crown CU Home > Libraries Home
Columbia Center for Oral History Portal >

Oral history interview with Miriam Cohen Glickman, 2002

Creator: Glickman, Miriam Cohen
Project: Sheila Michaels civil rights organization oral history collection
(see all project interviews)
Phys. Desc. :Sound recording: 1 sound cassette
Location: Columbia Center for Oral History
Full CLIO record >>

Biographical Note

Miriam Cohen Glickman was born in 1942 in Indianapolis. She was the oldest of eight children in a Jewish, lower middle class family. Her mother was a teacher, and her father was editor of The Jewish Post and Opinion. After graduating from Shortridge High School in 1959, Glickman attended Brandeis College. She became involved in Civil Rights demonstrations in 1961. She worked with SNCC from the summer of 1963 through February 1965. She was imprisoned in Albany, Georgia, participated in voter registration in Meridian, Mississippi, did research for SNCC's Washington, DC office, and taught adult literacy in the 1964 Freedom Summer Project

Scope and Contents

Glickman describes her family history, high school experiences, and early interaction with Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Glickman recalls growing up in a deeply segregated area of Indianapolis. She describes the hierarchy of her high school and founding a Human Relations Council. After graduating in 1959, Glickman attended Brandeis College. As a senior there, she met Chuck McDew and distributed a petition against the imprisonment of Clyde Kennard. Glickman left Brandeis for Albany, Georgia with Charles Sherrod in 1963. Glickman participated in the Albany Movement, a campaign that challenged all forms of segregation and discrimination in Albany. Glickman describes her experience in the Morgan County Jail. She also recounts the beating of male demonstrators, including C.B. King and Ralph David Abernathy, and sharing a cell with Cathy Cade. Glickman's father came to Albany for the trial and helped break the story in The New York Times. Glickman travelled to Mississippi in the fall of 1963. She describes participating in CORE's Meridian "mock vote" project there. In fall of 1964, Glickman worked at the SNCC offices in Washington, DC under Jack Minnis. Glickman discusses the resistance against the Freedom Summer Program within SNCC and the leadership of Bob Moses. In the summer of 1964, Glickman returned to teach adult literacy. Glickman describes the challenges of returning to Indianapolis. She also describes travelling back to the South, where she met writers Harry Golden and Ralph McMillan. The final portion of the interview is spent discussing the inner workings of SNCC including FBI surveillance, generational tension, and her relationship with Doug (Douglass) Green. Also discussed is her relationships with and opinions of Bob Moses, Stokely Carmichael in Mississippi, and Ruby Doris Smith. This interview is audio-only; it was not transcribed due to issues with audio quality

Subjects

Using this collection

Columbia Center for Oral History

Address:
Columbia University
535 West 114th Street
801 Butler Library, Box 20
MC1129
New York, NY 10027
Telephone:
(212) 854-7083

Email:
oralhist
@libraries.cul.columbia.edu

Website:
Columbia Center for Oral History