by Last Initial
Michael Bowen Mitchell (Finding Aid)
Interview Length: 144 minutes
Interview Date(s): June 9, 2004
Interview Location(s): Baltimore, Maryland
Politician and businessman Michael Mitchell gives a detailed background of his family history, discussing an ancestor of his who signed the Declaration of Independence and helped to shape the early history of Maryland and Baltimore. Mitchell also focuses on his grandmother, the civil rights activist Lillie Carroll Jackson, and gives a history of the neighborhood in Baltimore in which his family resides.
Politician and businessman Michael Mitchell continues to discuss his family background, delving into the histories of his grandmother Lillie Carroll Jackson and grandfather Kieffer Albert Jackson. Mitchell explains how the violent racism in the South shaped his grandfather's life and career, and tells stories of his time as a traveling silent movie exhibitor. Mitchell also discusses his family's Choctaw roots.
Politician and businessman Michael Mitchell discusses the prominent members of his family, listing their accomplishments. He focuses on the civil rights activism of his mother, grandmother, and father, detailing a story of a Maryland lynching his father covered for the 'Afro-American'. Mitchell continues to detail Baltimore's and Maryland's history, focusing on the state's role in establishing the nation of Liberia in the 19th century.
Politician and businessman Michael Mitchell continues to discuss the activism of his family, particularly his grandmother Lillie Mae Jackson. Mitchell also recalls various encounters with racial discrimination around the country, and explains the impact of the NAACP. Mitchell details his father's background, explaining his family's situation living in Baltimore during the Great Depression.
Politician and businessman Michael Mitchell continues to describe his father's background, explaining how he got a job as a reporter for the 'Afro-American', where he was assigned to cover the landmark civil rights case 'Murray v. Pearson'. Mitchell details the legal strategies of Thurgood Marshall and Charles Houston, and tells the story of Marshall's own struggles with discrimination. Mitchell then recalls his father's antagonism with the FBI and recounts being brought up in a family that emphasized racial pride.
31 Stories (See Ordered Story Set)
- Slating of Michael Mitchell interview
- Michael Mitchell details the history of his community, Lafayette Square, Baltimore, Maryland
- Michael Mitchell reflects on Ronald Reagan's presidency
- Michael Mitchell gives an overview of his family history
- Michael Mitchell names his father's classmates
- Michael Mitchell continues to name his father's classmates
- Michael Mitchell recalls his grandmother's background
- Michael Mitchell details his grandparents' courtship and early marriage
- Michael Mitchell describes his grandfather's background
- Michael Mitchell describes his grandparents' careers
- Michael Mitchell describes the achievements of his aunt, Virginia Jackson Kiah
- Michael Mitchell describes the achievements of his mother, Juanita Elizabeth Jackson
- Michael Mitchell discusses the exodus of African Americans back to Africa
- Michael Mitchell recalls episodes in the life of his grandmother, Lillie Mae Carroll Jackson
- Michael Mitchell remembers his uncle and aunt, Karl and Marion Downs
- Michael Mitchell describes his parents' recollections of lynchings
- Michael Mitchell describes the courtship and marriage of his activist parents
- Michael Mitchell discusses the births of his siblings
- Michael Mitchell describes his grandmother's values
- Michael Mitchell discusses the activism of his grandmother, Lillie Mae Jackson
- Michael Mitchell recalls his grandmother's church performances
- Michael Mitchell recalls his family's encounters with racial discrimination
- Michael Mitchell discusses opposition to the NAACP
- Michael Mitchell describes the reputation of his grandmother, Lillie Mae Jackson
- Michael Mitchell details his father's background
- Michael Mitchell recalls the hardships of the Depression
- Michael Mitchell remembers his father's background
- Michael Mitchell details the case of 'Murray v. Pearson'
- Michael Mitchell discusses Thurgood Marshall's own rejection from the University of Maryland
- Michael Mitchell recounts his father's surveillance by the FBI
- Michael Mitchell recalls learning racial pride