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Object Description
Interview no. | U-0572 |
Restrictions | No restrictions. Open to research. |
Project | U.18. Long Civil Rights Movement: Heirs to a Fighting Tradition |
Project description | The Heirs Project is a multi-phased oral history initiative that explores the stories and traditions of social justice activism in North Carolina through in-depth interviews with 14 highly respected activists and organizers. Selected for the integrity and high level of skill in their work dedicated to social justice, the interviewees represent a diversity of age, gender, sexuality, and ethnicity. These narratives capture the richness of a set of activists with powerful perspectives on social justice, political activism, and similar visions of the common good. The stories shared by this cohort of activists represent personal moments of transition and transformation, tales of empowerment and exhaustion, and organizing successes and defeats. The Project seeks to highlight the history of progressive political action in North Carolina through the stories and experiences of those who pushed for change. |
Date | May 16 2007 |
Interviewee | Okun, Tema. |
Interviewee occupation |
Academics Social justice activists Directors, NGOs and institutes |
Interviewee DOB | 1952 |
Interviewee ethnicity |
Jews Whites |
Interviewer | Burge, Bridgette. |
Abstract | Basic Family History-Born in New York City, N.Y., Grew up in Chapel Hill, N.C.; Discussion of Bela-Russian Roots; History of Family Class and Class Struggles; Family Religious Background-Mother, Methodist and Father, Atheist, but Culturally Jewish; The Community Church of Chapel Hill; Grandparents as Fellow Travelers in the Communist Party and Popular Front; Personal Interest in Judaism; Politically Left Family Traditions; Experiences in the Desegregation of Chapel Hill, N.C. Schools; Personal Thoughts on the Term “Integration” and Racism; Parents Persecution Under the House of Un-American Activities Committee (H.U.A.C.); Family Involvement in Folk Music-Producers of Peter, Paul, and Mary and John Denver; Very Little Gender Socialization in Family; College Experience at Lake Forest College, Chicago, Ill. and then Oberlin College, Ohio; Political Engagement in College-Creation of the Women's Center; Major in Physical Education at Oberlin College and Sports Medicine in graduate school at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Participation in the Rural Advancement Fund (RAFI); Development of Grassroots Leadership and success in organizing and fundraising; Discussion of Dismantling Racism (DR); Memories of Kenneth Jones; Power of Democratic Socialism. |
Citation | Interview with Tema Okun by Bridgette Burge, May 16 2007 U-0572, in the Southern Oral History Program Collection #4007, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Description
Interview no. | U0572_Audio |