Fred Shuttlesworth, Oral History
Title
Fred Shuttlesworth, Oral History
Description
Fred Lee Shuttlesworth (b. March 18, 1922; d. October 5, 2011) - founder, Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights (ACMHR) in 1956. Major organizer and activist of the Birmingham Civil Rights Movement with Dr. Martin Luther King. Pastor, Bethel Baptist Church, Collegeville, Birmingham. Rev. Shuttlesworth was interviewed by two WJLD announcers in 1966: Lewis White and Rick Upshaw. The occasion was the 10th Anniversary of the founding of the ACMHR. As WJLD's studio location was in transition - from their Red Mountain location in Homewood to 19th Street and First Avenue, Birmingham, we are not certain of the location of the interview. The audio was on a 7" reel and found in a closet at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute with the letters, WJLD, on the box.
Creator
Fred Shuttlesworth
Rick Upshaw
Lewis White
Publisher
Birmingham Black Radio Museum
Date
June 1966
Contributor
Jeff Hayes
Bob Friedman
Emily Bibb
Format
JPG
MP3
PDF
Language
English
Identifier
RevShuttlesworthOH
Interviewer
Rick Upshaw
Lewis White
Interviewee
Fred Shuttlesworth
Location
WJLD Studios
Transcription
Tanscript of audio snippet:
Fred Shuttlesworth: As you know there was a lot of political furor going on in the state, and we did not have time to adequately plan for a program, and so we just announced that I felt that I should be allowed to retire from the presidency and turn it over to other hands. I never wanted to play God and I don’t think that I’m invincible. However, since that time there’s been such a terrific response on the part of the local people – in particular, the masses and many of the people who are not…who are a little bit above the masses, we’ll say the classes. They’ve been all of one voice in asking me to stay. Now, my immediate concern is not whether I stay or go; of course, it’s nice to be loved, but it’s better to be needed. It’s better to have something to do; it’s better to have something to commit yourself to. And that’s my job.
Fred Shuttlesworth: As you know there was a lot of political furor going on in the state, and we did not have time to adequately plan for a program, and so we just announced that I felt that I should be allowed to retire from the presidency and turn it over to other hands. I never wanted to play God and I don’t think that I’m invincible. However, since that time there’s been such a terrific response on the part of the local people – in particular, the masses and many of the people who are not…who are a little bit above the masses, we’ll say the classes. They’ve been all of one voice in asking me to stay. Now, my immediate concern is not whether I stay or go; of course, it’s nice to be loved, but it’s better to be needed. It’s better to have something to do; it’s better to have something to commit yourself to. And that’s my job.
Duration
Full interview: 31 minutes
Audio snippet: 2 minutes
Audio snippet: 2 minutes
Files
Collection
Citation
Fred Shuttlesworth, Rick Upshaw, and Lewis White, “Fred Shuttlesworth, Oral History,” The Birmingham Black Radio Museum, accessed October 5, 2024, https://www.thebbrm.org/item/90.
Item Relations
| This Item | dcterms:relation | Item: Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, 2002 Oral History |
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