFIREG 17 2677 Working in Florida / Training inspectors So there was a lot of work that we were doing back then... Layne recalls that he eventually was networked with the Florida agricultural community, as an investigator working for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Layne explains that his connection with Vince Gilleo and Doyle Conner who worked in the Florida Department of Agriculture and Commissioner of Agriculture respectively, assisted him in his involvement in cases concerning the EPA's regulatory investigations. Layne explains that Florida's relationship between the state and federal organizations was non contentious, which eventually allowed for the training of inspectors for the state of Georgia. Doyle Conner ; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ; Florida Department of Agriculture ; National Enforcement Training Institute ; Vince Gilleo 17 3064 Training EPA inspectors (cont.) So, the public speaking that began in Mississippi... Layne talks about his job as a trainer for inspectors employed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Layne explains that his mentor inspired him to incorporate education in the effort to uphold the standards of the Environmental Protection Agency. Layne recalls that his work in Florida led him to serve and direct the many organizations composing the Florida Aquatic Plant Management Society. Layne talks about how his supervisor, Jack Stonebreaker, eventually compelled him to work in Atlanta, Georgia as chief of the governmental pesticide regulation sector. Altanta, Georgia ; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ; Florida Aquatic Plant Management Society ; invasive species ; Jack Stonebreaker ; Mississippi 17 3461 Work in Atlanta So I took the position, I went to Atlanta... Layne talks about his work in Atlanta, Georgia as chief of the pesticide regulation sector of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Layne recalls that his work in Atlanta did not give him the same sense of fulfillment as did his work in Florida, which eventually led him to seek work under the Environmental Protection Agency as a field investigator. Layne expands upon his experience in Atlanta, during which he explains that his work as supervisor required the ability to organize expertise in the effort to find solutions to pesticide-related problems. Layne talks about his experience enforcing the Toxic Substances Control Act. (TSCA). Atlanta, Georgia ; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ; Robert McCarty ; Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) 17 3868 Experience as a training educator and case developer And then, a former college Layne expands upon the factors that eventually led him to leave his job as the chief of the governmental pesticide regulation sector under the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Layne explains that a colleague who pressed demands on his position eventually encouraged Layne to change positions and conduct work as regulator training educator and case developer for the states of Tennessee, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Florida. Layne recalls that his work was fulfilling, and allowed him to become knowledgeable over the regional aspects of the EPA's regulatory processes. aquatic plant management ; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ; Florida ; Mississippi ; North Carolina 17 4294 Comparing method of state's pesticide control plans Florida was still, pretty much the... Layne talks about Florida's pesticide regulation, which was comprised of two sectors: pesticide/mosquito control and agricultural pesticide control. Layne compares the pesticide management sectors of the states he supervised including South Carolina, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Layne explains that as a project officer in pesticide inspection and management, he discovered that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) carried out regulations through many different means. Layne talks about the rise of environmental concerns after the publishing of Silent Springs written by Rachel Carson in 1961. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ; Florida ; Rachel Carson ; Silent Springs ; South Carolina ; Tennessee ; University of Kentucky 17 4688 President Nixon and Environmental Policies / Hunting in Mississippi I find that environmental statutes... Layne explains his belief that Nixon implemented environmental policies as a method to gain influence among environmentalists at the time. Layne recalls a hunting experience in the Mississippi delta during his early years in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 1960's environmental movement ; Clean Air Act ; Clean Water Act ; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ; Mayhew Mississippi ; Pesticide Control Act ; Robert McCarty ; Silent Springs 17 5300 Relationships and politics in the southeast There's really a point in that... Layne explains that his boss, Roy Clarke, wanted him to go on a hunting trip early in his career as an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) inspector so that he might be get to know Mississippi's state government officials. Layne talks about the southeast as a region where relationships are valued in political interactions. Layne states that his networks as an EPA inspector led him to develop an " ; advisory council" ; composed of individuals from many different sectors of governments and industry. Layne recalls an incident concerning the misapplication of a highly toxic insecticide called parathion in Mississippi. Layne explains that the case called for coordination between sectors of government and industries in the effort to address the problem. Chip Morgan ; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ; Jeff Case ; Larry Beasley ; Larry Knight ; Parathion ; Pascagoula, Mississippi ; Robert McCarty ; Syngenta 17 5853 Pascagoula, Mississippi parathion case So they went and went to the dealer... Layne continues to explain how people in Pascagoula, Mississippi came to use a toxic insecticide known as parathion for household application. Layne states that Paul Walls was eventually charged as he was with applying parathion without a license. Layne recalls the response by the government to the event, as some areas became Superfund sites (under seizure by the government, in the effort to clean and control toxic areas). Layne talks about how he, along with the help of his advisers and the media, orchestrated a case against Paul Wells which eventually took on a criminal nature. Dock Eatman ; Parathion ; Pascagoula, Mississippi ; Paul Walls ; Robert McCarty ; Superfund 17 6277 Parathion application remediation Robert arranged for us to meet with the attorney general... Layne talks about how he, along with the help of his advisers and the media, addressed and treated the problems posed by the misapplication of parathion found in Mississippi and Alabama. Layne explains that the incident led to the more extensive implementation of education in the southeast, in an effort to create greater pesticide control. Layne recalls that his advisory board was eventually disbanded due to rules that hindered meetings among groups without approval by an official entity. Layne talks about how increased complexity among hierarchies of administration in the EPA was eventually what led him to leave his position as chief investigator. Alabama ; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ; Mississippi ; North Carolina ; Pascagoula, Missippi 17 6706 EPA investigation cases After I had left the chiefs position... Layne talks about a case in which the pesticide Temik had been used to poison deer carcasses. Layne explains that the perpetrator committed crimes in Georgia though he lived in Florida, which led to an interstate investigation. Layne explains that the intent of the poisoning was to kill the predators of turkey. Layne relates another case in which quail farmers were injecting eggs with pesticides in the effort to kill the predators of the quail. Aldicarb ; EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) ; Man in Full (novel) ; quail ; Temik 17 7060 Quail egg investigation / Political corruption in the EPA So these agents are out in the woods... Layne talks about a pesticide case in which quail farmers were injecting eggs with pesticides in order to kill predators in southern Georgia. Layne explains the process of pursuing litigation against the quail farmers. Layne then recalls that the case was prematurely settled, from what Layne believes, was due to politics. Layne explains that the political corruption in the case is one of the reasons that led Layne to stop working in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Department of Natural Resources ; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ; Fish and Wildlife Services ; Furadan ; James Palmer 17 7521 Political influence in Mississippi EPA So the law firm that handled the consolidated case... Layne talks about how in Mississippi, as the EPA chief investigator, he encountered only one case in which one of the parties had political motives. Layne recalls that Frank Mitchener, who served on a federal reserve board in Louisiana, applied an insecticide, Toxaphene, which was banned by the EPA. Layne recalls that it rained after the application, which resulted in the contamination of waterways around the area. Layne describes the process of litigation that followed, and emphasizes the fact that the process was carried out without the influence of politics. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ; EPA's Criminal Investigation Division ; Frank M. Mitchener ; King and Spalding LLP. ; Mississippi ; pollution ; Robert McCarty ; Toxaphene 17 7935 Politics in Florida EPA There's nothing in the enforcement response... Layne talks about how political power in Mississippi was usually utilized in a way that benefited the community. Layne then describes how the political climate of the south has changed in a way that supports diplomacy and faster position turnover. Layne recalls however, in Florida, politics often influenced the order in which EPA cases were addressed. Layne talks about how, occasionally, those who owned large amounts of agricultural land were often not punished as severely when they imposed regulations created by the EPA. Bureau Plant Industry ; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ; Florida ; Mississippi ; Politics 17 8334 Floridian politics in EPA (cont.) / Typical Mississippi cases And it didn't really make a difference... Layne talks about the effects of Floridian politics on the way that Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cases were handled ; as cases that involved political figures were handled with urgency. Layne explains that, under his supervision as the chief investigator, he didn't see any evidence of purposely fixed investigations. Layne describes the majority of Mississippian pesticide-related cases as " ; drift cases" ; , where herbicides such as 24D Amine would evaporate due to its high volatility. Layne talks about how the decrease of inspectors conducting field work has led to an increase of misinformation among members of the EPA. 24D Amine ; drift case ; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ; Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) ; Florida ; Museum of Natural History ; North Carolina ; politics 17 8909 Lack of field experience in the EPA Most of the folks that we get... Layne talks about how many EPA inspectors don't have an education in the sciences, and instead are liberal art/ journalism majors. Layne emphasizes how the lack of experience and understanding of the scientific method among EPA workers has led to an increase of misinformation in the sector. Layne explains the lack of knowledge among EPA officials as some do not know how to collect samples, though they are given supervision over the many EPA investigations. agronomy ; entomology ; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ; Florida Fruit & ; Vegetable Association ; land grant university ; Office of Compliance and Monitoring 17 9283 Consequences of misinformation in the EPA I got a call... Layne talks about a previous conversation he had with the EPA inspector general. Layne relates a story in which the EPA, because of the lack of inspector training, was approving imported pesticides that posed potential threats to the environment or human health. Layne talks about he voiced his concerns about the department to the new EPA chief inspector. Layne recalls one of the few agricultural related pesticide poisonings over his career as an EPA inspector. Layne explains that most pesticide poisonings were caused by carelessness and misuse of pesticides. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ; Parathion ; U.S Department of Homeland Security ; U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) 17 9738 Importance of pesticide application education In the delta, the biggest issue... Layne talks about how in the Mississippi Delta, the heat poses a risk for those who are required to dress heavily for the process of pesticide preparation. Layne explains how, with increased pesticide concentration, there is an increased requirement for protective clothing. Layne emphasizes the need for pesticide prep workers to receive training as to educate them on the risk associated with pesticide preparation. Layne talks about the lack of consideration given to the health of workers in the agricultural community who may not have many rights including the legal and illegal immigrant population. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ; immigrant workers ; Mississippi ; pesticide 17 10192 Delegative authority in the EPA If you read the statute... Layne continues explaining the failure of the EPA to recognize the need for education among immigrants, both legal and illegal, over procedures necessary for pesticide handling and management. Layne talks about how the creation of programs by the EPA in the 1980's to address the issue were superficial in nature and did not serve to remediate the effects of misinformation among workers. Layne explains the delegative authority given to EPA inspectors, as inspectors were given the duty of enabling legislation and updating regulation in the creation of state plans that meet EPA requirements. delegation ; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ; immigrant workers ; pesticide ; regulation ; remediation 17 10643 Implementation of EPA standards And then once that's done... Layne talks about the process of implementing state plans. Layne explains the process of delegation for the enforcement of EPA regulations. Layne emphasizes the need for funding and qualified workers among the EPA. Layne explains that the current adversary of the states towards the EPA on both the federal and state level, has effected the processes required for the protection of human health and the environment. Layne explains the possible need for increased federal supervision and delegation in the implementation in EPA standards. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ; federal regulation ; implementation ; regulation 17 11061 Racial history and political alignment So you mentioned the southern democrat... Layne talks about how the political alignment of African Americans towards the democratic party after the era of Reconstruction resulted in blacks being forced to vote Democratic, shortly after the retrieval of the martial presence in the southern states. Layne relates how, in the 1970's while living in the south, he often observed ballots which excluded runners who didn't align politically with the majority of whites at the time. Ben Butler ; Civil War ; democrat ; discrimination ; Jim Crow Laws ; Mississippi delta ; political alignment ; Redemption by Nicholas Lemann ; Rutherford B. Hayes 17 11517 Influence of racial relations in Mississippi And also from a historical standpoint... Layne talks about how the enslaved population in the 19th century South has effected the demographics of the current population in southern states. Layne explains that he grew up accustomed to interacting with African Americans throughout both his early life and his career. Layne explains that as an enforcement inspector for the EPA, he did not perceive any racial bias during his career. Layne recalls, however, that throughout his career, he often wondered whether blacks were ever made aware of their rights guaranteed through the EPA and the federal law. Benny Thompson ; Environmental Protection Agency ; Georgia ; James Whitman ; Mississippi ; slave population ; slavery ; South Carolina 17 11833 African American presence in the EPA It wasn't until, I'm gonna say... Layne explains that, throughout his career, he rarely interacted with African Americans who were inspectors or EPA officials. Layne states that many minorities were targeted by both government and industries as institutions had " ; unofficial" ; quotas to meet. Layne recalls how in many pesticide perpetration (usually distributors of the toxic pesticide parathion) cases, the perpetrators were African American and were selling to fellow African Americans. African American ; Bureau of Plant Industries ; emulsification ; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ; Mississippi Delta ; Parathion 17 12300 Reasons behind pesticide misapplication in the south It kinda gets to your question... Layne explains that lack of education and knowledge over the dangers posed by parathion was due to a fear of government officials, including EPA inspectors among African Americans working in poor agricultural communities. Layne talks about how the poor housing among workers in southern states led to such extensive infestations that pesticide control companies would not provide services for fear of breaking pesticide application regulations. Layne explains that because there was no pesticide service provided for these communities, " ; entrepreneurs" ; without training or certification would often apply poisonous pesticides to households, which would eventually lead to investigation conducted by the EPA. agriculture ; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ; parathion ; Pest Control 17 12774 Pesticide misapplication in the south (cont.) / DDT politics So the black applicators then... Layne explains the investigative process performed by the EPA in the pursuit of evidence of pesticide misapplication among the poor, typically African American resident agricultural workers. Layne talks about how the new increased cost of pesticides has led to decreased misuse of pesticides. Layne explains that pesticide chemicals such as DDT were cancelled by the EPA due to political reasons instead of evidence-based science. Layne describes his position that the risks posed by malaria in many third world countries outweighed the benefit of refraining from DDT usage. chlorinated hydrocarbon ; DDT ; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ; herbicide ; Mississippi Delta 17 13473 The Mississippi Agricultural Aviation Community Did you have good relationships with some farmers in the delta? Layne recalls that throughout his career in the EPA, he did not form many relationships with farmers, though he did maintain a few connections with the agricultural aviation community. Layne recalls that the agricultural aviation community was a self-regulating community. Layne explains that the lack of regulatory governmental enforcement over the aviation community led to the corruption of some pesticide-related investigations. Layne talks about how, as the EPA chief investigator, he formed agreements between the EPA, Plant Bureau Industries, and the agricultural aviation community of Mississippi that organized and delegated the regulations of the agricultural aviation community. agricultural aviation ; Bureau of Plant Industries ; Edgar Hobbs ; investigations ; Mississippi Delta ; pesticide 17 13896 The end of the agricultural aviation community / Duck hunting in Mississippi So then the ag-aviation board was done away with... Layne explains that because the regulative power of the Agricultural Aviation Board was divided among the EPA and the Plant Bureau Industries, the Mississippi Agricultural Aviation Board was eventually terminated. Layne relates a story of his experience in a duck-hunting club, in which he knew a man called David Lewis, who assisted him in locating the migrated duck population. agricultural aviation community ; David Lewis ; duck hunting ; Environmental Protection Agency ; Mississippi Agricultural Aviation Board ; Plant Bureau Industries 17 14307 Pesticides and the public opinion / Concluding thoughts Do you have anything that you think... Layne talks about how the public opinion over pesticides hinders the eradication of invasive species. Layne talks about how on a national level, ignorance portrayed among people and the media hinders progress in agriculture. Layne talks about how his purpose as a pesticides educator is to invoke questions, and assist people in challenging misinformation. Layne opines that pesticide regulation should not be a sector in the Environmental Protection Agency, as it is a conflict of interests. Layne explains that pesticide regulation is an optimization process, in which the benefit often outweighs the risk. Department of Agriculture ; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ; herbicide ; invasive aquatic species ; pesticide ; pesticide regulation 17 No transcript. audio Resources may be used under the guidelines described by the U.S. Copyright Office in Section 107, Title 17, United States Code (Fair use). Parties interested in production or commercial use of the resources should contact the Russell Library for a fee schedule. 0 RBRL420MA-017.xml RBRL420MA-017.xml http://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL420MA/findingaid
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Marietta, Georgia
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257 minutes
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Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
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Interview with Carlton Layne, October 29, 2016
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RBRL420MA-017
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Carlton Layne
Brian Williams
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oral histories
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sound
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Mississippi
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United States--Officials and employees
Pesticides
Environmental policy
Environmental health
Southern States--Politics and government
Race relations
Race
Politics and Public Policy
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Carlton Layne grew up in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. He received an education at Clarion State University, leading him to work for the U.S Department of Agriculture and eventually the Environmental Protection Agency. In this interview, Layne talks about his career and experiences as an EPA inspector. Layne addresses topics including the EPA regulation process, EPA pesticide investigations, politics in government, and EPA state plans for U.S southern states.
