<I>Ernesto Vigil Oral History Interview</I>
date: label: Date
content: June 25, 2019
name: label: Created by
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture, American, founded 2003
label: Interview of
content: Ernesto Vigil, American, born 1948
label: Interviewed by
content: Kelly Elaine Navies, American
label: Recorded by
content: Trudy Hutcherson, American
label: Subject of
content: Poor People's Campaign, American, 1967 - 1968
label: Subject of
content: Corky Gonzales, American, 1928 - 2005
label: Subject of
content: Southern Christian Leadership Conference, American, founded 1957
label: Subject of
content: Federal Bureau of Investigation, American, founded 1908
label: Subject of
content: COINTELPRO, American, 1956 - 1971
label: Subject of
content: Hawthorne School, American, 1956 - 1982
notes: label: Description
content: An oral history consisting of a single digital video recording (2018.78.11.1). It was collected as part of the Poor People’s Campaign Interviews.
label: Description
content: In this interview, Ernesto Vigil, author and Chicano Movement activist, discusses his early life in Denver, Colorado; his work with Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales and the Crusade for Justice; his experience of the Poor People’s Campaign of 1968; and his current work as an author.
label: Description
content: Vigil begins the interview with a discussion of his family history in New Mexico and his parents move to Denver by the time of his birth. He then discusses his upbringing and education in the Elyria neighborhood of Denver and his experience at Goddard College in Vermont before dropping out and returning to Denver in 1967. Throughout this discussion of his early life, Vigil traces the experiences that led to his growing political consciousness.
label: Description
content: Vigil then discusses the history of the Crusade for Justice and talks about his involvement with the organization. He then turns to a discussion of the Poor People’s Campaign of 1968 and reflects on the legacy of the movement. This reflection leads Vigil to talk about the need for sustained political activism in the present to dismantle the systems that horde wealth and keep the majority of people poor. Vigil then discusses changing terminology for people of Latin American heritage and concludes by speaking about his latest book project, Decades of Deception: the American Indian Movement, the FBI, and the death of Anna Mae Aquash.
place: label: Place collected
content: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
label: Place depicted
content: New Mexico, United States, North and Central America
label: Place depicted
content: Denver, Denver County, Colorado, 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: Identity
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: American Indian Movements
label: Movement
content: Chicano Movement / El Movimiento
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: 2018.78.11.1
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: 02:37:31
label: Dimensions
content: 14.3 GB