Gerald Chestnut Riberio Oral History

Object number2022.001.0068

Date09/16/2022

ClassificationsOral Histories

Oral history interview subject Gerald Chestnut Riberio

Oral history interviewer Stephen Fagin

ObjectOral history

Credit LineOral History Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza

MediumBorn digital (.m4a file), Born digital (.mp4 file), Born digital (.vtt file)

DimensionsDuration: 38 Minutes

Terms

Collections

DescriptionVideotaped oral history interview with Gerald Chestnut Riberio. Born one month after the Kennedy assassination, Riberio is the daughter of the late J.L. Chestnut, Jr., the first African American attorney in Selma, Alabama. A prominent leader during the Civil Rights Movement, Chestnut represented a number of demonstrators and was present during the violence in Selma on “Bloody Sunday,” March 7, 1965. Interview conducted via Zoom on September 16, 2022 by Stephen Fagin. The interview is thirty-seven minutes long.

Curatorial Commentary

J. L. Chestnut, Jr. passed away on September 30, 2008. As discussed during this interview, the Selma native earned a law degree at Howard University and rose to prominence as the first African American lawyer to practice in Selma, Alabama. His autobiography, Black in Selma, was initially published in 1990. It has subsequently been reprinted as a paperback and ebook by the University of Alabama Press and is available via their website: Black in Selma. - Stephen Fagin, Curator