Roger “Dad” Donenfeld

1. What was your experience growing up during the tumultuous of the 1960’s?

   • Our innocence of life, for all ages was uprooted. The tumult seemed at odds with the calm and tranquility of the late 50's and not entirely understood or universally supported. it seemed that a very vocal minority was protesting the wars, while social injustice was no longer accepted as the status quo. The goals regarding social change and societal welfare were desired and supported while the tumultuous nature of the means sought to achieve the change seemed unnecessarily and prematurely excessive and even perhaps counter-productive. events of world politics seemed to be taking on increasingly more significance. Younger generations were upset with the "establishment" and protesting much, often seemingly without reason.

2. How did the death of JFK affect your opinion of America?

   • We no longer were "sure" of the absolute righteousness lawfulness of our own government; we did not "know" if the Warren Commission findings were correct or truthful or if we could trust our own government to be completely forthright.

3. What were your feelings about the Vietnam War?

   • Were you for or against it? Initially, I was for it as it seemed to me, like most people, that it was intended to stop the spread of communism. As it dragged on with good effects or resolution, I turned against it.

4. Did the threat of the Cold War affect your daily life? If so, in what ways?

   • In school, we had air raid alert drills in class where they all hid under their desks.  At home, we daily heard sirens being tested in the community and on both TV and radio.  Everyone could repeat the mantra:  "This is a test.  This is only a test...."  Bomb shelter were marked with signs in every building and we made mental notes of their location,  just in case.

5. What were your experiences going to college? Were there many protests over discrimination?

   • Yes, protests, sit-in's, building sit-in's   and takeovers of offices. It was peaceful and fun to join in, often without knowing or understanding what all the issues were or even believing in them.

6. How was the American culture of the time different to that of present day?

   • People’s lives were simpler and much more provincial, certainly less worldly than in the past. Most stores and businesses were closed Sunday when people went to Church and relaxed. The TV was black and white, with limited selection and served to homogenize the American entertainment experience. There was much less violence and it was unusual and disturbing. People were much more respectful of people in authority including teachers and law enforcement. We were afraid of the Soviet Union, spies, and Communists. The Space race and nuclear war occupied our over-active imagination and all males feared the draft.

7. Why do you think discrimination has lasted so long?

   • People were tolerant of it if it didn't affect them directly. Life was simple and people were afraid to challenge the status quo fearing the repercussions on their own lives and comfortable existence. People learned it growing up, from their parents and peers. Discrimination was tolerated. It was difficult to change one's internal moral compass until new generations took on new values and believed in non discrimination from childhood and even lived it.

8. Anything else you want to add about life in the 1960's-1970's.

   • Foods were simple and limited variety and selection grocery. There was just one Oreo, Brillo, Jello, and Klenex and no alternatives. We got dressed up for many occasions including school and special occasions. There were no cell phones or computers so land phones were respected as our lifeline and long distance calling was a rare luxury. We used encyclopedias for general information and watched TV and read newspapers for news. There were no gourmet foods, hand sanitizers, wheat or lactose intolerance, or obsessions with communicable diseases. We shared a more uniform common existence and experience with each other as our commonality was more real.

Mandalit del Barco, NPR Reporter 

1. Why did you want to interview Cesar Chavez? Why is Cesar Chavez an important part of American history? 

   • Cesar Chavez  is a very important figure in Chicano history-- a union organizer and labor leader for farmworkers who provide food for all of us. It's backbreaking work to plant and harvest fruits and vegetables. Chavez tried to make their conditions better, so they would not have to work so many hours, so they could earn a decent wage, and have a few benefits, as well as better living conditions. By the time when we interviewed him, in the early 1990's, he had already founded the United Farm Workers and fought for many of these advances, but there were still problems. He was trying to get the growers to stop spraying their fields with pesticides. Those toxins were harming the farmworkers and their families, causing cancer and other diseases. I wanted us to interview a living legend.

2. When did you interview Chavez? Where did you interview him and can you describe what it was like? 

   • I was working as a field producer at NPR, and took our reporter, Scott Simon, to meet up with Cesar Chavez at his home in Delano, California in 1990.

      He lived in a modest house, and I remember sitting in his living room. All around us, there were photos of his many rallies, speeches, the hunger strike he went on  in order to help the union's cause, an historic photo of when then Attorney General Robert Kennedy met with him, and other photos of his family.

      I had tried to brief our reporter on what to ask about, such as his current campaign against pesticides, and some of the key moments of his career. Unfortunately, our reporter didn't do the homework I gave him, and he started out by asking about something that really wasn't that relevant today; an old newspaper article had accused him of running his union meetings like hostile encounter sessions. When our reporter asked about that, Chavez got angry. "I can't believe your asking about that!!" He stood up and stormed out of his own house, slamming the screen door, and leaving us there.

      I felt terrible.

      I thought we were there to talk about his many accomplishments, and our reporter completely blew the interview.

      You never start with hard questions. You need to build up to that, if anything.

3. What was the most interesting thing you learned from him? 

   • I learned that Chavez has a temper! 

