The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History Interview with Tyrone Brooks
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| Repository: | The HistoryMakers |
| 1900 S. Michigan Avenue |
| Chicago, Illinois 60616 |
| (312) 674-1900 |
| info@thehistorymakers.com |
| http://www.thehistorymakers.com |
| Interviewer: | Larry Crowe |
| Videographer: | Scott Stearns |
| Title: | Video Oral History Interview with Tyrone Brooks |
| Dates: | May 06, 2003 |
| Abstract: | (ABSTRACT) |
| Quantity: | 9 Betacam SP videocassettes, 1 half-Hollinger box containing (NUMBER) folders of accompanying materials. |
| Identification: | A2003.099 |
| Language: | The interviews and records are in English |
Georgia State Representative Tyrone Brooks was born October 10, 1945, in Warrenton, Georgia. Brooks attended public school in Warrenton and later went to high school in Keysville, Georgia.
Brooks became active in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference at the age of fifteen as a volunteer, and by 1967 he was a full-time employee. While there he met such influential leaders as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Joseph Lowery; and the Reverend Ralph David Abernathy. Brooks served in both local and national positions with the SCLC. He was arrested in 1976 in Washington, D.C., while protesting outside the South African Embassy. All told, he has been arrested more than sixty-five times for his civil rights activism. In 1980, Brooks was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives, where he continues to serve. He is active on a number of committees, and led the push to remove Confederate symbols from the Georgia state flag.
Brooks is also president of the Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials, and is a member of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus. He is still highly involved in the civil rights movement, working to eradicate racism, sexism, illiteracy and injustice.
Brooks received his first honorary degree from the John Marshall School of Law in 2001 as a result of his successful campaigning to change the state flag. He has also been awarded with a Public Servant Award from the Atlanta City Council, been inducted into the NAACP Hall of Fame, and named one of the 50 Most Influential Men in Georgia by the Georgia Coalition of Black Women. Brooks and his wife, Mary, live in Atlanta.
Biographical Note by The HistoryMakers®
This life oral history interview with Tyrone Brooks was conducted by Larry Crowe on 2003-05-06 in Atlanta, Georgia and is recorded on 9 30-minute Betacam SP videocassettes. Access copies exist on Betacam SP, VHS, DVD and MPEG-1. The interview contains information on (COMPLETE ONE SENTENCE DESCRIPTION OF INTERVIEW). Accompanying materials in the collection include Tyrone Brooks's correspondence with The HistoryMakers® related to the interview; a copy of the signed release form and the production report; the biographical information used by the interviewer to prepare for the interview (DETAILS); paper copies of the interview transcripts, 3 1/2" floppy disks with electronic copies of the transcripts; selected quotes for video clips; photocopies of photographs captured on video; XML files with metadata created in editing and cataloguing the interview for The HistoryMakers Digital Video Library; and paper copies of these XML files.
Restrictions on Access
Access to paper records is restricted. Other restrictions may be applied on a case-by-case basis.
Restrictions on Use
All use of materials must be pre-approved by The HistoryMakers® and appropriate credit must be given. All use credits must be pre-approved by The HistoryMakers®. Copyright is held by The HistoryMakers®.
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| This record series is indexed under the following controlled access terms. |
| Contributors: |
| | Brooks, Tyrone |
| | Crowe, Larry |
| | Stearns, Scott |
| Persons: |
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| Corporate Bodies: |
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| Family Names: |
| | Brooks |
| Places: |
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| Subjects: |
| | (SUBJECTS) |
| Document Types: |
| | Video oral history interview |
| Titles: |
| | The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History Interview with Tyrone Brooks |
Accompanying materials: Accompanying materials are filed in (NUMBER) folders in a half-Hollinger box and shelved at The HistoryMakers® Archives and Collection Library by accession number, separately from the videos.
Betacam, VHS, DVD and MPEG-1 access copies are held for in-house use at The HistoryMakers®; Betacam SP, VHS and DVD playback hardware is provided for in-house viewing of the access copies; MPEG-1 copies are searchable and viewable via a digital video database.
