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Film, Video Clarence B. Jones oral history interview conducted by David P. Cline in Palo Alto, California, 2013 April 15

Clarence B. Jones oral history interview conducted by David P. Cline in Palo Alto, California, 2013 April 15

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About this Item

Title

  • Clarence B. Jones oral history interview conducted by David P. Cline in Palo Alto, California, 2013 April 15

Summary

  • Dr. Clarence B. Jones shares memories from his work as a legal advisor and speechwriter for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In particular, he describes his significant contributions to the "I Have a Dream" speech, which King delivered at the March on Washington in 1963. Jones also describes his early life living in a Philadelphia home for indigent black orphans and foster children, because his parents, who were both domestic workers, could not afford to provide for him. Jones talks about his education at Columbia University, his training as a classical clarinetist, and some of his early encounters with leftist politics while in New York. Jones discusses the death of his mother and the profound effect it had on him. He describes his time spent in the military during the Korean War. Other topics discussed in the interview include Jones's marriage to Anne Norton, his studies at Boston University Law School, and his move to California to become an entertainment lawyer.

Names

  • Jones, Clarence B., 1931- interviewee
  • Cline, David P., 1969- interviewer
  • Civil Rights History Project (U.S.)

Created / Published

  • 2013.

Headings

  • -  Jones, Clarence B.,--1931---Interviews
  • -  King, Martin Luther,--Jr.,--1929-1968
  • -  Robeson, Paul,--1898-1976
  • -  March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom--(1963 :--Washington, D.C.)
  • -  African American civil rights workers--Interviews
  • -  African American lawyers--Interviews
  • -  African American veterans--Interviews
  • -  Civil rights movements--United States
  • -  Discrimination in the military--United States
  • -  Korean War, 1950-1953--Participation, African American

Genre

  • Filmed Interviews
  • Interviews
  • Oral histories
  • Video recordings

Notes

  • -  Recorded in Palo Alto, California on April 15, 2013.
  • -  Civil Rights History Project Collection (AFC 2010/039), Archive of Folk Culture, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
  • -  Copies of items are also held at the National Museum of African American History and Culture (U.S.).
  • -  Dr. Clarence B. Jones attended Columbia University and Boston University school of Law. He was a former personal counsel, advisor, draft speech writer, and close friend of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He also worked as an entertainment lawyer and investment banker.
  • -  The Civil Rights History Project is a joint project of the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of African American History and Culture to collect video and audio recordings of personal histories and testimonials of individuals who participated in the Civil Rights movement.
  • -  In English.
  • -  Finding aid http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/eadafc.af013005

Medium

  • 12 video files of 12 (Apple ProRes 422 HQ, QuickTime wrapper) (163 min.) : digital, sound, color.
  • 1 transcript (62 pages).

Source Collection

  • Civil Rights History Project collection AFC 2010/039: 0084

Repository

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2015669183

Access Advisory

Online Format

  • image
  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

The individuals documented in these collection items retain copyright and related rights to the use of their recorded and written testimonies and memories.  They have granted the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution permission to provide access to their interviews and related materials for purposes that are consistent with each agency’s educational mission, such as publication and transmission, in whole or in part, on the Web. Their written permission is required for commercial, profit-making distribution, reproduction, or other use beyond that allowed by fair use or other statutory exemptions. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item. See our Legal Notices and Privacy and Publicity Rights for additional information and restrictions.

The American Folklife Center, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and the professional fieldworkers who carry out these projects feel a strong ethical responsibility to the people they have visited and who have consented to have their lives documented for the historical record. The Center asks that researchers approach the materials in this collection with respect for the culture and sensibilities of the people whose lives, ideas, and creativity are documented here. Researchers are also reminded that privacy and publicity rights may pertain to certain uses of this material.

Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these collection materials should contact the Folklife Reading Room for assistance. 

Credit Line

Civil Rights History Project collection (AFC 2010/039), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Jones, Clarence B., Interviewee, David P Cline, and U.S Civil Rights History Project. Clarence B. Jones oral history interview conducted by David P. Cline in Palo Alto, California. 2013. Video. https://www.loc.gov/item/2015669183/.

APA citation style:

Jones, C. B., Cline, D. P. & Civil Rights History Project, U. S. (2013) Clarence B. Jones oral history interview conducted by David P. Cline in Palo Alto, California. [Video] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2015669183/.

MLA citation style:

Jones, Clarence B., Interviewee, David P Cline, and U.S Civil Rights History Project. Clarence B. Jones oral history interview conducted by David P. Cline in Palo Alto, California. 2013. Video. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2015669183/>.