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2016-10-29
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Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection
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Agriculture
Mississippi--History
Agriculture and Industry
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The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection is comprised of interviews whose research focus is on the environmental, social, and technological aspects of agricultural change in the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta. Interviews were conducted with a variety of subjects, including large-scale and small-scale farmers, former agricultural workers, civil rights activists, extension agents, and agro-industrial sector workers, documenting their experience of the agricultural industrialization process during the mid to late twentieth century.<br /><br /><span>The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection was donated to the Russell Library in 2017 by Brian Williams, a doctoral candidate in the Geography Department at the University of Georgia. All interviews were conducted by Williams as primary source research, spanning across various states in the southeastern United States, including Mississippi, Tennessee, and Georgia.<br /><br /><a href="http://georgiaoralhistory.libs.uga.edu/items/browse?search=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bjoiner%5D=and&advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=&range=&collection=16&type=&tags=OHMS&featured=&subcollections=0&subcollections=1&submit_search=Search+for+items">View all OHMS indexed interviews in this collection here.</a><br /></span>
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Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
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2016
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RBRL420MA
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Mississippi
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Brian Williams
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5.4 Interview with Wendell Paris, November 1, 2016 RBRL420MA-018 RBRL420MA Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Wendell Paris Brian Williams oral history 0 Kaltura audio < ; iframe id=" ; kaltura_player" ; src=" ; https://cdnapisec.kaltura.com/p/1727411/sp/172741100/embedIframeJs/uiconf_id/26879422/partner_id/1727411?iframeembed=true& ; playerId=kaltura_player& ; entry_id=1_i85fzofi& ; flashvars[localizationCode]=en& ; amp ; flashvars[leadWithHTML5]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.position]=left& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.clickToClose]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.layout]=vertical& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.thumbnailRotator]=false& ; amp ; flashvars[streamSelector.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[EmbedPlayer.SpinnerTarget]=videoHolder& ; amp ; flashvars[dualScreen.plugin]=true& ; amp ; & ; wid=1_tzq2pt4l" ; width=" ; 304" ; height=" ; 231" ; allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozAllowFullScreen allow=" ; autoplay * ; fullscreen * ; encrypted-media *" ; frameborder=" ; 0" ; title=" ; Kaltura Player" ; > ; < ; /iframe> ; English 0 Civil Rights Around her kitchen walls... Wendell Paris, a former student activist relates a story of how Fannie Lou Hamer, a civil rights leader, would collect food preservatives in the instance that someone in the community would need them. Paris recalls that in the '60's, blacks who registered to vote in Mississippi often lost their jobs on plantations. Paris then describes the moving speech Lou Hamer delivered concerning civil rights in Mississippi at the 1964 Democratic National Convention. Paris explains how the poor, black delta-farming community would organize to provide support for those who became unemployed after registering to vote. Civil Rights Movement ; Democratic National Convention ; Fannie Lou Hamer ; Lyndon B. Johnson ; Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party ; pesticide 17 440 Delta Health Center Did Ms. Hamer ever talk about herbicides? Paris talks about the creation of the Mound Bayou Health Center, an African American hospital founded by Tufts University to assist in black patient care. Paris explains that the hospital often treated cases involving malnutrition, as herbicide poisonings of black crops by white landowners resulted in many blacks not having access to fresh produce. Paris states that land was eventually purchased from the Office of Economic Opportunity to grow vegetables for the African American workers. Alligator, Mississippi ; Fannie Lou Hamer ; Federation of Southern Cooperatives ; herbicide ; Mississippi bayou ; Mound Bayou ; Office of Economic Opportunity ; Sargent Shriver ; Tufts University 17 979 Eviction of sharecroppers in Sumter county, Alabama So what were you doing with community health center... Paris recalls that as a member of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, he worked to pursue litigation against white landowners who were denying the distribution of payments given by the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Services to black tenant farmers in Sumter County, Alabama. Paris states that as a result of the litigation, the plantation owners retaliated by evicting 250 families off of the plantation. Paris adds that, the black community, along with civil rights organizations, came together to provide shelter and food for those evicted. Agriculture Stabilization and Conservation Services ; America Friends Service Committee ; Federation of Southern Cooperatives ; Student Nonviolence Coordination Committee (SNCC) ; Sumter County, Alabama ; Voter Education Project 17 1323 Panola Land Buyers Association / Civil rights background But anyways, we incorporated Panola land buyers... Paris explains that the Student Nonviolence Coordination Committee (SNCC) eventually purchased land to provide monetary support for the 250 tenant families evicted from their plantation as the result of a federal litigation case. Paris then recalls how he originally came to be involved in the case, as he began his civil rights career at Tuskegee Institute during the 1960's. Paris explains that he eventually came to work at the Federation of Southern Cooperatives in Alabama, where he came to be involved with the Panola Land Buyers Association. Federation of Southern Cooperatives ; Panola Land Buyers Association ; Southeast Alabama Self-Help Association ; Southern Cooperative Development Program ; Southwest Alabama Farmers Cooperatives Organization ; Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) ; Tuskegee Institute 17 1763 Farming cooperative initiatives And then, here comes this federal suit against us... Paris explains that after the land was bought through the efforts of Panola Land Buying Association by the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, a federal suit was placed on the Federation of Southern Cooperatives from an indictment of conflict of interests among its members. Paris explains that the suite forced the federation to sell assets in order to pay for legal services. Paris then talks about a seed-sharing initiative stated by the Federation of Southern Cooperative in the effort to encourage black economic participation in rural southern areas. Paris recalls that in retaliation, the Farmer's Home Administration prohibited farmers from buying the seeds if they had to buy a government federal loan. Paris talks about other farming initiatives pursued through the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, and the ways in which the USDA countered the food selling initiatives. corn seeds ; discrimination ; Farmer's Home Administration ; Federation of Southern Cooperatives ; United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) 17 2252 Backlash against black cooperatives The government was using almost every kind of tactic... Paris recalls how the food distribution initiatives created through the Federation of Southern Cooperatives were hindered by efforts from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to eliminate agricultural competition. Paris explains that the African American owned cooperatives were often shut down, as he claims the United States government perceived the independent black owned businesses as a threat to the existing economy. Paris then recalls that white land owners in the Mississippi delta region often applied defoliant to the gardens of black farmers to kill off their produce. Paris adds that this was performed with the intention of moving blacks away from the area. discrimination ; Federation of Southern Cooperatives ; produce ; racism ; United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) 17 2687 Herbicide cross contamination So you said to make it on a smaller farm... Paris emphasizes the importance of cotton crops as one of the few agricultural industries blacks could take advantage of during the 1960's-70's. Paris explains that white farmer's herbicides often contaminated the waterways used by black farmers for food, which eventually forced many blacks to relocate. cotton ; Mount Bayou ; Shirley Sherrod ; United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) 17 3084 Loan distribution discrimination What sort of ways is this discrimination in loans reproduced? Paris explains that during the '60's, many black farmers were discriminated against in receiving their loans from the US Department of Agriculture. Paris recalls that loans given by the US Department of Agriculture were mostly distributed to large-scale farms. Paris talks about how, as a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), he worked to promote representation of black farmers in the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS). Paris describes the importance of black representation in legislation. Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS) ; Oklahoma ; Pickens County, Alabama ; Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) ; US Department of Agriculture (USDA) 17 3565 Black farmers losing their land So the most rapid land loss period that we've suffered... Paris talks about the positive correlation between the gradual rise in social mobility and the loss of land for black farmers. Paris uses this connection as evidence for the presence of land as a symbol of power. Paris explains some of the legal methods utilized by white farmers to acquire land previously owned by African American farmers. Paris talks about the loopholes in Alabama's legislation that ensured that historically black-owned land would be easier to obtain. Federation of Southern Cooperatives ; Georgia ; Mississippi ; Sumter County, Mississippi 17 4136 Investigation into the Federation of Southern Cooperatives It called for a grand jury investigation of the federation... Paris recalls how, in his fight to win back land owned historically by black farmers, he eventually caused the Federation of Southern Cooperatives to come under government investigation for its involvement in local politics. Paris explains that because he was not originally on the federation's staff, the investigation did not result in any litigation. Paris states that his previous political involvement prevented him from working in US government sectors in the future. Federation of Southern Cooperatives ; National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) ; Sumter, Mississippi ; Tuscaloosa, Alabama 17 4478 Superfund sites in poor, rural communities By being organized, and being able to interface with folks... Paris explains how the Federation of Southern Cooperative's organizational power discouraged further indictments from the federal court. Paris then talks about how the Environmental Protection Agency failed to remediate a Superfund site located in Sumter County, Mississippi in which, Paris claims, some of the buried chemical waste originated from Love Canal. Paris explains that the buried chemicals in Sumter, Mississippi are located in close proximity to the county's aquifers, and are buried without adequate isolation from the surrounding environment. Paris explains that the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, which was later given authority over the situation, failed to produce any changes. Alabama Department of Environmental Management ; aquifer ; chemical waste management ; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ; Federation of Southern Cooperatives ; Shirley Sherrod ; Superfund site 17 4876 EPA (cont.) / George Paris's community involvement We found some barrels... Paris recalls some of the failures of the Environmental Protection Agency to ensure and protect human and ecological health in Mississippi. Paris explains that the EPA is presently ignoring evidence of contamination from the toxic chemical waste near poor black communities. Paris then talks about how, in the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, he fought against the government buying land from black farmers for the construction of the Tombigbee Waterway. Paris reminisces about his father and the ways in which he helped black farmers receive loans from the Agriculture Stabilization and Conservation Services (ASCS). Paris explains that his father's clients were often refused land from the ASCS because they had joined civil rights organizations. Agriculture Stabilization and Conservation Services (ASCS) ; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ; Federation of Southern Cooperatives ; George Paris ; racism ; Soil Conservation Service ; Tombigbee Waterway 17 5553 Loan discrimination / Parent's occupations But I'm saying, they've got a plethora of stuff.... Paris explains how, during his father's time, black farmers were denied loans from Department of Agriculture based on their involvement with civil rights groups such as the NAACP. Paris recalls the strict regulations that were placed on black farmers and how programs benefiting black farmers are excluded from the budgets created by the Department of Agriculture. Paris talks about his wish to write about the injustices in Mississippi. Paris recalls living on his father's farm and talks about his mother's job as a nanny after she graduated high school. Agriculture Stabilization and Conservation Services ; Birmingham, Alabama ; civil rights ; Federation of Southern Cooperatives ; Mississippi ; United Mine Workers of America ; US Department of Agriculture 17 5993 George Wendell's path to civil rights My daddy walked off the plantation... Paris talks about how his father, George Wendell, became a member of New Farmers of America, an organization which would host meetings at Savannah State University in Georgia. Paris explains that after his first meeting, his father walked off of the plantation in order to go to school at Savannah State University. Paris relates that his father worked to pay for college and eventually came to attend Tuskegee University. Paris states that his father stayed in the south to help the small farming community of Alabama. George Wendell ; Morehouse College ; New Farmers of America ; Savannah State University ; Tuskegee University 17 6453 Freedom Farm Cooperative Did you know much about the cooperative farms... Paris recalls that as a member of the Student Nonviolence Coordination Committee, during his early civil rights years, he worked with Fannie Lou Hamer and the Freedom Farm Cooperative. Paris explains that the Freedom Farm Cooperative experienced corrupt management, which was common, as many farm cooperatives lacked enforcement and accountability among management. Paris talks about the diverse crops grown by farming cooperatives at the time. Paris then explains that many doctors of black farm workers would not diagnose workers who were suffering from illnesses related to pesticide exposure. agricultural cooperative ; cotton ; Fannie Lou Hamer ; Freedom Farm Cooperative ; Student Nonviolence Coordination Committee 17 6876 Pesticide-caused illnesses among black workers I went down in south Texas... Paris explains that in south Texas, the average life of farm workers was 48 years, which Paris attributes to complications caused by pesticide exposure. Paris recalls that black farm workers were not given any sort of protection despite being in direct contact with herbicides and insecticides. Paris talks about an attempt by Dr. Walter Gough, who worked at the Delta Health Center, to report the illnesses caused by pesticide exposure. Paris emphasizes that Gough's statements did not result in any change. Paris explains that the " ; romantic" ; appeal of environmentalism associated with human's impact on ecology outweighs the focus of environmental health concerns of people in rural areas. Paris explains that the lack of civil rights groups in rural areas reinforces the lack of concern given to the people in the area. defoliant ; Delta Health Center ; Dr. Walter Gough ; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ; Mound Bayou ; pesticide 17 7398 Chemical contamination / Purchasing pesticides In fact [there's] a big farm... Paris talks about a farm he knows of located close to a hazardous waste site in which, Paris claims, the owners are fearful to test the livestock of chemical contamination. Paris than talks about how working in a farming cooperative in the early '70's helped him to attain effective pesticides for black farmers at a lower price. Paris talks about the methods utilized by farmer cooperatives to distributing the pesticides purchased from large pesticide manufacturing companies. chemical contamination ; hazardous waste ; Little Rock, Arkansas ; livestock ; Southern Farmers Association (SFA) ; Treflan (herbicide) 17 7841 Pesticide selling / Importance of farming cooperatives A lot of those supply houses were co-ops themselves... Paris talks about the selling tactics used by south pesticide suppliers to maximize profits. Paris recalls a particular incident in Tennessee, in which gasoline suppliers refused to sell black farmers gasoline. Paris then explains the need for farmers to form cooperatives and the need for organization among small farming initiatives. farming cooperative ; gasoline ; Memphis, Tennessee ; pesticide 17 8313 Small farming intiatives Like our church here, if we have a funeral.... Paris talks about the need for initiatives to be made by small farmers to sell their produce to the local community. Paris emphasizes the economic and health benefits to be gained by the partnering of urban communities and small farmers. local ; obesity ; United Stated Department of Agriculture (USDA) 17 8732 Prospects for small farming initiatives At some point, we're going to start selling... Paris states that encouraging black farmers into selling to the local community might result in marketing conflict with large businesses. Paris explains potential opportunities to be made by small farmers selling to schools and churches. Paris talks about the need for local farmers to provide convenient products for their consumers in order to effectively compete with larger produce industries. Chicago ; local ; Marks, Mississippi 17 9243 Small farming initiatives (cont.) / Personability in the school system It is necessary for us... Paris talks about the need for local farmers to distribute product lines that are not in competition with large produce manufacturers. Paris talks about the ways in which black farmers participate in politics, as he claims black farmers have the highest proportional voter turnout in the African American population. Paris explains the ways in which the United States Department of Agriculture has failed to provide security, inform farmers of their rights, and form relationships between small farmers and the government. Paris ends the interview by emphasizing the need for personability in today's school systems. manufacturer ; politics ; United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) ; voting 17 No transcript. audio Resources may be used under the guidelines described by the U.S. Copyright Office in Section 107, Title 17, United States Code (Fair use). Parties interested in production or commercial use of the resources should contact the Russell Library for a fee schedule. 0 RBRL420MA-018.xml RBRL420MA-018.xml http://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL420MA/findingaid
Location
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Jackson, Mississippi
Duration
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170 minutes
Repository
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Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
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Interview with Wendell Paris, November 1, 2016
Identifier
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RBRL420MA-018
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Wendell Paris
Brian Williams
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audio
oral histories
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http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Type
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sound
Coverage
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Mississippi
Subject
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Civil rights
Race
Discrimination
Community-supported agriculture
Pesticides
African Americans--History
United States--Civil rights
Description
An account of the resource
Wendell Paris grew up in Mississippi and attended Tuskegee Institute where he studied agriculture. During his time as a student, he joined the Student Nonviolence Coordination Committee (SNCC). Paris eventually came to manage the Panola Land Buyers Association where he conducted work in preserving land for African American families who were evicted off of plantations. In this interview, Paris talks about his experience in the SNCC. He talks about working with Fannie Lou Hamer, the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, and as the manager of the Panola Land Buyers Association. Paris also talks about his father’s work and the Environmental Protections Agency’s impact on the poor farming communities.