The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History Interview with Tyrone Brooks, May 06, 2003. The HistoryMakers® African American Video Oral History Collection, 1900 S. Michigan Avenue Chicago, Illinois.
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Video Oral History Interview with Tyrone Brooks, Tape 1, May 06, 2003, TRT: 00:29:00.
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| Georgia State Representative Tyrone Brooks shares interesting details of his family history, from his parents' and grandparents' backgrounds from the days of slavery. Of note, Brooks details the privilege his grandmother's biracial heritage conferred upon him and the family during the height of Jim Crow in Georgia. Brooks also discusses his parents' interesting courtship. |
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Video Oral History Interview with Tyrone Brooks, Tape 2, May 06, 2003, TRT: 00:29:54.
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| Georgia State Representative Tyrone Brooks shares several descriptive anecdotes of his childhood in the rural South, sharing stories of racism and segregation that helped shape his social and political views. Brooks describes his schooling, remembering influential teachers and describing his favorite activities. Brooks also recounts his early involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. |
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Video Oral History Interview with Tyrone Brooks, Tape 3, May 06, 2003, TRT: 00:30:06.
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| Georgia State Representative Tyrone Brooks discusses his education as a teen member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and how he learned the methodology of nonviolent protest. He details pivotal figures like Walter Fauntroy and Hosea Williams, among others, who were vital to the success of the Civil Rights Movement. Brooks also describes the influence of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on SCLC and the Civil Rights Movement. |
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Video Oral History Interview with Tyrone Brooks, Tape 4, May 06, 2003, TRT: 00:29:20.
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| Georgia State Representative Tyrone Brooks details confrontations and civil rights demonstrations during his early years with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Brooks remembers slain civil rights worker Viola Liuzzo and activist Carl Farris and their sacrifices for the Civil Rights Movement. He also recounts his involvement with several protests in Georgia and how average citizens stood behind and supported the Movement. Brooks also explains strategies he used to recruit people for civil rights demonstrations. |
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Video Oral History Interview with Tyrone Brooks, Tape 5, May 06, 2003, TRT: 00:28:46.
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| Georgia State Representative Tyrone Brooks shares the story of Sheriff Junior Odom who begged his forgiveness for illegally imprisoning him after a civil rights demonstration in Georiga. Brooks expounds on the impact of the Civil Rights Movement on the economic development of the South, stressing that success was achieved due to nonviolent methods. Brooks recalls his last meeting with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and praises him as a strategist. He also describes his work with the Poor People's Campaign. |
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Video Oral History Interview with Tyrone Brooks, Tape 6, May 06, 2003, TRT: 00:29:00.
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| Georgia State Representative Tyrone Brooks tells of being jailed during the Resurrection City march as part of the Poor People's Campaign and explains his work iwth Ralph Abernathy and Hosea Williams. Brooks describes the maturation of the Civil Rights Movement as it expanded beyond the borders of the U.S. and focused on ending apartheid in South Africa. He speaks at length about the changes brought on by the election of Jimmy Carter as governor of Georgia and as President of the United States. Brooks also points out several areas where Carter faltered in domestic policy. |
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Video Oral History Interview with Tyrone Brooks, Tape 7, May 06, 2003, TRT: 00:29:15.
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| Georgia State Representative Tyrone Brooks discusses the state of Georgia politics from his first election in 1980 until today. He details the legislation he successfully introduced which was passed into law, including the passage of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday bill and his fight to change the Georgia state flag. Brooks also praises the revolutionary Hosea Williams in spite of their political differences. |
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Video Oral History Interview with Tyrone Brooks, Tape 8, May 06, 2003, TRT: 00:30:08.
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| Georgia State Representative Tyrone Brooks details at length his struggle to change the Georgia state flag from the 1956 Confederate battle flag to its pre-1956 version. He describes Denmark Groover's role in convincing then-Governor Roy Barnes, various state legislators and Georgia residents to effect this change. Brooks also discusses his concerns for the black community. |
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Video Oral History Interview with Tyrone Brooks, Tape 9, May 06, 2003, TRT: 00:20:22.
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| Georgia State Representative Tyrone Brooks considers his legacy and narrates his personal photographs as they are recorded on videotape. |