Oral history interview with Angus Thompson, Sr., October 21, 2003

Angus Thompson recalls decades of civil rights activism, from pushing school integration to opposing segregated public facilities. Thompson inherited a legacy of activism from his father and became a forceful leader in the African American community in Lumberton, N.C., forging voting alliances with local Indians and opposing other black politicians' accommodationist impulses. Thompson's story is one of undiluted support for integration, which he sees as the cornerstone of racial progress in the second half of the twentieth century. This interview will prove useful for researchers looking for on-the-ground narratives of civil rights activism and an impassioned defense of the progress of the past fifty years.