usm_coh_ohkeys ohkeys coh usm yes Oral history with Ms. Vernon J. Keys Keys, Vernon J., Ms., 1926- African American women civil rights workers--Mississippi--Clarksdale--Interviews Civil rights workers--Mississippi--Clarksdale--Interviews African American women educators--Mississippi--Clarksdale--Interviews African American social reformers--Mississippi--Clarksdale--Interviews Social worker--Mississippi--Clarksdale--Interviews African Americans--Mississippi--Clarksdale Head Start programs--Mississippi Community Action Program (U.S.) Early Childhood Development Centers Southern Educational Recreation Association Poor--Services for--Mississippi Segregation--Mississippi Coahoma Opportunities Clarksdale (Miss.)--Socil conditions Keys, Vernon J., Ms., 1926- Henry, Aaron, 1922- Oral history interview conducted on March 19, 1994 with Ms. Vernon J. Keys (born 1926). Beginning in 1965, Ms. Keys worked with the Coahoma Opportunities, Inc. (COI), a community action agency designed to improve the economic position of the poor of Coahoma County, Mississippi. Topics discussed include Keys' background; the establishment of Southern Educational Recreational Association (SERA), Head Start, Jesse Epps; the establishment of Community Action Agency (CAP), Head Start; the Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC); Head Start outreach services; Keys' involvement in Coahoma Opportunities, Inc. (COI); the establishment of Legal Aid and Neighborhood Service Centers; Clarksdale, Mississippi from 1945 to 1965; White reaction to changes generated by Civil Rights and Voting Rights acts; the affects of the changes generated by the Civil Rights and Voting Rights acts on the African-American community; federal poverty guidelines; participation of the poor in COI programs; White participation in COI programs; Migrant Workers program; Adult Base Education; who benefitted most from COI-sponsored programs; the Neighborhood Youth Corps, Upward Bound, Mainstream; Keys' assessment of the greatest impact of COI; and the downside to the COI programs, especially Head Start. This interview is part of the Civil Rights Documentation Project, funded by the Mississippi Humanities Council, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, and the University of Southern Mississippi. Hattiesburg, Miss.: University of Southern Mississippi Libraries Hill, Homer Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage University of Southern Mississippi. Libraries Civil Rights in Mississippi Digital Archive Collection (University of Southern Mississippi) Mississippi Oral History Program Collection (Civil Rights in Mississippi Digital Archive) Oral histories Transcripts http://digilib.usm.edu/u?/coh,4233 Mississippi oral history program of the University of Southern MS, vol. 662, McCain Library, University of Southern Mississippi. Forms part of the Civil Rights in Mississippi Digital Archive. Forms part of the Mississippi Oral History Program Collection in the Civil Rights in Mississippi Digital Archive. Forms part of University of Southern Mississippi Digital Collections. Forms part of the Mississippi Digital Library. 1994-03-19 Mississippi Coahoma County (Miss.) Clarksdale (Miss.) Jackson (Miss.) Hinds County (Miss.) Copyright Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage. No unauthorized reproduction or publication. 20090817 151132