Interview with John Clark, April 22, 2022

Partial Transcript: Okay, um, the date is April the twenty-second 2022.

Segment Synopsis: Clark is briefly introduced by Breeding. Clark mentions some of the things he remembers most about Athens as a child, including moving to Athens from Oglethorpe County.

Keywords: 1950s; 1960s; Athens-Clarke County, Ga.; Black history; Hot Corner; Morton Theater; The Bottom

Partial Transcript: Tell me a little bit about your family dynamics as a little boy.

Segment Synopsis: Clark talks about being in a family of twelve children - four boys and eight girls - living on a farm. Him and his older brother, Otis Clark, Jr., were responsible for running the farm, and they also assisted some neighbors with their farms as well.

Keywords: 1940s; 1950s; 1960s; Freddie Mae Johnson-Clark; Otis Clark, Sr.; argiculture; domestic servants

Partial Transcript: Now, I want to go back to, uh - you talked about coming to Athens.

Segment Synopsis: Clark recalls the Black community his aunt lived in along Baxter Street, Linnentown (also known as Lindentown), and how it has been demolished to make student housing for the university. He talks about the variety of businesses that were located in the Morton Theater, Hot Corner, and other places of note to the Black community off of North Avenue and along the Oconee River. He discusses Black land ownership then and now.

Keywords: 1950s; 1960s; Brown's Barber Shop; Hancock Corridor; Homer Wilson; Pink Morton; University of Georgia; Wilson Styling Shop; bootlegging; urban renewal

Partial Transcript: What, uh, what caused that shift, do you think?

Segment Synopsis: Clark explains the damage that the displacement of the Black community has caused in the name of further developing the university. He discusses how this has happened across the country for different reasons, but that it has always been detrimental for Black people.

Keywords: 1950s; 1960s; University of Georgia; economic racism; gentrification; institutionalized racism; urban renewal

Partial Transcript: Okay, and um, when did you come back from the army?

Segment Synopsis: Clark reveals that it was after his father died that his family moved to Athens in 1965, where he finished high school. After how his family was treated in Oglethorpe, he kept himself busy with work to keep out of conflict. He describes the coincidence of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the start of his military service, and how race relations within the military were tense.

Keywords: 1960s; 1970s; Burney-Harris High School; Charlayne Hunter-Gault; Creswell Hall; Hamilton Holmes; University of Georgia; integration; racism; segregation; terrorism

Partial Transcript: So as long as you were working a domestic job, you were pretty much left alone?

Segment Synopsis: Clark recalls having to have thick skin if Black people wanted to work, as they may be working for someone racist. He talks about the protests and marches and says that he was somewhat aware of them, but that no one approached him to get him involved, so he wasn’t.

Keywords: 1960s; 1970s; If We So Choose; Ken Dious; racism; segregation

Partial Transcript: Now I’m, uh, I’m gonna switch gears now.

Segment Synopsis: Clark explains that his activism started while he was in the military, and it was when he returned to Athens that he became involved in the civil rights movement. He connected with several influential people in Athens and became involved in local politics, advocating for workers’ rights and civil rights.

Keywords: 1970s; East Side; Edward L. Turner; Ken Dious; NAACP; Savannah State University; University of Georgia; campaigning; labor unions

Partial Transcript: Well, uh, you mentioned your - where you met your wife.

Segment Synopsis: Clark describes his philosophy about dating and marriage, recalling how he met his wife in January of 1972. He passed the bar exam in 1979, got a job at the district attorney’s office, and the couple welcomed their first child, a daughter, in 1983, after they had gained financial stability. He explains the significance of his daughter’s name, Nefertara, and how he wasn’t concerned about having a son to carry on the family name as “a name carries itself.”

Keywords: 1970s; 1980s; Baton Rouge, La.; Johnson & Johnson; economic stability; love

Partial Transcript: Now, your wife is a teacher, am I correct?

Segment Synopsis: Clark shares his wife’s career trajectory, eventually gaining her teaching certificate. He explains that her mother was an activist and an entrepreneur, so his wife had an activist’s spirit.

Keywords: 1970s; 1980s; Johnson & Johnson; family; fashion

Partial Transcript: Now, Nefertara is an attorney as well. In fact, uh - talk to me about your law firm and some of the things you have done.

Segment Synopsis: Clark explains that the Georgia Legal Services wouldn’t hire him; instead, he got a position as a Child Support Director in Elberton. He desperately wanted to practice civil rights law, but the NAACP Legal Defense Fund rejected his request for scholarship money so that he could attend law school. He describes some of his early lawsuits dealing with civil rights, how they didn’t make money, but that they were rewarding all the same.

Keywords: 1980s; 1990s; Baton Rouge, La.; Elbert County, Ga.; Hall County, Ga.; domestic law; public sector; redistricting

Partial Transcript: Well, also, for those who are listening, Attorney Clark has a book that was written by his daughter called Daddy, Tell Me a Story.

Segment Synopsis: Clark encourages the Black community to write their stories to document their history. He recalls the influential mentors he has had throughout his life and how they impacted his character. He stresses the importance of the Black community in particular to find mentors that they can respect and look up to.

Keywords: Savannah State University; community; family; military service