Thursday, March 31, 2005

The Television News of the Civil Rights Era 1950-1970: A New Digital Archive at The University of Virginia

"The Civil Rights Era in Virginia was contentious, pitting black against white, neighbor against neighbor and communities against legislation - a microcosm of the years of social upheaval in communities across America. A new archive at the Virginia Center for Digital History at the University of Virginia brings to life that period of our National history through filmed local civil rights events and the words and actions of citizen and national activists in Roanoke, Va. The archive, which received support from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities and is housed in U.Va.'s Alderman Library, contains film and scripts from two Roanoke TV stations: CBS affiliate WDBJ and NBC affiliate WSLS. The archival footage highlights local coverage of school desegregation, massive resistance, school meetings, civil rights debates, and interviews with key players and concerned citizens in the community, as well as speeches given by Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon and the governors of the commonwealth of Virginia." Material can be viewed online, Quick Time required. [via ResourceShelf]

Link to Archive Site

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