doi:10.7916/d8-tykh-aq61Oral history interview with Michael Lesser, 2000Lesser, Michaeloral historiesmixed materialCivil rights movements--History--20th century.--United StatesAfrican Americans--Suffrage--LouisianaImprisonment--United StatesBlack power--History--20th century.--United StatesWelfare recipients--United StatesUnited States Race relations 20th centuryLesser, MichaelCongress of Racial EqualityService Employees International Union. Local 1199 (New York, N.Y.)Lesser begins this interview by detailing his familial background and his early years in northern New Jersey. Lesser recalls his early political awareness, citing his father's reading habits, a speech he gave in high school, and an experience with anti-Semitism as a freshman in college. Lesser shares memories of his earliest demonstrations, the repercussions of his political activism, and the formative impact of encounters with other civil rights activists, including George Wiley and Rudy Lombard. Lesser discusses his decision to participate in a voter registration project in Louisiana in the spring of 1963 and the project's leader Ronnie Moore. He chronicles his arrests and experiences in jail, including prison hunger strikes and protests. Lesser focuses on his charge with criminal anarchy, a capital offense in the state of Louisiana, and its personal impact. He describes some of the people he met in Louisiana before beginning a broader discussion of what strengths Northern white volunteers brought South, as well as the lasting impact of the experience. He talks about the deaths of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner in the summer of 1964. He talks about the various positions he held with CORE, including his time as the Midwest Regional Field Secretary, until his resignation following the election of Floyd McKissick. Lesser briefly discusses the controversy surrounding that election as well as, in broader terms, the influence of the Black Power movement within activist organizations at the time. Other topics of discussion include: Lesser's work with George Wiley and the National Welfare Rights Organization, the unfair treatment of welfare mothers, and his recruitment as an organizer in 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East