African-American Migration from Cuthbert, GA to Easton, PA

This oral history project was spearheaded by Lillian June Robinson, local photographer and longtime resident of Easton, PA, with support from Charlotte Nunes of Lafayette College Libraries. Having grown up in the historically black neighborhood of South Easton, Lillian had long been curious about the history of many neighboring families who moved to Easton from Cuthbert, GA during the Civil Rights Era.

This collection includes oral histories from Lehigh Valley residents with family ties to Cuthbert, GA. Interviewees discuss what brought their families to Easton, their reflections on life in the Lehigh Valley compared with life in the U.S. South, and the opportunities, challenges, and discrimination they have faced. Interviews focus on approximately the mid-twentieth-century to the present day.

Interview with Lillian June Robinson on the motivations of her oral history project

Group oral history discussion on African American migration from Cuthbert, GA to Easton, PA

Interview with Clifford Ransom

The Interviewees

Fulton Thornton

Katherine Benton (left) and Irene Gilbert (right)

Elizabeth Houston

Bill Houston (left) and Elizabeth Houston (right)