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"A Conversation with Ernest McMillan" Program
"A Conversation with Ernest McMillan" Program

"A Conversation with Ernest McMillan" Program

Object number2024.001.0011
Date02/17/2024
ClassificationsOral Histories
Oral history interview subject
Oral history interviewer
ObjectOral history
Credit LineOral History Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
MediumBorn digital (.mp4 file), Born digital (.wav file)
DimensionsDuration: 85 Minutes
Collections
  • Civil Rights Movement
  • All Online Objects
  • Oral History Collection
DescriptionVideotaped public program with Ernest McMillan. An outspoken human rights activist, McMillan was attending Morehouse College in Atlanta at the time of the Kennedy assassination. While in Georgia, he met Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and became active with the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee. McMillan later co-founded the Dallas chapter of SNCC and ultimately served more than three years in prison following a local civil rights demonstration. Public program conducted at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza on February 17, 2024 by Jerry Hawkins. The program is one hour and twenty-five minutes long.
Curatorial Commentary

Ernest McMillan is a longtime friend of The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. He recorded his first oral history in 2006, which may be viewed here: Ernest McMillian Oral History – Works – The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. Following this, he has participated in a number of public and educational programs over the years including a 2006 reunion of Dallas SNCC activists (Call To Action: The SNCC Experience in Dallas) and a 2013 Living History (Living History with Ernest McMillan).

In addition, his late mother, beloved local activist Eva McMillan, recorded an oral history, which is available here: Eva McMillan Oral History – Works – The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. -Stephen Fagin, Curator

In 2023, Ernest McMillan published two connected books: a memoir of his activism, Standing: One Man's Odyssey During the Turbulent '60s, and a book of poetry, Kneeling: Poems and Verses Transcending the Turbulent '60s. As of 2026, signed copies of these publications are available in the Museum's online store: Standing: One Man’s Odyssey During the Turbulent ‘60s by Ernest McMill – The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza and Kneeling: Poems and Verses Transcending the Turbulent ‘60s by Ernest M – The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. - Stephen Fagin, Curator
The moderator of this discussion, Jerry Hawkins, is executive director of the Dallas Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation organization. This nationwide initiative is a community-based process that works to create transformational and sustainable change by addressing the historic and contemporary effects of racism in communities and institutions. For more information, visit the organization's website: Dallas Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation. - Riley Harris, Collections Cataloger

The Museum's Collection features several artifacts, oral history interviews, and public programs focused on the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). These materials may be viewed on the Museum's online database here: Thesaurus – Vocabularies – The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. - Riley Harris, Collections Cataloger