Interview with James Sims, Jr., May 13, 2022

Partial Transcript: "Okay I was born on a farm in Oglethorpe County, Maxeys, Georgia."

Segment Synopsis: Sims talks about his parents, his childhood and the various schools he attended. He mentions attending a small school in Oglethorpe County before coming to Athens to attend Union Baptist Institute. He mentions memorable teachers from his high school years. He also shares that he attended Morehouse College in Atlanta and what he got out of the experience.

Keywords: Athens High and Industrial; Atlanta, Georgia; CHS Lyons; Charles H. Lyons; Class of 1956; Collegiate Environment; Eberthart; Farris Johnson Sr.; Howard Stroud; James H. Sims Sr.; Mary Brown Campbell; Maxeys, GA; Morehouse College; Oconee School at Oconee Baptist Church; One room school house; School Consolidation; Segregation; Union Baptist Institute

Partial Transcript: "Now we're going to take a trip back to Athens, um, the racial climate during that time frame...."

Segment Synopsis: Sims explains that when he was growing up in Athens, Black people needed to have a white connection to have a successful life or career. He shares that he didn’t participate in Athens’ Civil Rights campaign because he went to Augusta after college where he worked at three different Baptist churches. He says that he spent the majority of his career at a renowned Baptist church in Atlanta.

Keywords: Augusta, GA; Central Baptist Church, Augusta, GA; Connections; Discrimination; Greater Young Zion Baptist Church, Augusta GA; Morehouse College Class of 1961; NAACP; Prejudice; Racial Climate; Retirement; Segregation; Shiloh Baptist Church; Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church; Summerville Baptist Church

Partial Transcript: "Now back, um, we're coming back to Athens. In high school were there marches and demonstrations?"

Segment Synopsis: Sims talks about the roles that he and his younger brother Arthur had in the Civil Rights Movement in Augusta, GA. He mentions that his young siblings still in Athens participated in many demonstrations and that he would often drive up to get them out of jail. He recalls the intensity marches, protests, and demonstrations in Athens and Augusta. Sims also explains his personal stance on non-violence, and how that affected the role he played in the movement.

Keywords: Arthur Sims Sr.; Athens Branch of NAACP; Augusta Branch of NAACP; Augusta Branch of Southern Christian Leadership Conference; Augusta, GA; Bail Bonds; Integration; KKK; Ku Klux Klan; NAACP; Non-violence; Self-Defense; The Augusta Civil Rights Riot; The Varsity

Partial Transcript: "Well wait a minute, do you remember when the University of Georgia was integrated?"

Segment Synopsis: Sims recalls the University of Georgia integrating and discusses the relationships he developed as a pastor, mentioning several influential leaders that he came to know well. He explains that he never met Martin Luther King Jr. because he wasn’t an active non-violent participant of demonstrations.

Keywords: Attorney Donald Hallowell; Augusta Baptist Ministerial Alliance; Augusta Branch of NAACP; Charlayne Hunter; Hamilton Holmes; Martin Luther King Sr.; Non-Violent Movement; Non-Violent Temperment; Rev. James S. Wright; Rev. Joseph E. Lowery; Reverend Dr. Charles Spencer Hamilton; Reverend J S Wright; Self-Defense; Tabernacle Baptist Church, Augusta GA; Vernon Jordan

Partial Transcript: "You just mentioned that you, uh, were raised on a farm. What was that like?"

Segment Synopsis: Sims describes what life was like growing up on a farm in rural Georgia. He mentions that in hindsight he knows his family was poor but that at the time they thought they were fairly comfortable. He talks through a typical weekday as a child attending school, completing chores on the farm and completing school assignments in the evening without electricity. He explains that his father was one of very few Blacks to own property and that most Blacks in the county were sharecroppers.

Keywords: Black Land-Owner; Farm Labor; Kerosene Lamp Light; Manual Labor; Maxeys, Georgia; Oglethorpe County; Poverty; Rural Electrification; Sharecroppers

Partial Transcript: "Now your parents must've believed in education because going to Morehouse... was a dream for a lot of people."

Segment Synopsis: Sims reflects that it was a challenge to attend Morehouse in the late 1950s, but that his parents recognized and emphasized the importance of a good education. He lists his siblings and the colleges they attended.

Keywords: Academic Affairs; Arthur Sims Sr.; Burney-Harris High School; College Education; Eldest Brother; Fannie Sims Smith; Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC); Lily Sims; Lucille Sims; Morehouse School of Religion; Morehouse School of Religion ITC; Paine College; Robert Sims; University of Georgia

Partial Transcript: "Now let's talk about making the money,"

Segment Synopsis: Sims talks about his experience working at the Holman Hotel in Downtown Athens during his high school years. He says that he made good money from pay and tips and that the manager, Ed Newton, was a fair man and treated his Black employees well. He shares that he didn’t spend much time downtown when he wasn’t working, but mentions segregated businesses.

Keywords: Bank of America Building; Bellhop; Ed Newton; Holman Hotel; Income; Louis Armstrong; Prejudice; Segregation; The Harlem Theater; The Ritz

Partial Transcript: "Now is there an area that I haven't touched that when people are listening to this any years from now..."

Segment Synopsis: Sims recalls an experience during his time at Morehouse College where the debate team took on Harvard University’s team and won twice. He explains the significance of a Black team of students defeating a white-only Ivy League school. He also shares about the dance held at afterwards and his reaction to seeing Black and white students dancing together in one room.

Keywords: Anthony Campbell; Debate Team; Delta Sigma Rho; Dr. A. Russell Brooks; Emory University; Frederick Boyd Williams; Harvard University; Morehouse College; Morehouse Debating Society; Preston Yancy; Public Speaking

Partial Transcript: "There was a, um, a teacher, and I am getting a mind-freeze, that was one of Dr. King's teachers..."

Segment Synopsis: Sims talks about his experience learning from and working with Dr. Ben Mays, a notable leader in the Civil Rights Movement. He also mentions Dr. Chivers, a professor of sociology at Morehouse College that influenced his life greatly. He shares the impacts that these mentors made on his values and mindset.

Keywords: Dr. B.E. Mays; Dr. Benjamin E. Mays; Dr. Mays; Morehouse College; Shiloh Baptist Church; Sociology; Walter R. Chivers

Partial Transcript: "What's one of the greatest accomplishments that you feel you have made?"

Segment Synopsis: Sims concludes by discussing the impacts he feels he made on his community as a pastor, leader, and listener. He also explains what advice he would give to himself as a young man including the importance of money management, education and dedication.

Keywords: Advice; College Education; Community Building; Dedication; Education Facilities; Impacts; Income Management; Money Management Skills; Pastor; Perserverence; Shiloh Baptist Church; Spread Love