David P. Cline Ph. D., American, born 1969 Search this
Subject of:
Boy Scouts of America, American, founded 1910 Search this
Southern University and A&M College, American, founded 1880 Search this
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, American, founded 1909 Search this
Medium:
digital
Dimensions:
Duration: 1 hr., 42 min., 4 sec.
Total: 168.97 GB
Type:
video recordings
oral histories
digital media - born digital
Place collected:
Dallas, Texas, United States, North and Central America
Place depicted:
Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States, North and Central America
Date:
May 10, 2013
Description:
The oral history consists of four digital files: 2011.174.86.1a, 2011.174.86.1b, 2011.174.86.1c, and 2011.174.86.1d.
Charles Siler remembers his early life in Louisiana, including a penchant for drawing that began before the age of two, quitting the Boy Scouts when his troop made black Scouts walk behind the horses in a local parade, and picketing Louisiana's segregated State Library as a senior in high school. He was eventually expelled from Southern University because of his activism. He joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In 1967, he was drafted and served in the military in the Vietnam War. He continued his civil rights advocacy as he took a variety of positions at cultural institutions and began a career as a cartoonist. The interview closes with Siler's reflections on identity and the process of learning from those who are ideologically different.
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in partnership with the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress