This oral history collection consists of interviews with lifelong Mobile civil rights activist John L. LeFlore, and several of his associates and collaborators. There are seven interviews in total. The interviews were recorded on reel-to-reel by Dr. Melton McLaurin, then a professor of history at the University of South Alabama, as well as graduate student Margaret Lavorne. Topics tend to focus on different moments in Mr. LeFlore's organizing efforts, as well as the lives and careers of each narrator.
These interviews were intended to provide deeper context to Mr. LeFlore’s papers, which he had donated as a manuscript collection to the University of South Alabama. The papers are archived with the McCall Library under accession number 093, and are also available on microfilm.
The files below are the interviews as they are catalogued in this collection at the McCall Library. Please note that what is listed as the "date of publication" in the description of each interview indicates the date that the interview was recorded.
Oral Histories
JLFC 001A John L LeFlore 7-3-1970, John L. LeFlore, Margaret Lavorne, and Melton McLaurin
JLFC 001B John L LeFlore 8-7-1970, John L. LeFlore, Margaret Lavorne, and Melton McLaurin
JLFC 001C John L. LeFlore 12-15-1970, John L. LeFlore and Melton McLaurin
JLFC 001D John L LeFlore 10-9-1972, John L. LeFlore and Melton McLaurin
JLFC 002 John LeFlore & Wiley Bolden 8-7-1970, John L. LeFlore, Wiley Bolden, and Melton McLaurin
JLFC 003 Frank Thomas 8-4-1971, Frank P. Thomas Jr. and Melton McLaurin
JLFC 004 Joseph Langan 10-12-1972, Joseph Langan and Melton McLaurin