Oral history interview with Nathaniel Williams, 1971
Members of the Columbia University community may log in here to access this content.
Terms of Use: The copyright law of the United States (title 17, United States Code) governs the making of reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the reproduction is not to be used for any purpose other than your own private study, scholarship, or research. Any subsequent copying, downloading or distributing materials accessed by you in the Columbia University Libraries Digital Libraries Collection that are subject to copyright protection may constitute copyright infringement. In addition, Columbia University Libraries may employ technical measures to prevent any further copying, downloading, or distribution of the materials. A violation of these terms may subject you to potential liability for copyright infringement. For more information about copyright, fair use and permissions, refer to Columbia University Library’s Copyright Advisory Services at https://copyright.columbia.edu, and the Copyright & Permissions for Online Exhibitions & Digital Collections.
- Name
- Williams, Nathaniel (Interviewee)
- La Brie, Henry G (Interviewer)
- Title
- Oral history interview with Nathaniel Williams, 1971
- Other Titles
- Reminiscences of Nathaniel Williams, oral history, 1971
- Abstract
- Henry La Brie's 1971 interview with Nathaniel Williams begins with an overview of Williams' early life, education, and professional experience. Next, La Brie asks Williams what types of stories are newsworthy, if he has thought his newspapers as being black, how black newspapers have changed over time, and if and how the black press has failed or succeeded. They discuss the distinguishing features, future, and ownership of the black press. Williams talks about his first encounters with the black press, how to measure a black newspaper's success, and the differences between the black and white press. La Brie asks about the black press as a political vehicle, advertising in black newspapers, and if black readers trust black newspapers more than white ones. They discuss why readers buy black newspapers, if black newspapers should target white readers, and if the black press is effective as a voice of protest. Williams explains why more black dailies and a black wire service are needed. After discussions of differences between the black press in the North and South and black newspapers' reliance on advertising and circulation, the interview concludes with La Brie asking if white establishment newspapers have been more representative in coverage of minority affairs since the Kerner Commission Report.
- Collection Name
- Black Journalists oral history collection
- Subjects
- Journalism--Political aspects; Journalism--Social aspects; Journalists; African Americans--Civil rights; African American press; African American journalists; Memphis (Tenn.); United States Race relations; Williams, Nathaniel; United States. National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders; Report; Pittsburgh courier
- Format
- oral histories
- Genre
- Interviews
- Date
- 1971
- Physical Description
- 1 sound file (180 min.) : WAV files (44 kHz, 16 bit); 74 pages
- Note (Biographical)
- Nathaniel Williams was born in 1907 in Memphis. He had more than four decades of experience teaching social studies at Booker T. Washington High School in Memphis and ran an amateur night program on local radio. In the 1930s, he wrote columns for the Memphis World and Pittsburgh Courier.
- Note (Funding)
- Digital reproduction funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
- Note
- Interviewed by Henry G. La Brie III on July 28, 1971.
- Interview conducted by Henry La Brie for a work on the history of the African-American press.
- Digitized by Safe Sound Archive, Philadelphia, 2010.
- Service copy (44 kHz, 16 bit) and rendered version (96 kHz, 24 bit) of sound file derived from a digital preservation master digitized at 96 kHz, 24 bit.
- Note (Provenance)
- Henry G. La Brie III Gift, 1975
- Language
- English
- Library Location
- Columbia Center for Oral History, Columbia University
Browse Location’s Digital Content - Catalog Record
- 6880574
- Also In
- Oral History Archives at Columbia
- Time-Based Media
- Time-Based Media
- Persistent URL
- https://dx.doi.org/10.7916/d8-qac9-p044
- Related URLs
- Available digital content for this interview.