Oral history interview with Richard Arrington, July 18, 1974

Richard Arrington, who three years after this interview would become the first African American mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, discusses race and politics in the American South and his nascent political career, which began with a seat on the Birmingham City Council. He describes a city where white elites are very concerned with controlling the kinds of African Americans who enter politics, but where young black politicians are managing to get a foothold in city politics. He hopes that the black presence will continue to increase in Alabama and that African American politicians can set aside their differences.