Oral history interview with Phillips Russell, November 18, 1974
Subtitle: interview B-0011-3, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007)
Contributors: Frederickson, Mary E., interviewer; Southern Oral History Program; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Documenting the American South (Project); University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library
Edition: Electronic ed.
Publisher: University Library, UNC-Chapel Hill
Published: 2007
Place of publication: [Chapel Hill, N.C.]
Language: eng
Subjects: Interviews; College teachers; Labor unions and education; Employees; Education; Textile workers; Labor movement; Teacher-student relationships; Labor unions; Political activity; Textile Workers Union of America; Southern Summer School for Women Workers in Industry (U.S.)
Other titles: Interview B-0011-3, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007); Interview with Phillips Russell, November 18, 1974; Oral histories of the American South.
Description: Charles Phillips Russell was born in North Carolina during the late 1800s. After graduating from the University of North Carolina just after the turn of the twentieth century, he spent time in New York and London, working as a writer before returning to Chapel Hill to teach at the University in 1925. For the majority of the interview, Russell focuses specifically on worker education programs in North Carolina during the late 1930s and early 1940s. During these years, Russell taught for one summer at the Southern Summer School for Workers (1939) and for two summers at the Black Mountain College Institute of the Textile Workers of America (1942-1943). Russell describes the role of leaders at these schools, offering insight into the labor activism of Louise McLaren, Leo Huberman, Larry Rogan, and Mildred Price. Comparing his experiences at the two schools, Russell describes the role of faculty, the role of students, and curriculum and recreation. According to Russell, the Southern Summer School adopted a "top down" approach in which teachers exercised a great deal of authority and control within the school, whereas the Black College School was more oriented around the students. Russell also addresses various schools of thought within the labor movement, arguing that while some labor leaders emphasized political action, he believed economic change was more important. As for curriculum at the summer schools, while workers were encouraged to participate in politics as a means of promoting their collective interests, Russell argues that political activism was not overt, nor was it geared towards espousing particular political ideologies.
Notes: Title from menu page (viewed on May 21, 2008).

Interview participants: Phillips Russell, interviewee; Mary Frederickson, interviewer.

Duration: 01:03:34.

This electronic edition is part of the UNC-CH digital library, Documenting the American South.  It is a part of the collection Oral histories of the American South.

Text encoded by Mike Millner.  Sound recordings digitized by Aaron Smithers.

Text (HTML and XML/TEI source file) and audio (MP3); 2 files: ca. 97.8 kilobytes, 116 megabytes.

Original version: Southern Oral History Program Collection, (#4007), Series B, Individual biographies, interview B-0011-3, Manuscripts Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Transcribed by Joe Jaros. Original transcript: 25 p.

Funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services supported the electronic publication of this interview.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

System requirements:  Web browser with Javascript enabled and multimedia player.