The Pogue Library also contains various Oral History collections, including one regarding desegregation and education. The full collection of Education & Desegregation Oral Histories can be found here. Some of particular interest include:
Frederick Bohannon, who talks about his family and their reaction to the 1917 race riots of East St. Louis, IL. He also compares the desegregation of Paducah schools with those in Indiana. OH 234
James Brown, a student of the Waters Schoolhouse in Calloway County. Brown recalls his experiences at the Waters Schoolhouse and also talks about his service during WWII. OH 235
Katie W. Freeman, who was a student at West Kentucky Industrial College in the 1920s. Freeman further discusses the difference of opportunities for Black Americans between 1920 and 1970. Freeman also recounts the lynching of an Black man in Paducah in 1916. OH 248
Bradie S. Kindrick, who attended Douglas High School in Murray, KY in the 1920s and was one of the first Black students to graduate with a Bachelor's of Science degree from Murray State. Also discussed are improved race relations in Graves County, KY and better job opportunities for Black Americans. OH 254
Floy Miller, who recalled a great amount of information about her education and upbringing in West Kentucky in the early 20th century. Miller also talks about her career teaching those in the Land Between the Lakes, the first car and telephones in the region, and the Night Riders, who murdered a Black guard during a raid. OH 261
Elle Matthews Peoples, who talks about her enslaved grandfather from West Virginia. Peoples attended Murray State College sometime in the late 1950s. Peoples also talks about life before indoor plumbing and mass electricity, as well as the racial integration of the area during the 1950s and 1960s. OH 264
Lulu Pearl Peyton, a native of Murray discusses her education in local schools. Peyton also describes teaching in Murray and environs, her involvement in Murray churches, the Flood of 1937, and the challenges of living through the Great Depression. OH 266
Corine Ray, who discussed her teaching career in the early 20th century in Tennessee and Western Kentucky. Of considerable interest is her recollection of a 1919 lynching of a Black man in Paducah, an incident that doesn't appear to have been documented elsewhere. OH 268