Dimow, Joe, 2004 November 15
Scope and Contents
Joe Dimow moved to New Haven in 1945 after being discharged from the army and became involved in political activism and community programs in the late 1950s and 1960s. Dimow and his wife first lived in the Hill section of New Haven and he worked in an automotive machine shop. Dimow had been the chair of the Communist Party in Hartford Connecticut and later became involved in the NAACP and the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). He discusses how the McCarthy era and the subsequent rise of the New Left at the end of the 1950s changed the political climate in 1960s New Haven. The interview focuses on Dimow's experiences with African American politics and his community activities with the West Hills Neighborhood Corporation. He talks a great deal about the Black Panthers, whom he had mixed feelings about. While he admired their activities, he worried that they were too militant. Dimow also describes the relationship between the Black Panthers and the New Haven Jewish Community and discusses the issue of black anti-Semitism in the 1960s. He talks about the New Haven Black Panther trials, the administrations of Richard Lee and Edward Logue, and the liberal political activities of Rabbi Bob Goldburg and lawyer John Williams. He also discusses the ways that Yale University contributed to the "liberal stmosphere" of 1960s New Haven.
Interviewer: Stubert, Lee
Length (min): 63
Dates
- 2004 November 15
Creator
- From the Collection: New Haven Oral History Project (New Haven, Conn.)
Conditions Governing Access
As a preservation measure, original materials may not be used. Digital access copies must be provided for use. Contact Manuscripts and Archives at beinecke.library@yale.edu to request access
Extent
1 Computer Files (.wav)
2:06:39 Duration (HH:MM:SS.mmm)
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository
Yale University Library
P.O. Box 208240
New Haven CT 06520-8240 US
(203) 432-1735
(203) 432-7441 (Fax)
beinecke.library@yale.edu
Location
Sterling Memorial Library
Room 147
120 High Street
New Haven, CT 06511