Maria Gitin Oral History

Since publishing her autobiography in 2014, Maria Gitin has remained active in sharing her experiences during the Civil Rights Movement. She has given numerous presentations at schools, libraries and special events, including a lecture at the Alabama Department of Archives and History which can be viewed in full on YouTube: "This Bright Light Of Ours: Stories from the Voting Rights Fight in...Alabama" by Maria Gitin - YouTube.  - Stephen Fagin, Curator

After reviewing her oral history Maria Gitin pointed out two errors: 1) She mistakenly mentions that she was in jail for a month, though it was actually only about thirty-six hours. 2) The University of South Alabama is located in Mobile, not Atlanta. - 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: Maria Gitin - YouTube. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator

The Summer Community Organizing and Political Education (SCOPE) project of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference was an ambitious undertaking in the summer of 1965 in preparation of passage of the Voting Rights Act in August 1965. Hundreds of predominantly white college students were recruited to travel to six southern states to coordinate with community groups, promote voter registration, and document voter suppression. An extensive digitized collection of primary source materials, including orientation brochures, reading lists and press materials may be found here: Civil Rights Movement -- SCLC/SCOPE Project (crmvet.org). The Museum has been honored to record oral histories with several activists who took part in the 1965 SCOPE project. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator