Scope and Content Note

The collection consists primarily of taped interviews and transcripts of interviews conducted by Jonathan Coleman for his book on race relations. There are also taped interviews, which have not been transcribed, conducted by Coleman for an article on the construction of the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama; the article eventually appeared in Time magazine. Many tapes contain interviews with more than one person, or continuing interviews held over from another tape. The collection spans 1976-1997, but the bulk of the material dates from 1991-1993. The collection consists of three series:

1. Tapes and Transcripts, 1989-1993
2. Research Materials, 1984-1996
3. Book Publication and Publicity Materials, 1991-1997

The names "Blair Moreland" and "Alice Lester" are pseudonyms used as a condition of access at the request of two interviewees.

1. Tapes and Transcripts

Tapes 1-164 contain interviews used by Coleman in his research for Long Way to Go. Tapes 1-152 are transcribed. Many of the transcripts have handwritten notes by Coleman. Examples of people interviewed are Mayor John Norquist, former Superintendent of Public Schools Howard Fuller, and former Alderperson Michael McGee. There are also interviews with people in Milwaukee from all walks of life who relate their personal experiences and beliefs about race relations. The transcripts have not been corrected for the spelling of names and places. Each transcript contains a summary sheet that identifies interviewees and lists the order of interviews for that tape. Electronic copies of the transcripts, which contain spelling corrections made by Coleman, can be obtained by consulting an archivist. Some of the original transcripts were water damaged, which made some of the notations unreadable, and were photocopied.

Tapes 165-200 contain interviews conducted by Coleman for an article that appeared Time magazine; that research motivated Coleman to write Long Way to Go. The interviews are with University of Virginia students and acquaintances. There are no transcripts for these tapes.

The following list is a sample of prominent individuals interviewed, and people who are interviewed in series on more than one tape. Positions and titles are those that were held at the time of the interview.

Bell, Thomas	Teacher, Victor Berger Elementary School (now Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School)
Braxton, Carvis	Community Organizer for East Side Housing Action Coalition (ESHAC)
Brophy, Tom	Director, Milwaukee County Dept. of Health and Human Services,
Brophy, Tom	Former Director of Milwaukee County Dept. of Social Services
Buck, LeHavre, Rev.	Minister and Executive Director for Harambee Ombudsman Project
Dees, Morris	Executive Director of Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama
DiUlio, Albert, Fr.	President of Marquette University
Donegan, Tom	Alderperson, City of Milwaukee
Fitzgerald, John	"Beyond Racism" Attendee, Community Activist, Friend to Carvis Braxton
Fuller, Howard	Former Director, Milwaukee County Dept. of Health and Human Services; Milwaukee Public Schools Superintendent
Henningsen, Paul	Alderperson, City of Milwaukee
Hulett, John	Sheriff, Hayneville, Alabama
Jones, Arthur	Deputy Inspector, City of Milwaukee
Jones, Jerrel	Owner of WNOV-AM (860) and Milwaukee Courier
Lathan, Raymond L., Rev.	Minister of New Hope Baptist Church
Lin, Maya	Artist, Designer of the Civil Rights Memorial, Montgomery, Alabama
McGee, Michael	Alderperson, City of Milwaukee; Commander, Black Panther Militia
Mosley, Josephine	Principal, Victor Berger Elementary School (Now Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School)
Mudd, Susan	State Director of Citizens for a Better Environment
Norquist, John	Mayor, City of Milwaukee
Riemer, David	Aide to Mayor Norquist
Rodgers, ReDonna	Center for Teaching Entrepreneurship
Stikes, Scully	Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences, MATC
Sweet, Bert	Manager, Plaza Hotel
Wyatt, Gloria	Wisconsin Against Drug Environment (WADE), Community Organizer, Silver Spring Neighborhood Center

Portions of transcript 16, 43, 57, 66, 69, 120, 124, 127, 137-138, 147 and 149 have been masked at the request of the donor.

2. Research Materials

This series consists of newspaper and magazine articles, interview notes and follow-ups to interviews, and informational papers and publications from meetings, gatherings, and youth initiatives in Milwaukee. The research materials include excerpts from diaries, Milwaukee tax and income statistics, a draft report on lending practices and segregation in Milwaukee suburbs, and a handwritten subject index to the taped interviews. There are also press releases and information concerning the Jeffrey Dahmer murders, and photographs of Coleman at a reception at the home of Carvis Braxton. This series also contains materials relating to the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama: a design plan, notes, a photograph of the Memorial, and a brief biography of Maya Lin, who designed the memorial.

3. Book Publication and Publicity Materials

This is the smallest series of the collection, consists primarily of correspondence between Coleman, his agent Owen Laster, and the Atlantic Monthly Press and the Crown Publishing Group. Atlantic Monthly Press published Long Way to Go in 1997. Only one version of the manuscript of Long Way to Go is included in the collection. This series also contains photographs of a book reception at the Milwaukee Public Library's Centennial Hall.