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WSB-TV newsfilm clip of a protest against segregation at a YMCA while an official tries to explain policy, Atlanta, Georgia, 1967 June 15

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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 from Atlanta, Georgia, dated June 15, 1967, Les McCann, an African American YMCA member from California, describes his experience being turned away by the downtown Atlanta YMCA because the club had not integrated; McCann and SNCC members including Stokely Carmichael protest the downtown Atlanta YMCA facilities; and a downtown Atlanta YMCA spokesperson explains the institution's segregation policy.The clip begins with three silent shots. The first is of Les McCann, an African American jazz musician and resident of Hollywood, California, reading a written document, surrounded by members of Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee(SNCC), who organized a protest against the club after it refused to let McCann use its facilities.The next shot is of the facade of the downtown Atlanta YMCA building; this is followed by a shot of McCann from behind, standing amidst the same group of people. The next shot opens with sound; here, Les McCann, standing with a small group of SNCC members, describes how staff at the downtown Atlanta YMCA refused to honor his YMCA membership. He recalls his arrival at the club on Tuesday morning, where he visited the membership office and presented his membership card. He was then denied services by a member of the YMCA staff, who informed him that the club was not integrated. He expresses surprise and disbelief at being denied service by an organization representing Christianity.In several silent shots that follow, McCann speaks to a small group of SNCC members, which includes SNCC leader Stokely Carmichael; next, he...
Type:
Video
Contributors:
McCann, Les, 1935
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Record Contributed By

Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection

Record Harvested From

Digital Library of Georgia