Thomas M. Armstrong Oral History
Object number2021.001.0029
Date05/07/2021
ClassificationsOral Histories
Oral history interview subject
Thomas M. Armstrong
Oral history interviewer
Stephen Fagin
ObjectOral history
Credit LineOral History Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
MediumBorn digital (.m2ts file), Born digital (.m4a file), Born digital (.mp4 file)
DimensionsDuration: 68 Minutes
DescriptionVideotaped oral history interview with Thomas M. Armstrong. As a student at Tougaloo College in Mississippi from 1959 to 1963, Armstrong was active in civil rights demonstrations and voter registration drives. He worked with NAACP activist Medgar Evers and participated in the 1961 Freedom Rides. Armstrong is the author of Autobiography of a Freedom Rider: My Life as a Foot Soldier for Civil Rights (2011).
Interview conducted over Zoom on May 7, 2021 by Curator Stephen Fagin. The interview is 1 hour and 8 minutes long.
Curatorial CommentarySince publishing his autobiography in 2011, Thomas M. Armstrong has remained active in sharing his experiences during the Civil Rights Movement. He has given numerous presentations at schools, libraries and special events, and he has also recorded oral history interviews with institutions, including Ball State University Libraries in Indiana. As of 2021, a few of his interviews and public presentations can be found by searching his name on YouTube. - Stephen Fagin, Curator
This oral history was one of seven featured interviews in the Museum's "Voices from the Civil Rights Movement" series on YouTube. This series, uploaded in January and February 2022, commemorated Martin Luther King Jr. Day as well as Black History Month. This interview with a series introduction may be viewed in full here: Voices From the Civil Rights Movement: Thomas M. Armstrong - YouTube. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator
