1
10
5
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Emma Cortez Harris Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Emma Harris
Description
An account of the resource
Selection of photographs, certificates, and newspaper articles detailing the life and career of Emma Cortez Harris, Mobile Public Library's first librarian, director emeritus. Full collection is available for viewing in the Local History & Genealogy division.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Mobile Public Library
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Local History & Genealogy division
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Mobile Public Library
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
These items may be freely used for educational and research purposes; some may be protected under U.S. Copyright Law. While MPL may own the physical objects, it is up to the patron to determine and satisfy copyright restrictions when using this material.
Language
A language of the resource
English
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Emma-Cortez-Harris-Collection
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
Paper
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
She Didn't Just Live 100 Years - She Served
Subject
The topic of the resource
Newspaper article
Description
An account of the resource
Mobile Press article about "Miss Emma", now 101 years old
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Mobile Press staff reporter, Natalie Crozier
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Emma Cortez Harris Collection
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Mobile Press
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
October 24, 1974
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
jpeg
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
newspaper article
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Harris-100-years-1974
1974
Allen Memorial Home
Emma Harris
Mobile Press
newspaper
-
http://digital.mobilepubliclibrary.org/files/original/a9619afced1a1c9f449585fdaa61db58.mp4
0ed0bf785d053678172474021f14e82a
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Mobile Tricentennial Video Oral History Project Interview Clips
Subject
The topic of the resource
Mobile, African American History
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interviews of elders in Mobile's African American community. These items are clippings, and the full interviews are available for viewing at the Local History & Genealogy division of the Mobile Public Library. A full listing of available interviews may be viewed <a href="http://digital.mobilepubliclibrary.org/items/show/2732">here</a>.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
National African American Archives & Museum,
Museum of Mobile
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Mobile Tricentennial Video Oral History Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Mobile Public Library, Local History & Genealogy
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1999-2002
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Kern Jackson
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
mp4
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Oral history interviews
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Mobile-VOHP-Clips
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview
Kern Jackson
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed
Lancie Thomas
Claretta Blackmon
Location
The location of the interview
The Mobile Beacon
2311 Costarides Street
Mobile, Alabama
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound
Jackson: Yeah, let’s talk a little bit about that. About what, what the Beacon has done. First of all, how’d the Beacon get it's name, Beacon?
Blackmon: Well, you know, beacon stands for light. It was his vision to, to, to have a light he says “a light.” You know, we have our logo, our slogan is “the light that never fails.” Because this paper has been in existence 56 years and a few months as of June 1, 2000. We’ll be 57 years. And we never missed an issue no matter what the, what the conflict. We never, never missed an issue of the paper. So that’s one of our great accomplishments, we’ve never, we’ve always been able to come out. And I envision us as always coming out as long as we are in existence. Or as long as we, we maintain to keep our paper.
Jackson: What’s the circulation now here in Mobile of the Beacon?
Blackmon: The circulation in Mobile is about 5,000. We have 7,000 circulation but within that Mobile area, see we mail papers all over the United States.
Jackson: Okay.
Blackmon: And we have, we have a higher, we have a good bit of circulation. Actually it’s a little bit more than that because we mail, we mail out more than 3,000 papers a week. Than, you know, you have to count a lot of comps that you give away. So, well after you keep adding up and adding up ah, the circulation goes up. So, I think out circulation right now fluctuates between 8 and 10,000. But we have 5 actually paid here in the city and I’m going on paid. Not on…
Jackson: Right, right.
Blackmon: I talked paid, paid because that’s what your survival is what you get money for.
Jackson: Now just going back to what you were saying earlier about what, what the Beacon has done since you took it over and and when your, your daddy and your momma in they heyday with it historically for Mobile, Black Mobile, Mobile in general, if you can comment on that.
Blackmon: Well, I think, I think that we have been access, a great access, asset to Mobile because of the fact that we helped the elected officials that you have in office right now, the Black folks, we have been very instrumental in helping them get elected to these positions. People read and they look forward to what they see. And as we promote those people for election and help to get them elected that our community look at TV and and buy the daily paper. But you have people who are supportive of looking to see what’s in here. They look to see if, if that person is in here. And ah, we have always wanted to promote human, a great human relationship between us and the bar between the races and I think that the paper has been instrumental in those ways. I should hope so anyway but I’m very, I feel very favorable that we have done that. We’ve had a impact on that within our community. You got a comment on that, Mrs. Thomas?
Thomas: Ah, yes. I will. I don’t know exactly what’s been said. I don’t intend to repeat but now…
Jackson: That’s alright. Don’t worry.