      (and I found out that our reporter was completely illprepared an insensitive to ask the questions).

      I learned that I would have done a much better, more sensitive interview!!!

4. What is Chavez's legacy in the world today? 

   • Cesar Chavez not only established a legacy for farmworkers in the form of the United Farm Workers Union, but he inspired many generations of Chicanos and other Americans. He is a source of pride for many Mexican Americans. And he also inspired a cool movie starring Diego Luna, which I reported about a few years ago.

5. If Chavez saw the world today, what would he be most happy about and most shocked by? 

   • If he were still alive, Cesar Chavez might be happy to know that the plight of the farmworker is something that people are still fighting for. He might be happy to know that his activism continues by generations of others. But he might be upset to know that many of the conditions he was fighting against continue today.

Vic Watterson

1. What was your experience growing up during the tumultuous of the 1960’s?

   • My experience growing up in the 1960s was one of mixed emotions of fear and excitement and change. It was during the time after World War II ended and the Industrial Revolution began. The Beatles were just coming to America which changed the entire face of music as we knew it before. Along with the influence of Elvis Presley and his unique Style of rock music and dance. The fear was that of a possible Soviet attack or a nuclear war with Cuba. I remember having to do drills in class in the event of a nuclear emergency.

2. How did the death of JFK affect your opinion of America?

   • The death of our young and charismatic president at the time John F Kennedy was paralyzing shock to me and our culture and society as a whole as we were ready to begin a new era post World War 2 with a president who had a vision like none other before for our country. Also it made me realize that we were almost Living in a Dream World called Camelot until he was assassinated which then changed my entire Outlook on human nature that nothing was sacred and that everyone was vulnerable to attack and death.

3. What were your feelings about the Vietnam War? Were you for or against it?

   • My feelings about the Vietnam War were mixed because I had older high school friends who are actually being drafted and we're afraid of being killed and where not in agreement with America's involvement in such a Faraway unfamiliar territory and to what degree our presence would have an effect unchanging Soviet Soviet aggression and communism in the region. At the same time I felt it was our duty to protect our country and do whatever we could to help stop or minimize the spread of Communism and keep it from taking over the world.

4. Did the threat of the Cold War affect your daily life? If so, in what ways?

   • The threat of the Cold War had an affect on my daily life to the extent that we were never comfortably safe from possible World War 3 and or nuclear attack.

5. What was like growing up as minority during this time?

   • For minorities growing up who were mostly black it was a time of growth and adjustment and acceptability and compassion as well as fear and resentment and anger with regards to equal rights for the blacks who had been previously kept mostly separate in the south and had their own Circles of society. There was a lot of variety and Rebellion by the blacks and clashes with police due to their demand of being heard and respected. Until Martin Luther King came along who introduced amor peaceful and religious approach which seem to be working better until he was assassinated. Which then set things back another 20 years.

6. Did you feel the effects of segregation and discrimination?

   • I was pretty much sheltered from witnessing discrimination and segregation directly as we lived in mostly a white oriented city and state in the country side where rioting and disruptions word as prevalent. Mostly they were in the South and larger cities.

7. Were you given the chance to have higher education?

   • I did have the opportunity and was able to attend college and helped to work my way through by paying some expenses and was able to attain a bachelor's degree in marketing and management. I attended Kent State University where four students were shot and killed by the National Guard in May of 1970 because they were protesting the Vietnam War. They were mostly carrying flowers and demonstrating peacefully but then it got out of control when the National Guard started to advance on them and they started throwing rocks and then the guard opened fire. It was during the Nixon Administration and he took a lot of heat for ordering the guard onto the campus.

8. What were your experiences going to college? Were there many protests over discrimination?

   • The college experience was one of constant disruption and excitement fear and change all at the same time with the emergence of rock and roll, the Vietnam War, and the overall revolution of sex and drugs and rock and roll which we were all realizing that we wanted to make our own choices and not be controlled by our parents and the man.

9. How was the American culture of the time different to that of present day?

   • The American culture is different today from then mostly from the standpoint of the increase in technology which has provided an overwhelming amount of information causing a major distraction from the important values in our society that have to do with family , fellowship, religion, God, citizenship, education, and raising our children properly. Our culture has become extremely self-centered and produced many selfish and non compassionate people who are out only two gain material wealth and take care of themselves and there closest relatives. There is no more CORE family unit that sit down and eat together or go to church together or do activities together nowhere close to the way it was growing up in the sixties.

10. Why do you think discrimination has lasted so long?

    • Sadly discrimination has lasted so long because it has been given such importance and emphasis  especially now that there is such a vast dissemination of news reporting by a liberal media who chooses to focus on negativity because it draws ratings isolated events surrounding incidence of police trying to keep Law and Order and the minorities claiming to be suppress and the media piping up each of those incidents and creating a negative environment with which discrimination will only get worse as it strengthens the divisive conflicts that could be resolved by both parties coming together peacefully and creating Solutions and adopting a friendly relationship with which to move forward positively.

      I hope these comments will help you too better understand not only the time that we were going through back then but also how that serves to develop into the character of a lot of adults who were raised during that time and there feelings and attitudes about the current society.