Date
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2016-11-01
OHMS
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Agriculture
Mississippi--History
Agriculture and Industry
Description
An account of the resource
The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection is comprised of interviews whose research focus is on the environmental, social, and technological aspects of agricultural change in the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta. Interviews were conducted with a variety of subjects, including large-scale and small-scale farmers, former agricultural workers, civil rights activists, extension agents, and agro-industrial sector workers, documenting their experience of the agricultural industrialization process during the mid to late twentieth century.<br /><br /><span>The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection was donated to the Russell Library in 2017 by Brian Williams, a doctoral candidate in the Geography Department at the University of Georgia. All interviews were conducted by Williams as primary source research, spanning across various states in the southeastern United States, including Mississippi, Tennessee, and Georgia.<br /><br /><a href="http://georgiaoralhistory.libs.uga.edu/items/browse?search=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bjoiner%5D=and&advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=&range=&collection=16&type=&tags=OHMS&featured=&subcollections=0&subcollections=1&submit_search=Search+for+items">View all OHMS indexed interviews in this collection here.</a><br /></span>
Publisher
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Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Date
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2016
Rights
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http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Format
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Oral histories
Identifier
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RBRL420MA
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Mississippi
Creator
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Brian Williams
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
OHMS Object
Contains the OHMS link to the XML file within the OHMS viewer.
https://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL420MA-019/ohms
OHMS Object Text
Contains OHMS index and/or transcript and is what makes the contents of the OHMS object searchable.
5.4 Interview with Samuel McCray, November 2, 2016 RBRL420MA-019 RBRL420MA Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Samuel McCray Brian Williams oral history 0 Kaltura audio < ; iframe id=" ; kaltura_player" ; src=" ; https://cdnapisec.kaltura.com/p/1727411/sp/172741100/embedIframeJs/uiconf_id/26879422/partner_id/1727411?iframeembed=true& ; playerId=kaltura_player& ; entry_id=1_dvzqvu3z& ; flashvars[localizationCode]=en& ; amp ; flashvars[leadWithHTML5]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.position]=left& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.clickToClose]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.layout]=vertical& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.thumbnailRotator]=false& ; amp ; flashvars[streamSelector.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[EmbedPlayer.SpinnerTarget]=videoHolder& ; amp ; flashvars[dualScreen.plugin]=true& ; amp ; & ; wid=1_xbch1pcf" ; width=" ; 304" ; height=" ; 231" ; allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozAllowFullScreen allow=" ; autoplay * ; fullscreen * ; encrypted-media *" ; frameborder=" ; 0" ; title=" ; Kaltura Player" ; > ; < ; /iframe> ; English 10 Early life and education Mr. McCray, you were telling me you were born between Lambert and Marks? McCray describes being raised by his grandparents who were sharecroppers on a plantation. He discusses the close-knit community of African Americans on the plantation. McCray briefly mentions attending Delta State University, becoming the director of social services for an organization, and getting married. Clarksdale, Mississippi ; education ; family ; high school ; Holmes Community College ; Lambert, Mississippi ; Marks, Mississippi ; marriage 17 415 Grandparents Did your grandparents grow up on that same plantation or did they come from elsewhere? McCray describes his grandparents lives, talking about how they migrated to the Delta and worked as farmers. He discusses how his grandmother was light-skinned and had a white grandfather who spent time with the family but was not married to her grandmother. He talks about how his grandmother got married at 13 to his grandfather, and he discusses how they rented land for farming. McCray talks about how his grandparents switched to sharecropping from renting land as they got older which meant they had less control over their farming. marriage ; plantations ; sharecroppers ; tenant farming ; white-passing 17 986 Race relations I think most people that we knew--even white--was decent people. McCray talks about how most white people were decent, but he says that the system of racial oppression forced people to fulfill expected racial roles. He discusses how many white people knew and felt guilty about the fact that they were exploiting African Americans, but they continued to oppress African Americans in order to maintain their own privilege. He talks about how black people and poor white people were deliberately kept separate to prevent them from fighting the economic system that victimized them both. He talks about the danger of white women to black men because black men faced racial violence if white women accused them of misconduct. internalized racism ; plantation owners ; poverty ; racial stereotypes ; racism ; segregation ; sharecroppers ; white privilege 17 2189 Civil Rights Movement Were there ever any moments when you just, like, kind of stepped out of there, took a step back, and thought this was absolutely ludicrous? Why do they have all this, you know? McCray discusses the local impact of the Civil Rights Movement. He describes how students challenged school segregation and fought to integrate the schools which lead the administration to implement strict regulations about who could go to school in order to limit integration. McCray describes the reluctance of Black church leadership to become involved in the Civil Rights Movement until Martin Luther King Jr's death galvanized the community. adoption ; freedom of choice system ; Jim Crow ; media ; MLK ; plantations ; textbooks ; Vietnam War 17 3045 Challenging the plantation system When your conscience started, you know, becoming more open to or aware of some of the things that were going on, did that--were there any shifts in the way that you perceived agriculture? McCray describes how sharecroppers knew that they were being mistreated by the land owners but did not see a way out. He talks about inequality in the educational system and how African Americans need to learn from history and advocate for themselves. McCray says limited resource farmers and minority farmers now have an opportunity to support themselves and benefit from crop insurance if they are properly trained. Christianity ; education ; lynching ; Martin Luther King Jr. ; plantation system ; racial discrimination ; racial violence ; religion ; separate but equal ; sharecropping ; small-scale farming ; tenant farming 17 3788 Educational and economic development And I think the importance of us looking at education too because the ADA tracks the child into school. McCray emphasizes the importance of education. He talks about how the population of Quitman County has drastically decreased over his lifetime, and he says that elected officials need to critically evaluate the town in order to promote development and stop the out-migration. human resources ; infrastructure ; local government ; prayer ; private schools ; property taxes ; public schools 17 4217 Agricultural changes So to go, I guess, way back, what were some of the technological changes that you saw on plantations when you were there? McCray talks about the mechanization of agriculture which caused many people to lose their jobs as herbicides replaced chopping cotton and mechanical pickers replaced picking cotton by hand. He describes how he was able to stay in school the full year once the plantation owner started using mechanical pickers because he no longer had to miss school during harvest season. McCray talks about how many sharecroppers and field hands were kicked off plantations once the government began to offer farmers subsidies for vacant productive land. However, he says that leaving the plantations was good because many people were able to get decent housing under the USDA Homeownership Direct Loan Program. 