Oral history interview with George Houser, 1999

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Name: Houser, George M (Interviewee); Michaels, Sheila, 1939-2017 (Interviewer)
Title: Oral history interview with George Houser, 1999
Other Titles: Reminiscences of George Houser, 1999; Oral history of George Houser, 1999
Abstract: Houser begins by discussing his familial background and early political affiliations. Houser describes childhood in the Philippines, New York, and Berkeley, California. He recalls experiences at the College of the Pacific, Lingnan University in Canton, China, and the University of Denver, where he graduated in 1938. Houser speaks on the importance of the Methodist Youth Movement. Houser explains hi s objection to the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940. He speaks on his job as a Chicago area organizer with the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR), starting in the fall of 1941. Houser describes the inception of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and early meetings with Jim Farmer, Bernice Fisher, and Homer Jack. Houser goes on to explain the formation of the Interracial Fellowship Houses. Also discussed is CORE's relationship with FOR and protesting Chicago eateries, specifically a 1943 campaign against Stoner's Restaurant. Houser reflects on the first National CORE Convention in 1944 and analyzes the leadership of Jim Farmer and Bayard Rustin. The next segment of the interview covers the 1947 Journey of Reconciliation, which was inspired by Supreme Court Case Morgan v. Virginia (1946). Houser recalls his experiences as an organizer and participant of the campaign. Houser then describes the first CORE summer workshop in 1947. He looks at the influence of McCarthyism on CORE, particularly with regards to field organizer Wally Nelson and his wife Juanita. He describes the African National Conferences' Defiance Campaign and his subsequent leadership in Americans for South African Resistance. Houser recalls the political transformation of the African National Congress and the relationship between South African apartheid and the Jim Crow South
Collection Name: Sheila Michaels civil rights organization oral history collection
Subjects: Civil rights movements--History--20th century.--United States; Civil rights demonstrations--United States; Pacifism; Peace movements--History--20th century.--United States; Anti-communist movements--History--20th century.--United States; Anti-apartheid activists--United States; United States Race relations 20th century; Houser, George M; Farmer, James, 1920-1999; Congress of Racial Equality; Methodist Church (U.S.); African National Congress
Format: oral histories
Genre: Interviews
Date: 1999

Physical Description: 74 pages
Note (Biographical): George Houser was born on June 2, 1916 in Cleveland, Ohio. After studying at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, Houser attended Union Theological Seminary, where he was first arrested for refusing the Selective Training and Service Act. He served a year and a day in the Federal Correctional Facility at Danbury for this. After release, Houser studied at the Chicago Theological Seminary. Houser was ordained as a Methodist minister in 1940. In September 1941, Houser began organizing Chicago pacifist groups for the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR), where he met Jim Farmer and Bernice Fisher. In fall 1941, Houser co-founded the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and was Executive National Secretary for many years. He organized and participated in the Journey of Reconciliation. In 1952, Houser helped found Americans for South African Resistance and the American Committee on Africa, where he served as Executive Director from 1955 to 1981. Houser died on August 19, 2015
Note: Interviewed by Sheila Michaels on April 5 and April 29, 1999
Note (Provenance): Sheila Michaels, Gift circa 1999-2005
Language: English
Library Location: Columbia Center for Oral History, Columbia University
Browse Location’s Digital Content
Catalog Record: 11603992
Also In: Oral History Archives at Columbia; Time-Based Media; Time-Based Media
Persistent URL: https://dx.doi.org/10.7916/d8-k9m4-2581
Related URLs: Available digital content for this interview.