Gladys Regan

1. What was your experience growing up during the tumultuous 1960's?

   • I remember the hippies,  cruising around Tuscon in a Chevy,  everyone was nice,  mainly Hispanic and Blacks,  very safe and comfortable.  No riots or protests going on in Tuscon.  Lots of peaceful hippies getting food from food coops.

2. How did the death of JFK affect your opinion of America?

   • I remember where I was.  It blew my mind.  When we had the Cuban missile crisis,  we all were scared about the decision making of the U.S.  Since JFK was so well liked,  I didn’t know what the U.S would do.

3. What were your feelings about the Vietnam War? Were you for or against it?

   • I didn’t really know what it was about,  about why we were there.  It was terrible so many people were dying.  Many friends were against it, so I thought it probably wasn’t good.  It was hard having friends in the war.  We didn’t discuss it.

4. Did the threat of the Cold War affect your daily life? If so, in what ways?

   • Communism was always a threat.  There were air raid sirens that scared my kids.  We never did air raid drill. It didn’t really affect me. I just thought like the sign says:  “Bend over and kiss your ass goodbye.”

5. Did you feel the effects of segregation and discrimination?

   • Didn't see any of it.

6. How was the American culture of the time different to that of present day?

   • There is more bias and prejudice now than ever.  We had a lot of friends in the 60’s.  We just realized we were in a melting pot.  Everyone got along.  In Tuscon, everybody was friendly and got along,  not really different from today.  In America in general,  people are much more reserved today and there is more distrust of others than before.

7. Why do you think discrimination has lasted so long?

   • I’m surprised it lasted so long.  We were segregated and weren’t even aware of it, just never encountered Blacks.  Seeing drinking fountains for Whites Only, I didn’t even realize that discrimination was so rampant.

8. What is the history of the Black Panthers?

   • The Black Panthers caused a lot of problems. I don’t know what their purpose was except for standing up for Blacks.

9. What did the Black Panthers do in the Black Power Movement?

   • They fought for Black power, rights and equality.

10.  How were the Black Panthers different than other movements?

    • The Black Panthers were violent and caused a lot of problems.

11. Anything else you want to say about the 1960's-70's?

    • The threat of war with Communism and the Vietnam war was always on everyone’s

                   mind. Everyone was sad about it.  We were able to be pretty involved with our lives and

                   Friends.  

Martin Pearson

1. Why were you interested in writing about the Geronimo Pratt case?

   • Soon after I moved to the US and was working as a freelance journalist, a movie was released called Panther. I was always looking for ideas for magazine articles that I could sell and I'd been aware of the Black Panthers and Geronimo Pratt because of my interest in American politics. I pitched a magazine that I had worked for before on the idea of writing about his case. I knew that it had happened close to where I lived and I'd read about the idea that there was a conspiracy against Geronimo Pratt which had put him prison for 20 years or more. The magazine thought it was interesting especially because of the movie. They hired me to write an article.

2. What are the details of the case?

   • His case revolved around a murder. A couple were playing tennis on the courts on Lincoln Boulevard and Wilshire and Santa Monica one summer evening, I think it was in the late 60s or early 70s. They were attacked and robbed and one of them was killed. I forget if it was the man or woman. A few weeks later, Geronimo Pratt was arrested for the crime and it was eventually convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

3. How did you research the story?

   • I can't remember exactly how I found his family but I ended up talking to Geronimo’s sister and a lot of his friends. They had spent 20 years or more trying to free him from jail and prove his innocence. It happened that,  at the time I was writing the story, there was another big case in the news. The O.J. Simpson case.

     I did find out that the one of OJ's lawyers was also a lawyer for Geronimo. His name was Johnny Cochran. I went to the courthouse in downtown Los Angeles, amid all the media frenzy of OJ I managed to find a way to interview Johnny Cochran about Geronimo's case.

     I remember thinking about stark contrast between the attention OJ was getting compared Geronimo. It should have been the other way round.

4. What is most memorable about this project?

   • The other thing I remember is that Geronimo's friends were incredibly intelligent and clear in their beliefs. Committed, even all these years after the Panthers imploded.  All of them stood by what the Panthers did and all insisted that Geronimo had been framed. When I researched the story more I read documents that showed that the FBI knew that Pratt  was not in Santa Monica that night. A former  FBI officer admitted as much. He had heard audio tapes which the FBI had secretly recorded at the Panthers’ headquarters in Oakland. Geronimo Pratt was on those tapes. He could not have been in Santa Monica by night and the FBI knew it.

5. What happened after your article was published?

   • My story ended with him still in jail.  A  few years later the courts exonerated him and he was released in 1997. If you dig deeper into what the FBI did to the Black Panthers in the 1960s it reads like a conspiracy theory. It sounds made up. But it was true. Geronimo Pratt was a victim of that conspiracy, a secret FBI program called COINTELPRO. He served 27 years in jail, 8 in solitary confinement, for a crime he didn't commit.  As we know, OJ Simpson was acquitted.

     Welcome to America!