Thomas: … your Black, our Black newspapers in the state of Alabama has helped the whole state to change because we have sponsored which I’ve told a lot of people. My daughter thank I talk to much when I get on voter registration. Cause that has been our pet piece. Not only the Beacon but the whole state of Alabama where ever there is a newspaper. Okay, what we formed during the other general election time. And no more do we have it because people don’t show interest. It’s sad but it’s true. Okay, we would form a motorcade to my… Say, not every not indicate in the motorcade abut every county in Alabama through our newspapers have had representation in Birmingham. We selected Birmingham cause it was a central location, we felt in Alabama. Those coming from North Alabama, from South Alabama, east and west. Everybody would meet in Birmingham the Sunday before the election on Tuesday for general election. That’s right. We would have 2 and 3 buses leaving Mobile. Newspaper got the publicity out. The newspaper helped get the people on the busses. You understand what I mean.
Jackson: Yes, I understand.
Thomas: And they were there. Birmingham, the Black folks took Birmingham that Sunday before election. We would leave Mobile at 3 to 4 o’clock then on Sun, that Sunday morning. We took Sunday for it cause most folks were off on Sunday that could take off. And we would leave Mobile at 4 o’clock or 3 o’clock what ever time is was set. And they would come from all direction into Birmingham. And I mean every county had a bus coming in. Nobody came in cars. I don’t, not nobody, but nobody depend on cars to get everybody to Birmingham.
Jackson: Right, right.
Thomas: And we would go into Birmingham on Sunday morning. Get in there time enough for all the meeting start at 9 o’clock. And we would be in meeting all day. We only broke for lunch. And we had lunch right where the meeting were. In the central location where our meetings were. And we would stay there to maybe 5 or 6 o’clock at night to check candidates. Everybody from a county brought their candidates and discussed how they felt about those candidates.
Jackson: Right, right.
Thomas: And at the end of the day just fore the day ended, they would have committees who’d check, were checking on this information that had been gathered. And we would say we goin vote on the lesser of the evil. Cause all of em were evil. We felt that none of em were perfect where Black folks concern. And they was, we would select the person we would vote on in Tuscaloosa County, Greene County, Hale County, cause all these counties were in our section. Mobile or Dallas County whatever. And they would select that, the best person of the evils or they…. That’s the way they, we used that term. And everybody would go back home and vote for that person. If he was a state candidate, he got all the Black votes over the state. Therefore, you could put the person that you wanted to vote in and that’s what we did. And that’s how so many things changed in Alabama. But a lot of things has not changed, I’ll tell you that for sure.
Jackson: Like what?
Thomas: Well most of time, we get bad folks in office regardless to how you vote. Because some of our Black folks go back home and still don’t vote. And they still don’t be concerned of what those committees brought back to them from that meeting in Birmingham. If it’s not their friend and somebody had paid them a few dollars, a lot of times they would vote for em, for that evil person we would say. But as the time went on and you educated them more. Cause we had a voter registration, where we educated those folks how to vote. That meeting helped but you got to educate their brain so they can think right. And that’s what really did. Cause George Wallace when she, she had, we’d have an editorial this week on it. He told, came to the our office down on Cedar, I never will forget that day. George Wallace who was our governor, who ran for the president of the United States if you remember, you probably…
Jackson: Yes, ma’am I remember.
Thomas: You probably too young to remember. Maybe you read something about. [Laughter]
Jackson: I read about it.
Thomas: Okay George Wallace came to our office the next day after the election. He had lost that year. He said, “Mr. Thomas, I wanna tell you something.” Frank said, “What is it, George?” He said, “I lost this time but I’ma tell you something. I’m going to win next time.” He said, “Well, you goon next time when you lost this time.” “Because I was depending on the Black votes. I didn’t get the Black votes like I thought I was goon get. But y’all don’t have enough votes to put me in no how. So next to run, I’m running and I’m goon win.” He did. He won the next time. He told my husband, “It’s too many of the Klans, we got too many Klans in Alabama. I’m goon get the Klan vote next year.” And he got em and he won.
Jackson: He said that to your husband.
Thomas: Sure. That’s what I’m telling you. He said it and he won. But he was thinking. He was right. He said, “But remember, I have a lot plans that I’ll do to help Blacks but I can’t help when I’m on the outside. I’m on get in there and I’m on do it. Then, I can do some of these things.”
Blackmon: So, in other words, he was saying, am I interpreting right…
Jackson: Go ahead, interpret.
Blackmon: He was saying that, you know, he wasn’t favoring the Klan so they didn’t, they didn’t…
Thomas: Vote for him.
Blackmon: …give him any votes. He wasn’t against, he wasn’t against the Blacks as, as, as it is seemed in history.
Thomas: Uh, huh. That’s right.
Blackmon: Ah, and is written in history. But he had to go with the majority not the minority in order to get into office. Is that what he was saying?
Thomas: That’s what he was, that’s what he meant. Uh, huh. And he got it. And he did a lot. See people don’t give Wallace credit for a lot of things he did. He changed the educational system. He helped that in Alabama. And he did a lot of things that people don’t know Wallace did.
Blackmon: Didn’t the community colleges become existent under his administration?
Thomas: Under his administration. He sure did. So, he did a lot of things. And he told em that he was goon stand in the university door to keep it from it being integrated. But he didn’t mean it that way. He stood in the door and then walked right on out. He said, he did what he said.
