Oral history interview with Thurman Couch, February 12, 2001 [electronic resource] : interview K-0537, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007).
Thurman Couch, a student at Lincoln high school, and among the first African American students to enter Chapel Hill High School, describes his experiences in segregated and desegregated schools. To Couch, the story of integration is a story of the decline of black tradition and the erosion of ties between schools and communities. A stand-out athlete, Couch complains that the sports programs and the marching band, programs which gave Lincoln High its identity and served as essential conduits between black schools and black neighborhoods, lost some of their character under integration. Couch speaks passionately about the traditions of the pre-integration black community and places all-black schools at the center; he speaks equally passionately about the damage to the black community brought about by integration, in particular the loss of African American economic independence. This interview radiates with pride and frustration, spirituality and indignation.
Electronic resources
Record details
- Physical Description: 1 online resource.
- Edition: Electronic edition
- Publisher: [Chapel Hill, N.C.] : University Library, UNC-Chapel Hill, 2006.
Content descriptions
- General Note:
- Duration: 01:02:34.Interview participants: Thurman Couch, interviewee; Bob Gilgor, interviewer.Text encoded by Natalia Smith. Sound recordings digitized by Steve Weiss and Aaron Smithers.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.Title from menu page (viewed on March 20, 2007).
- Type of Computer File or Data Note:
- Text (HTML and XML/TEI source file) and audio (MP3); 2 files : 93 kilobytes, 114.6 megabytes.
- Original Version Note:
- Original version: Southern Oral History Program collection, (#4007), Series K, Southern communities, interview K-0537, Manuscripts Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Transcribed by L. Altizer. Original transcript: 27 p.
- Funding Information Note:
- Funding from the Institute for Museum and Library Services supported the electronic publication of this interview.
- System Details Note:
- Mode of access: World Wide Web.System requirements: Web browser with Javascript enabled and multimedia player.
Search for related items by subject
- Subject:
- Couch, Thurman > Interviews.
Chapel Hill High School (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Lincoln High School (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
African American students > Civil rights > North Carolina > Chapel Hill.
African American students > Education (Secondary) > North Carolina > Chapel Hill.
African Americans > North Carolina > Chapel Hill > Interviews.
Civil rights demonstrations > North Carolina > Chapel Hill.
High school athletes > North Carolina > Chapel Hill.
School integration > North Carolina > Chapel Hill.
Segregation in education > North Carolina > Chapel Hill.
Chapel Hill (N.C.) > Race relations. - Genre:
- Oral histories.
