- Collection:
- Civil Rights in Black and Brown
- Title:
- Oral History Interview with Kelton D. Sams on July 8, 2016.
- Creator:
- Enriquez, Sandra
Rodriguez, Samantha
Sams, Kelton D. - Date of Original:
- 2016-07-08
- Subject:
- Persons
Ethnic groups
Civil rights - People:
- Sams, Kelton D.
- Location:
- United States, Texas, Harris County, Houston, 29.76328, -95.36327
- Medium:
- oral histories (literary works)
biographies (literary works)
interviews - Type:
- MovingImage
- Format:
- video/mp4
- Description:
- Kelton Sams Jr. was born in Galveston in 1943. He grew up on 43rd Street close to the Palm Terrace Housing Projects North of Broadway, mostly an African American area. He attended Central High School, the historic Black School. During spring break of junior year at Central, he led a sit-in at different lunch counters on the Island. This demonstration led to the desegregation of restaurants in Galveston. Following the sit-ins, Sams led other efforts on the Island including the desegregation of a Dairy Queen and Stewart Beach. Upon his graduation from Central High School in 1961, he left Galveston and attended Texas Southern University where he quickly became active in different movements including protesting segregated movie theaters and voting registration efforts. Sams briefly became involved in Houston's War on Poverty programs through the Harris County Community Action Agency, where he led several initiatives. Mr. Sams has also been involved with the Unitarian Church and has worked for the City of Houston in urban development as a contractor until his recent retirement. In 2015, Mr. Sams published a book entitled Growing Up In Galveston, Texas, where he shared his story growing up on the Island and his experiences in desegregation efforts.
- Metadata URL:
- https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth987530/
- Language:
- eng
- Extent:
- 5 video recordings (1 hr., 23 min., 33 sec.) : sd., col.
- Original Collection:
- https://crbb.tcu.edu/interviews/interview-with-kelton-d-sams
- Contributing Institution:
- University of North Texas. Libraries
- Rights:
-
