Name/Title
Tangled Roots [MP4]Entry/Object ID
2021.002.14Description
We are all interconnected and this is especially true in the deeply rooted community of Johns Island. These shared bonds emerge from priorities based in faith, family and community; they reveal a resilient spirit of activism with a focus on egalitarianism. Tangled Roots features oral histories of five participants, providing an intimate, and sometimes painful, look into their experiences, memories and personal stories of the five participants: J. Herman Blake, Bill Jenkins, Bill Saunders, Minerva King, and Alma Lopez. Also includes interview with Thomas Legare.
Herman Blake J. Herman Blake is serendipitously called back to his ancestral home on Johns Island to conduct an evaluation of the work of the Highlander Folk School. His experiences on the island soon take him beyond the intended scope of his project, inevitably shaping his worldview and future contributions to society.
Bill Jenkins, the son of legendary civil rights activists Esau and Janie Jenkins, leaves Johns Island to chart his own in the US Air Force during the era of desegregation. While the institutional and individual racism he endures permeates every area of his life, he draws upon faith, family and Johns Island roots to persevere and eventually continue the work his father and mother began on the island.
Bill Saunders: Upon his return from the Korean War, Bill Saunders realizes that his rights as an American citizen are not as he perceived, leading him to dedicate his life to the pursuit of justice and human rights. Saunders's journey reflects the real life implications of the old adage that you must be willing to sacrifice everything in order to stand for anything.
Minerva Brown King, the daughter of legendary civil rights activist J. Arthur Brown, is exposed to the civil rights icons in the late 1950s at the Highlander Folk School, including Esau Jenkins himself. Her formative interactions during these years inspire her own activism as a part of the student-led Kress Sit-In in 1960. It is then in the 1990s, when Minerva begins working on Johns Island, that her activist spirit is reignited and her mission to keep alive the rich history and civil rights legacy of Johns Island begins.
Alma Lopez immigrated from Mexico to Johns Island at the age of 16 with her family, she soon becomes a leading force within the Hispanic community. Her selfless devotion to faith, family & community echoes the legacy of so many Johns Islanders that have come before her, further accentuating the resiliency and determination of a place and its people through the years.
Thomas Legare’s pursuit to maintain his family’s agricultural way of life on Johns Island leads him to form an unlikely ally with legendary human rights leader, Bill Saunders. The evolution of this relationship and what Legare learns through the years strengthens his conviction that Johns Island is more than a place, but a community worth fighting for.
New generations can view these oral histories inside classrooms to learn more about the history and importance of Johns Island from those who experienced it firsthand. Accompanying lesson plans are available for educators to download. See HCF's website at https://www.historiccharleston.org/research/oral-histories/tangled-roots.php.
6 MP4 files
6:42 eachCollection
Historic Charleston Foundation LibraryAcquisition
Accession
2021.002Source or Donor
New Library Catalog Records (2021)Acquisition Method
Found in CollectionLexicon
Search Terms
African American history / Black history, Blake, Herman J.--Interviews, Jenkins, Bill--Interviews, Saunder, Bill--Interviews, King, Minerva--Interviews, Lopez, Alma--Interviews, Legare, Thomas--Interviews, African Americans--South Carolina--Johns Island--Social life and customs, Johns Island (S.C.)--Social life and customs, Civil rights activists--South Carolina--Johns Island, Immigrants--South Carolina--Johns Island, Farmers--South Carolina--Johns IslandPublication Details
Author
Thesis Content, Historic Charleston FoundationPublisher
Historic Charleston FoundationPlace Published
City
CharlestonState/Province
South CarolinaCountry
United States of AmericaDate Published
2019Notes
Copy No.: 0Location
Location
Container
See Notes TabBuilding
Digital FileCategory
PermanentDate
February 7, 2023General Notes
Note
Notes: MP4 file on MyPassport External Hard Drive 1 and on Jump Drive 1, both in box in Archives desk, middle compartment.
Also available on HCF's website.
The Tangled Roots project was made possible by the generosity of Laura Stringfellow Wilson who selected Historic Charleston Foundation as a beneficiary of the Elizabeth H. Stringfellow Estate. Ms. Wilson designated that these funds from her mother’s estate be put towards a Johns Island focused program to benefit local students and schools.Created By
admin@catalogit.appCreate Date
June 30, 2021Updated By
rowan@catalogit.appUpdate Date
March 30, 2023