Interview with Margaret R. Rucker

Interviewer

Delmarie Wilson

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Abstract

This interview was conducted by Delmarie Wilson with Margaret R. Rucker as part of Project 2020: A Collaborative Oral History. Rucker discusses her humble upbringing in the rural, segregated South and details her experiences as an African American during the Civil Rights Movement (1950s-60s). She also details her journey as a first-generation college student and later her involvement in nonviolent, civil rights protests. Notable topics of conversation include the 20th-century Black experience, the Civil Rights Movement, racial injustice, higher education, and the role of Black women in the fight for social justice. Rucker also reflects on the Black Lives Matter movement and its overall relation to the Civil Rights Movement—both its similarities and differences.

Margaret R. Rucker (b. 1940) is a native of Eastover, Richland County, South Carolina. While at college, Rucker studied Education with a concentration in English and a minor in Spanish. She is also a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) Sorority, Inc.

Spearheaded by Dr. O. Jennifer Dixon-McKnight, an Assistant Professor of History and African American studies at Winthrop University, Project 2020 is best summarized in her words: “The goal was to conduct interviews that explored the various ways in which Americans were experiencing and being impacted by the various watershed moments that emerged during 2020 (the global pandemic, social unrest, financial challenges, issues with healthcare, etc.)."

Publication Date

10-24-2021

Unique Identifier

OH 760

Format

MP3; M4A; WAV

Length

00:27:04

Restrictions

This interview is open for use.

Keywords

2020, Race, Black Experience, Black Women, Civil Rights Movement, Black Lives Matter, Education

Interview with Margaret R. Rucker

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