Civil Rights and Black American History

This website contains at least 73 audio programs that relate directly to the American Civil Rights movement and 34 that relate to Black American History. Mainline churches have often been intentional in working in these fields, and many of their audio programs reflect this work.

These subjects were also a focus of the “Night Call” radio program, which ran from 1965-1969. The nightly show was created by The United Methodist Church, and produced in conjunction with the National Council of Churches, and the Urban League, along with other faith partners.

One of the programs in these areas is selected randomly on the right side of this page. On this site, you’ll find dozens of key figures represented, giving speeches or appearing on a radio program.

To find all the programs, go to our Audio Programs page and use the search system drop-downs:

Subject: look for Civil Rights, African-American, or any other subject you wish.

Selected Speakers: find speakers like Ralph Abernathy, Muhammad Ali, James Baldwin, Julian Bond, Stokely Carmichael, Stephen Carter, Shirley Chisholm, Kenneth Clark, Eldridge Cleaver, John Conyers, Bill Cosby, Ruby Dee, Jocelyn Elders, Dick Gregory, Vincent Harding, Reginald Hawkins, Dorothy Height, Roy Innis, Jesse Jackson, A. D. King, James Lawson, Chester Lewis, Joseph Lowery, Ralph McGill, Frank Robinson, Frankie Robinson, Nina Simone, Cecil Williiams, and Andrew Young.

Randomly-chosen Civil Rights and Black American History Program:

Unita Blackwell Speaks to United Presbyterian Women

Speaker(s): Unita Blackwell

Description: Unita Blackwell was community organizer of programs in Mississippi for the National Council of Negro Women. She tells her story of institutional racism in Mississippi to the the annual meeting of the United Presbyterian Women. Blackwell (1933-2019) was an American civil rights activist who was the first African-American woman to be elected mayor in the U.S. state of Mississippi. She was a project director for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and helped organize voter drives for African Americans across Mississippi. She was also a leader of the US–China Peoples Friendship Association, a group dedicated to promoting cultural exchange between the United States and China. And she served as an advisor to six US presidents.

Length: 27:18
Recording Date: July 1970
Recorded at: Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana

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