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WSB-TV newsfilm clip of Emmelyn Parrish, city voting registrar, assisting two African Americans as they register to vote in Albany, Georgia, 1962

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@ Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection

WSB-TV (Television station : Atlanta, Ga.)

Description

In this WSB newsfilm clip, Emmelyn Parrish, Albany city voting registrar, assists two unidentified African Americans as they register to vote during the summer of 1962. The first candidate, a twenty-six year-old woman, answers questions regarding her age and length of residency in Dougherty County and the city of Albany, and performs a literacy test. She reads an oath testifying to her qualifications to vote, and transcribes a sentence from the Georgia state constitution read to her by Parrish. After passing the test, she signs her name in the voter registration book. The second candidate, a forty-six year-old African American man called "John" by Mrs. Parrish, is given the same series of tasks and also passes. Mrs. Parrish says she has seen an increase in African American voter registration with as many as twenty applicants qualifying in the last three days; she also notes there have been others who tried to register that were not qualified to register for city voting because they lived outside the city limits. She has also seen an increase in white applicants; about twenty have registered in the same time period. The clip ends with a voice from an unseen man describing the coverage as slanted. While the Albany Movement did not immediately defeat segregation in Albany, the voter registration effort was so successful that African American businessman Thomas Chatmon received enough votes in the October election to force a run-off. The following spring, the Albany City Commission removed all local segregation laws.Reporter: Valeriani, RichardTitle...
Type:
Video
Contributors:
Valeriani, RichardParrish, Emmelyn L., 1911-1996
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Record Contributed By

Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection

Record Harvested From

Digital Library of Georgia