Oral Histories
An oral history provides a chance to hear a
person describe their life experience in their own words and colored with
their perception of their experiences. It often brings a specific aspect of
history to life and provides information that may not be seen in a history
book or scholarly article.
Within the National Equal Justice Library,
we have
more than 70 oral histories of notable people within the legal services
movement. Some of these people include
- First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton discussing her experiences as
Chair of the Legal Services Corporation Board of Directors from 1979-80.
- New York Times Columnist Anthony Lewis in his memories of covering
the Gideon v. Wainwright case as the New York Times Legal Correspondent.
- Abe Krash, one of the lawyers who worked pro-bono with then lawyer
Abe Fortas arguing for Clarence Earl Gideon, in the 1963 landmark case of
Gideon v. Wainwright, mandating the right to counsel for indigents in state
criminal prosecutions.
Available in both DVD and VHS format, the
interviews will soon be available for purchase. Moreover, we are in the
process of transcribing the interviews to make them accessible in print as
well. For more information, please contact NEJL Archivist Anne Mar at
am626@law.georgetown.edu.
