<I>Roland Freeman Oral History Interview</I>
date: label: Date
content: September 26, 2018
name: label: Created by
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture, American, founded 2003
label: Interview of
content: Roland L. Freeman, American, 1936 - 2023
label: Interviewed by
content: Kelly Elaine Navies, American
label: Recorded by
content: Kim Moir, American
label: Subject of
content: Poor People's Campaign, American, 1967 - 1968
label: Subject of
content: Marian Wright Edelman, American, born 1939
label: Subject of
content: Andrew Jackson Young, American, born 1932
label: Subject of
content: Rev. Ralph David Abernathy, American, 1926 - 1990
label: Subject of
content: Bernice Johnson Reagon, American, 1942 - 2024
label: Subject of
content: Worth Long, American, born 1936
notes: label: Description
content: An oral history consisting of a single digital video recording (2018.78.5.1). It was collected as part of the Poor People’s Campaign Interviews.
label: Description
content: In this interview, photographer and folklorist, Roland Freeman, discusses his life and work, and his experience documenting the Mule Train from Marks, Mississippi, to Washington, DC, for the Poor People’s Campaign in 1968.
label: Description
content: Freeman begins the interview with a brief discussion of his history as an Arabber in Baltimore. He then discusses his experience attending the March on Washington, which inspired him to want to join the freedom struggle, as well as how and why he got into photography. Freeman then turns to a discussion of the Mule Train from Marks, MS, to Washington, DC, for the Poor People’s Campaign. He recalls how he ended up joining the Mule Train, and his experience documenting the movement. Moving back and forth between his later work as a documentary photographer and his experience on the Mule Train, Freeman also discusses the impact of his experience with the people on Mule Train on his life and work. Freeman concludes by reflecting on why he agreed to sit for an interview with the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
place: label: Place collected
content: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
label: Place depicted
content: Baltimore, Maryland, United States, North and Central America
label: Place depicted
content: Marks, Quitman County, Mississippi, United States, North and Central America
label: Place depicted
content: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Activism
label: Topic
content: Civil Rights
label: Topic
content: Humanitarianism
label: Topic
content: Justice
label: Topic
content: Labor
label: Topic
content: Politics
label: Topic
content: Poverty
label: Topic
content: Race relations
label: Topic
content: U.S. History, 1961-1969
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Collection title
content: Poor People’s Campaign Oral Histories
label: Classification
content: Time-based Media - Moving Images
label: Movement
content: Civil Rights Movement
label: Movement
content: African American - Latinx Solidarity
label: Movement
content: Poor People's Campaign
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2018.78.5.1
objectType: label: Type
content: video recordings
label: Type
content: oral histories
label: Type
content: digital media - born digital
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: © Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: digital
label: Dimensions
content: Duration: 01:35:28
label: Dimensions
content: 34.36 GB