502 housing program ; college ; education ; homeownership ; sharecroppers ; The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) 17 4716 Agricultural chemicals and cancer Did you ever have any experiences with or see any affects of, you know, chemicals? McCray describes how many people who lived and worked on plantations died from cancer which he blames on the agricultural chemicals. He talks about the many people in his family who died of cancer, and he mentions a local doctor who warned about the dangers of agricultural chemicals. carcinogens ; herbicides ; highboy tractor ; illness ; pesticides 17 5032 Food plot When your grandparents were on the plantation when you were growing up, did y'all have a food plot? McCray describes his grandparents' two gardens where they grew their own food on the plantation. He talks about how his grandmother canned fruits and preserved meats in order to feed the family during the winter. McCray discusses how growing their own food helped his family stay out of debt to the plantation owner because they did not have to buy many things at the plantation store. He describes how plantation owners would limit people's ability to have gardens by expanding the fields to the edges of sharecroppers' houses. agricultural chemicals ; cancer ; livestock ; loans ; pesticides ; sharecroppers ; vegetables 17 5530 Mississippi Action For Community Education (MACE) You told me you were working with Mississippi Action for community education with agriculture. McCray describes his involvement beginning in 1990 with Mississippi Action For Community Education (MACE). He talks about giving small grants to limited resource farmers in order to encourage them to raise livestock and produce. He describes advocating for legislative redistricting in Mississippi in order to increase representation for Clarke County. He also discusses working to build a processing plant in the area to help farmers preserve and distribute crops. Alcorn State University ; community organizing ; cooperative ; Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities Act of 1993. ; farmer's market ; grants ; lobbying ; Quitman County Development Organization ; sewer system 17 6246 Poor People's Campaign Were you involved in the 1960s with the mule trade and the Poor People's March. McCray talks about becoming involved in the Poor People's Campaign after Willie Bolden from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference was arrested at his school for talking about the importance of protest and the Civil Rights Movement. McCray describes following other students to the jail to demand Bolden's release where he was beaten by the police. He says that the proudest time of his life was his involvement with the Poor People's Campaign and the Civil Rights Movement Andrew Young ; high school ; Hosea Williams ; Pell Grants ; Quitman County Mule and Blues Festival ; Rev. James Bevel ; walkout 17 https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record/2015/03/25/extensions-of-remarks-section/article/E411-1 Congressional record honoring McCray No transcript. audio Resources may be used under the guidelines described by the U.S. Copyright Office in Section 107, Title 17, United States Code (Fair use). Parties interested in production or commercial use of the resources should contact the Russell Library for a fee schedule. 0 RBRL420MA-019.xml RBRL420MA-019.xml http://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL420MA/findingaid
Location
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Marks, Mississippi
Duration
Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.)
121 minutes
Repository
Name of repository the interview is from
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Interview with Samuel McCray, November 2, 2016
Identifier
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RBRL420MA-019
Creator
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Samuel McCray
Brian Williams
Format
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audio
oral histories
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http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Type
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sound
Coverage
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Mississippi
Subject
The topic of the resource
Race relations
Civil rights
Segregation
School integration
Discrimination
Nonprofit organizations
African Americans--History
United States--Civil rights
Description
An account of the resource
Samuel McCray was born in 1949 near Lambert. He was raised by his grandparents who were sharecroppers on a plantation. He attended Delta State University and he worked for various nonprofits before becoming a Field Representative and Caseworker in Marks, Mississippi. In this interview, he talks about growing up on a plantation and his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-11-02
OHMS
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Agriculture
Mississippi--History
Agriculture and Industry
Description
An account of the resource
The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection is comprised of interviews whose research focus is on the environmental, social, and technological aspects of agricultural change in the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta. Interviews were conducted with a variety of subjects, including large-scale and small-scale farmers, former agricultural workers, civil rights activists, extension agents, and agro-industrial sector workers, documenting their experience of the agricultural industrialization process during the mid to late twentieth century.<br /><br /><span>The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection was donated to the Russell Library in 2017 by Brian Williams, a doctoral candidate in the Geography Department at the University of Georgia. All interviews were conducted by Williams as primary source research, spanning across various states in the southeastern United States, including Mississippi, Tennessee, and Georgia.<br /><br /><a href="http://georgiaoralhistory.libs.uga.edu/items/browse?search=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bjoiner%5D=and&advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=&range=&collection=16&type=&tags=OHMS&featured=&subcollections=0&subcollections=1&submit_search=Search+for+items">View all OHMS indexed interviews in this collection here.</a><br /></span>
Publisher
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Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Date
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2016
Rights
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http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
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Oral histories
Identifier
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RBRL420MA
Coverage
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Mississippi
Creator
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Brian Williams
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Duration
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41 minutes
Location
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Cowart, Mississippi
URL
<h3><span style="text-decoration:underline;"><a href="http://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL420MA-020/audio" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Access Interview </a></span></h3>
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Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
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RBRL420MA-020
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Interview with Roy Rounsaville, November 3, 2016
Date
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2016-11-03
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Roy Rounsaville
Brian Williams
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oral histories
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sound
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Mississippi
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Agriculture
Mississippi--History
Agriculture and Industry
Description
An account of the resource
The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection is comprised of interviews whose research focus is on the environmental, social, and technological aspects of agricultural change in the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta. Interviews were conducted with a variety of subjects, including large-scale and small-scale farmers, former agricultural workers, civil rights activists, extension agents, and agro-industrial sector workers, documenting their experience of the agricultural industrialization process during the mid to late twentieth century.<br /><br /><span>The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection was donated to the Russell Library in 2017 by Brian Williams, a doctoral candidate in the Geography Department at the University of Georgia. All interviews were conducted by Williams as primary source research, spanning across various states in the southeastern United States, including Mississippi, Tennessee, and Georgia.<br /><br /><a href="http://georgiaoralhistory.libs.uga.edu/items/browse?search=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bjoiner%5D=and&advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=&range=&collection=16&type=&tags=OHMS&featured=&subcollections=0&subcollections=1&submit_search=Search+for+items">View all OHMS indexed interviews in this collection here.</a><br /></span>
Publisher
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Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Date
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2016
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http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Format
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Oral histories
Identifier
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RBRL420MA
Coverage
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Mississippi
Creator
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Brian Williams
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
OHMS Object
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https://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL420MA-021/ohms
OHMS Object Text
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5.4 Interview with Frank Mitchener, August 15, 2016 RBRL420MA-021 RBRL420MA Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Frank MItchener Brian Williams oral history 0 Kaltura audio < ; iframe id=" ; kaltura_player" ; src=" ; https://cdnapisec.kaltura.com/p/1727411/sp/172741100/embedIframeJs/uiconf_id/26879422/partner_id/1727411?iframeembed=true& ; playerId=kaltura_player& ; entry_id=1_obhc6hw2& ; flashvars[localizationCode]=en& ; amp ; flashvars[leadWithHTML5]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.position]=left& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.clickToClose]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.layout]=vertical& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.thumbnailRotator]=false& ; amp ; flashvars[streamSelector.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[EmbedPlayer.SpinnerTarget]=videoHolder& ; amp ; flashvars[dualScreen.plugin]=true& ; amp ; & ; wid=1_wvr7fk17" ; width=" ; 304" ; height=" ; 231" ; allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozAllowFullScreen allow=" ; autoplay * ; fullscreen * ; encrypted-media *" ; frameborder=" ; 0" ; title=" ; Kaltura Player" ; > ; < ; /iframe> ; English 20 Childhood and grandfather So to begin with, could you tell me a bit about your childhood? Mitchener talks about his happy childhood in Sumner, Mississippi where he rode around the countryside and biked across town. He describes how the land was divided into small plots that were farmed by black sharecroppers. He discusses how his grandfather bought land near Sumner after fighting for the Confederacy. Mitchener talks about the negative affect of the Great Depression on land prices in the area. 15th Regiment, Mississippi Infantry ; Battle of Atlanta ; Battle of Franklin ; cash crops ; Cassidy Bayou ; College Hill Presbyterian Church ; College Hill, Mississippi ; cotton prices ; Dollar Cotton by John Faulkner ; horses ; Maury, Tennessee ; Mississippi Delta ; prisoner of war (POW) ; sharecropping ; slavery ; tenant farming ; The Civil War ; United States Army 17 658 Education, farming experience, and race relations And, so I would imagine that some of this land along the bayou was some of the most valuable? Mitchener talks about how the land along the Cassidy Bayou is productive for growing cotton due to its surface and internal drainage ability. He describes attending McCallie School, a boarding school in Chattanooga, Tennessee, before going to Davidson College in North Carolina. He talks about the prevalence of sharecropping in the Delta region, but he states that he employed wage laborers when he started farming part of his father's land in 1957. Mitchener describes how the Civil Rights Movement reached Sumner with the Emmett Till trial that was held in the local court house, but he says that the movement wasn't a big issue beyond the trial. He also talks about expanding his farm by leasing other land and working the land his siblings inherited after their father's death. chopping cotton ; family ; inheritance ; land owners ; racism ; sandy loam ; sharecroppers ; silt loam ; tenant farmers ; tractors ; United States Army 17 1238 Agricultural changes So you said that in the 1950s, chemical weedant didn't come about. When did that come about? Mitchener describes how chemical herbicides and insecticides increased cotton yields, and he mentions how farmers would hire entomologists to check crops for insects and make insecticide recommendations. He talks about the mechanization of farming and the introduction of genetically modified crops in the 1990s. He mentions how there was not much involvement in the Civil Rights Movement beyond the Emmett Till trial and school integration. < ; i> ; Delta Rainbow: The Irrepressible Betty Bobo Pearson < ; /i> ; ; boll weevil ; Boll Weevil Eradication program ; boll worm ; cotton scouts ; DDT ; Dr. George Mullendore ; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ; insect resistance ; karmex herbicide ; mechanical harvesters ; mechanical pickers ; pesticides ; Roundup Ready crops 17 1924 Delta Council and National Cotton Council You became, uh, if I remember correctly from what I have seen in publications. Were you the president of the Delta Counsel at one point? Mitchener talks about his experiences as president of the Delta Council and the National Cotton Council which he describes as the most powerful commodity councils at the time of his office. He describes working to improve cotton commodity prices and flood control while supporting national agricultural legislation and deregulation. agricultural policy ; agricultural support prices ; flooding ; insect control ; irrigation ; leadership ; regulation ; water stewardship ; weed control ; well licenses ; wells 17 2481 Fighting cotton dust regulation We had a regulation in our textile mills about the amount of what they call cotton dust. Mitchener describes how he advocated to remove regulations regarding cotton dust in textile mills that were put into place to protect workers from byssinosis, or brown lung. He states that the National Cotton Council conducted research into byssinosis and found that it only affected smokers which he said made the regulations unnecessary. He talks about meeting with President Reagan and Vice President Bush and working with them to deregulate cotton dust. Byssinosis (brown lung) ; deregulation ; James " ; Jim" ; Baker ; labor unions ; lobbying ; lobbyist ; President George H. W. Bush ; President Ronald Reagan 17 2865 Senator Cochran and Representative Whitten What were some of the losers? Mitchener describes how he worked with other agricultural leaders to appoint Thad Cochran, a new senator, to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. They persuaded Senator Eastland to retire three weeks early and got the current governor, Cliff Finch, to appoint Cochran in Eastland's place which gave Cochran seniority over other new senators and enabled him to join the agriculture committee. Mitchener also describes his friendly relationship with Representative Whitten who was the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. deregulation ; exercise ; golf ; lobbying ; lobbyist ; regulations ; Republicans ; tennis ; United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry ; walking 17 3209 Agricultural chemicals and the organization of the National Cotton Council What were some of the other regulations you faced when you were an agricultural leader? Mitchener describes his work with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to get certain agricultural chemicals approved, mentioning various herbicides including Karmex, Treflan, Fusilade, and Roundup. Mitchener describes how the National Cotton Council is divided into seven segments: producers, ginners, warehousers, merchants cottonseed, cooperatives, and manufacturers. He talks about how each segment has veto power over policy which he credits for promoting unity within the organization. American Textile Manufacturers Institute (ATMI) ; chemical drift ; Delta Council ; free market ; GMO (genetically modified organism) ; Johnsongrass ; lobbying ; pigweed ; price floor ; productivity ; Stonewall, Mississippi 17 3641 Farming operation So what--when did you retire from farming? Mitchener describes how he retired from farming in 2001 because he had over-expanded his farm, and it became too expensive. He talks about using computer technology to model cotton plants which he said increased his knowledge of the plant but did not affect his yields. computer modeling ; downsizing ; International Business Machines (IBM) ; retirement ; technology 17 3986 Insect control And so I remember--when I was going over the George Mullendore archives he kept on telling this story about how you had decided that it was too early to defoliate. Was he embellishing that story? Mitchener describes the influence of scientists George Mullendore and Jack Mooney on his successful decision to control tarnished plant bugs which many farmers did not do at the time due to the expense of insecticides. He also talks about the problem of the tobacco budworm which became resistant to many pesticides. He talks about how he was the first farmer to use Bt cotton, a genetically modified cotton which produces toxins harmful to insects. Africa ; boll worm ; Deltapine ; genetic engineering ; genetically modified organism (GMO) ; green revolution ; Lygus lineolaris ; Monsanto ; organic foods ; pesticides 17 4509 Changes in the Delta So back to the Delta, what has been the relationship between, you know, agriculture and people's well being in the Delta? Mitchener talks about how the mechanization of agriculture has caused many people to lose their jobs. He describes how people are being replaced by technology in every sector of the economy which he says will continue to happen. He states that the future of the Delta is in large-scale agriculture and not in industry. agricultural technology ; automobiles ; computers ; cotton pickers ; skilled labor ; The Great Migration ; tractors ; unemployment 17 No transcript. Resources may be used under the guidelines described by the U.S. Copyright Office in Section 107, Title 17, United States Code (Fair use). Parties interested in production or commercial use of the resources should contact the Russell Library for a fee schedule. audio 0 RBRL420MA-021.xml RBRL420MA-021.xml http://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL420MA/findingaid
Location
The location of the interview
Sumner, Mississippi
Duration
Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.)
83 minutes
Repository
Name of repository the interview is from
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Interview with Frank Mitchener, August 15, 2016
Identifier
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RBRL420MA-021
Creator
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Frank MItchener
Brian Williams
Format
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audio
oral histories
Rights
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http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Type
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sound
Coverage
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Mississippi
Subject
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Pesticides
Race relations
Environmental policy
Politics and Public Policy
Description
An account of the resource
Frank Mitchener was born in 1933 in Sumner, Mississippi. He attended Davidson College before serving in the army for two years. Mitchener was a farmer and agricultural leader in the Delta. He served as the president of the Delta Council and the National Cotton Council. In this interview, he talks about advocating for the deregulation of the cotton industry and the impact of pesticides on agriculture.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-08-15
OHMS
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection
Subject
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Agriculture
Mississippi--History
Agriculture and Industry
Description
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The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection is comprised of interviews whose research focus is on the environmental, social, and technological aspects of agricultural change in the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta. Interviews were conducted with a variety of subjects, including large-scale and small-scale farmers, former agricultural workers, civil rights activists, extension agents, and agro-industrial sector workers, documenting their experience of the agricultural industrialization process during the mid to late twentieth century.<br /><br /><span>The Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection was donated to the Russell Library in 2017 by Brian Williams, a doctoral candidate in the Geography Department at the University of Georgia. All interviews were conducted by Williams as primary source research, spanning across various states in the southeastern United States, including Mississippi, Tennessee, and Georgia.<br /><br /><a href="http://georgiaoralhistory.libs.uga.edu/items/browse?search=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bjoiner%5D=and&advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=&range=&collection=16&type=&tags=OHMS&featured=&subcollections=0&subcollections=1&submit_search=Search+for+items">View all OHMS indexed interviews in this collection here.</a><br /></span>
Publisher
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Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016
Rights
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http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Format
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Oral histories
Identifier
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RBRL420MA
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Mississippi
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Brian Williams
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
OHMS Object
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https://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL420MA-022/ohms
OHMS Object Text
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5.4 Interview with Herman Johnson, December 2, 2016 RBRL420MA-022 RBRL420MA Mississippi Agriculture Oral History Collection Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Herman Johnson Brian Williams oral history 0 Kaltura audio < ; iframe id=" ; kaltura_player" ; src=" ; https://cdnapisec.kaltura.com/p/1727411/sp/172741100/embedIframeJs/uiconf_id/26879422/partner_id/1727411?iframeembed=true& ; playerId=kaltura_player& ; entry_id=1_kqea4cir& ; flashvars[localizationCode]=en& ; amp ; flashvars[leadWithHTML5]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.position]=left& ; amp ; flashvars[sideBarContainer.clickToClose]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.layout]=vertical& ; amp ; flashvars[chapters.thumbnailRotator]=false& ; amp ; flashvars[streamSelector.plugin]=true& ; amp ; flashvars[EmbedPlayer.SpinnerTarget]=videoHolder& ; amp ; flashvars[dualScreen.plugin]=true& ; amp ; & ; wid=1_9i8ui7ry" ; width=" ; 304" ; height=" ; 231" ; allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozAllowFullScreen allow=" ; autoplay * ; fullscreen * ; encrypted-media *" ; frameborder=" ; 0" ; title=" ; Kaltura Player" ; > ; < ; /iframe> ; English 17 Early life in Louisiana Mr. Johnson, where were you born? Johnson describes growing up on a plantation in Gilbert, Louisiana. His parents were sharecroppers, and he talks about working on the farm as a child. Johnson discusses moving to Winnsboro when he was eight because his father had a stroke, and his family could no longer farm their portion of land. childhood ; chopping cotton ; Louisiana Delta ; picking cotton ; sharecropping ; tenant farming 32.049, -91.658 15 Gilbert, Louisiana 475 Racism and education When you where living on the plantation, did you have many moments when racism was a really visible force in your life--something that affected you life immediately? Johnson describes walking multiple miles to school while white children on school buses would throw rocks at him. He mentions segregated movie theaters and talks about how white children tried to start fights. Johnson describes finishing high school and attending Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He talks about talking a year off from school to go to Chicago and then being drafted by the army. Johnson mentions serving in the army for two years before returning to finish school at Southern University. college ; discrimination ; elementary school ; marriage ; middle school ; military ; segregation 17 1085 Theodore Roosevelt Mason " ; T. R. M." ; Howard So she said, when you go by, go bye and talk to Dr. T. R. M. Howard. Johnson talks about meeting Dr. Howard who gave him a job at Magnolia Mutual Life Insurance Company which Medgar Evers had just vacated. Johnson describes Dr. Howard's large farming operation and mentions Howard's love of hunting. He discusses Howard's fraternal organization, the United Order of Friendship which sought to insure health of its members. agricultural chemicals ; big-game hunting ; Civil Rights Movement ; Delta Health Center ; health center ; International Order of Twelve Knights and Daughters of Tabor ; leadership ; teacher ; teaching ; The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) ; the Regional Council of Negro Leadership 17 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._R._M._Howard Wikipedia article on T. R. M. Howard 1712 Discrimination against Mound Bayou So what are some of your memories about what this part of the Delta was like when you first arrived? Johnson talks about how black farmers originally owned all the land surrounding Mound Bayou. He discusses how black farmers lost their land to discriminatory lending agencies that took the land as collateral for defaulted loans. He talks about how in the 1980s, lending agencies refused to grant home loans to people in Mound Bayou for seven years which caused many people to move away because they could not afford to build houses. civil servant ; Delta Housing Development Corporation ; Federal Housing Administration (FHA) ; mortgage loans ; public office ; racism ; redlining ; USDA Rural Development 17 2644 History of Mound Bayou What year did you arrive here in Mound Bayou? Johnson describes how Mound Bayou was founded by the former slaves from Joe Davis's plantation. Johnson discusses how Mound Bayou became famous for having the best grade cotton in the world which prompted nearby white farmers to use local cotton gins. He talks about how African Americans controlled the local government and owned all the businesses in the town including multiple large cotton gins. black political power ; black-owned businesses ; cotton dust ; education ; family ; pollution ; rail road 17 3180 Agricultural chemicals In the 1940s--in the late 1940s or the 1950s, when you came here, did you know much or experience much or see much with plantation agriculture in the Delta? Johnson talks about the prevalent use of pesticides in plantation agriculture. He describes how unprotected field workers would be sprayed by agricultural chemicals. He talks about his work with the Delta Health Center and his concern about the impact of the pesticides on people's health. He discusses the negative affects of the agricultural chemicals on local wildlife, specifically mentioning how the frogs stopped calling. agricultural airplanes ; cotton gin ; crop-dusters ; DDT ; herbicides ; insecticides ; public health 17 3719 Farm Co-operative And then providing better food--fresh foods, and so we started--what is it--the farm co-ops... Johnson describes how the local health center--now called the Delta Health Center--worked to improve public health by organizing a farm co-op to assist local farmers and provide fresh food. Farmers in the co-op bought supplies in bulk in order to save money. Johnson talks about how the health center worried about the negative effects of chemicals on people's health and encouraged farmers to grow crops with as little pesticides as possible. He describes how he would collaborate with other black farm co-ops in order to share information and resources. birth defects ; Delta Ministry Farm ; Fanny Lou Hammer's Freedom Farm ; farm cooperative ; herbicides ; pollution ; public health ; Tufts University ; vegetables 17 4281 Reparations So you're the board chair of the Cotton Pickers of America, aren't you? Johnson describes the importance of remembering sharecropping and plantation agriculture because people continue to benefit from wealth generated by the labor of slaves and sharecroppers. He talks about his desire to open a museum about sharecropping to demonstrate the need for reparations. Johnson describes how Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed Mound Bayou to be the " ; Jewel of the Delta" ; after he helped the area by building a railroad. Johnson emphasizes the importance of sharing history and working with others, and he states that the wealth of plantation owners needs to be redistributed to the descendants of sharecroppers. cotton ; discrimination ; labor exploitation ; mechanization ; racism ; tenant farmers ; textiles 17 No transcript. audio Resources may be used under the guidelines described by the U.S. Copyright Office in Section 107, Title 17, United States Code (Fair use). Parties interested in production or commercial use of the resources should contact the Russell Library for a fee schedule. 0 RBRL420MA-022.xml RBRL420MA-022.xml http://purl.libs.uga.edu/russell/RBRL420MA/findingaid
Location
The location of the interview
Mound Bayou, Mississippi
Duration
Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.)
85 minutes
Repository
Name of repository the interview is from
Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Interview with Herman Johnson, December 2, 2016
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
RBRL420MA-022
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Herman Johnson
Brian Williams
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
audio
oral histories
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
sound
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Mississippi
Subject
The topic of the resource
African American teachers
Race
Discrimination
Pesticides
Community-supported agriculture
African Americans--History
Elementary school teachers
Description
An account of the resource
Herman Johnson was born in 1929 in Gilbert, Louisiana. His parents were sharecroppers, and he grew up working on farms. He graduated from Southern University and served in the Army. Johnson worked with Magnolia Mutual Life Insurance Company, taught elementary school, and worked for the Delta Health Center. In this interview, Johnson talks about the history of Mound Bayou and his experiences with racism and sharecropping.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-12-02
OHMS