Blackmon: He stood in the door because he had in the door because that’s the White folks…
Jackson: He said he was goon do.
Blackmon: … expected him to do.
Thomas: The White folks and the main thing those Klans. See the Klans wanted, he was doing that to get by the Klan cause he had promised the the Klan that he was goon stand in the door.
Jackson: Tell me this cause I wanna know. Was there ever any Klan in Mobile, Alabama?
Thomas: Yes, sir. [Laughter] They in there, in here now, you don’t know their living here.
Blackmon: We still living here too.
Thomas: Yes, sir. They here. [Laughter] You better…
Jackson: You talk about educating folks and making people literate of things like voting, it’s almost as if we, we have a slight miseducation issue here because people are assuming the Klan and like-minded folks are no longer in existence.
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
VHS
Duration
Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.)
10 min 40 sec
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Lancie Thomas & Claretta Blackmon Interview Clip
Subject
The topic of the resource
Oral History
Description
An account of the resource
Lancie Thomas and Claretta Blackmon talk about The Mobile Beacon, what it has done for the community, politics, Gov. Wallace, and the Klan.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Lancie Thomas
Claretta Blackmon
National African American Archives & Museum
Museum of Mobile
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Mobile Tricentennial Video Oral History Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
National African American Archives & Museum,
Museum of Mobile
Mobile Public Library, Local History & Genealogy
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1999
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
mp4
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Oral history interview
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
VOHP-Thomas&Blackmon-Beacon
African American newspaper
desegregation
George Wallace
KKK
Ku Klux Klan
Mobile
newspaper
politics
The Beacon
-
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Mobile Postcard Album
Subject
The topic of the resource
Mobile postcards
Description
An account of the resource
An album of postcards of Mobile, donated to the Mobile Public Library, Local History & Genealogy division
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Mobile Public Library
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
jpeg
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Images
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Mobile-Postcard-Album
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
These items may be used for educational and research purposes, but may be protected under U.S. Copyright Law. While MPL may own the physical objects, it is up to the patron to determine and satisfy copyright restrictions when using this material.
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Text
Any textual data included in the document
Photo by Mobile Press Register
The modern brick and glass building of the Mobile Press Register is located at Government and Claiborn Sts. These newspapers serve wide territory in Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida. The Morning Register was founded in 1814. The Afternoon Press in 1929. The two papers are combined for the Sunday issue.
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
Postcard
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Mobile Press Register
Subject
The topic of the resource
postcard
Description
An account of the resource
Image of the Mobile Press Register building
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Curteich Color
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Carter's News Agency
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Mobile Press Register
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
jpeg
Language
A language of the resource
English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
image
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
PostcardAlbum-PressRegister
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This item may be used for educational and research purposes, but may be protected under U.S. Copyright Law. While MPL may own the physical object, it is up to the patron to determine and satisfy copyright restrictions when using this material.
Mobile
Mobile Press Register
newspaper
postcard
-
http://digital.mobilepubliclibrary.org/files/original/82e2ea8d4b77cc24e8dc36adfc7a3dd4.jpg
2db7815cb3addcb46291bb4987b5e0b2
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Growing Up in Mobile: Great Depression Slide Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Mobile during the Great Depression
Description
An account of the resource
35mm slides of Mobile during the Great Depression
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Growing Up in Mobile: Depression & Wartime Collection
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Mobile Public Library
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1929-1939
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
jpeg
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
USA Photographic Archives
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Great-Depression-Slide-Collection
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include illustrations, paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
35mm slide
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Take a Register
Subject
The topic of the resource
Mobile Register
Description
An account of the resource
Newspaper box reading "Drop 3¢ here, Take a Register", with Mobile Register inside
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Growing Up in Mobile: Depression & Wartime Collection
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Mobile Public Library
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
USA Photographic Archives
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
jpeg
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Growing-Up-in-Mobile-Take a Register
Great Depression
Mobile
Mobile Register
newspaper
-
http://digital.mobilepubliclibrary.org/files/original/ea60af0464c857b5ca55f93a17cbd6f7.jpg
f60b4e5102e9b03ad6209bd209c86ae1
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Growing Up in Mobile: Great Depression Slide Collection
Subject
The topic of the resource
Mobile during the Great Depression
Description
An account of the resource
35mm slides of Mobile during the Great Depression
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Growing Up in Mobile: Depression & Wartime Collection
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Mobile Public Library
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1929-1939
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
jpeg
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
USA Photographic Archives
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Great-Depression-Slide-Collection
Still Image
A static visual representation. Examples include illustrations, paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials.
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
35mm slide
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Linotypes
Subject
The topic of the resource
Linotype
Description
An account of the resource
Men in a newspaper office working on Linotype machines
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Growing Up in Mobile: Depression & Wartime Collection
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Mobile Public Library
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
USA Photographic Archives
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
jpeg
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
Growing-Up-in-Mobile-Linotypes
Great Depression
Linotype
Mobile
newspaper