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Charles Baston was born in Lee's Summit, Missouri, on April 24, 1917. He attended grade school and junior high school while still living in Lee's Summit, and after junior high he moved to Topeka to attend the Kansas Vocational Technical School. He moved to Topeka permanently after his World War II discharge. Baston was a member of the executive committee of the local chapter of the NAACP during the Brown v. Board hearings. Much of his interview deals with the NAACPs role in finding plaintiffs in the Brown case, the problem with busing students to segregated schools, and other individuals who were instrumental to the success of this suit. Towards the end of the interview he also talks about how the Brown decision has not reached its full potential because of the racial prejudices that still exist today. Jean VanDelinder conducted the interview. The Brown v. Board oral history project was funded by Hallmark Cards Inc., the Shawnee County Historical Society, the Brown Foundation for Educational Excellence, Equity, and Research, the National Park Service, and the Kansas Humanities Council. Parts of the interview may be difficult to hear due to the quality of the original recording. This interview has a signed release for scholarly or educational purposes only.
Creator: Baston, Charles I.
Date: May 14, 1992
This source is valuable because it describes many of the key players in the Brown v. Board case, including McKinley Burnett and Esther Brown (no relation to Oliver Brown). Baston, as a leading member of the NAACP, was well-informed about the organization's work for desegregation and his insights into the success of the suit (or, the places where it failed) will be of great use to students. It could be paired with any of the other oral history interviews or with other sources related to the NAACP.
KS:11th:3.1:Brown v. Board (2005)
Item Number: 211840
Call Number: Brown v. Board Oral History Coll. 251, Box 1, Folder 6
KSHS Identifier: DaRT ID: 211840
Collections - Audio-visual
Collections - Manuscript - Brown v. Board Oral History
Collections - Oral History - Brown vs Topeka Board of Education
Community Life - Clubs and organizations - Reform/Advocacy - National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
Curriculum - 11th Grade Standards - Kansas History Standards - 1945-1990 (Kansas_Benchmark 3) - Brown v. Board (Indicator 1) - Kansas' lead role in the Supreme Court case
Curriculum - 11th Grade Standards - Kansas History Standards - 1945-1990 (Kansas_Benchmark 3) - Brown v. Board (Indicator 1) - Plaintiffs in the court cases
Curriculum - 11th Grade Standards - Kansas History Standards - 1945-1990 (Kansas_Benchmark 3) - Brown v. Board (Indicator 1) - Process of integration
Curriculum - 11th Grade Standards - Kansas History Standards - 1945-1990 (Kansas_Benchmark 3) - Brown v. Board (Indicator 1) - Segregated schools
Date - 1990s - 1992
Education - Primary - Students
Education - Primary - Teachers
Education - Secondary - Students
Education - Segregation and desegregation - Brown v. Board
Government and Politics - Reform and Protest - Civil rights - National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
Objects and Artifacts - Communication Artifacts - Documentary Artifact - Audio recording
People - African Americans - Discrimination - Segregation
People - Children
Places - Cities and towns - Merriam
Places - Cities and towns - Topeka
Places - Counties - Johnson
Places - Counties - Shawnee
Places - Other States - Missouri - Jackson County - Lee's Summit
Thematic Time Period - Eisenhower Years, 1946 - 1961 - Civil Rights Movement
Type of Material - Audio - Oral histories
http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/211840
