Interviewer: Preetam Prakash and Kelly McLain

Affiliation: University of Arizona

Clenistine had suggested that we try to speak with Mr. Robinson about the history of the African American community in the local area. I contacted Mr. Robinson soon after Kelly had arrived in town. He was open to the idea of doing an oral history interview and we arranged to meet at his place in East Biloxi later on that day. We conducted the interview in Mr. Robinson’s living room.

Mr. Robinson had been born in 1937 in Biloxi, MS. He spoke in detail about the lengthy history that his family had in the area. A number of Mr. Robinson’s family members, including his grandfather, had been involved in the seafood industry at one time, but by the time he was born, African American involvement in the industry had declined considerably. Mr. Robinson’s father worked for the postal service after returning home from serving in WWII. Mr. Robinson described having felt it necessary to leave the area after graduating from high school due to the system of racial segregation which was in place along the Gulf Coast. He joined the US Army and travelled widely across the country. He attended college in San Francisco, but was eventually drawn back south by the onset of the Civil Rights Movement. Mr. Robinson lived in Kentucky and North Carolina for many years working for the National Park Service. He and his wife finally returned to Biloxi in the mid 1990s. Mr. Robinson has held several consulting positions since then which have focused on community development.