Interview Questions
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Isaiah Swanson
Oct 31, 2010, 4:33:33 PM10/31/10
to Hyde Park Crossroads
GENERAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Only to be used as a guide, some may or may not be relevant depending
on the individual being interviewed. Each interview should be tailored
based on interviewer’s pre-interview prep-work. Note: Open bullet
points represent primary questions; closed bullets represent secondary
questions.
Opening – Thank interviewee for participating and summarize in 1-2
sentences what the interview is going to focus on.
A) Introduction – Let’s start with some basic biographical questions
to get your memory going
o What is your name?
o When (what year) were you born?
o Where were you born and raised?
o What is your occupation?
o Who are your parents?
o What are/were their occupations? –Describe what they are/were like.
o Describe any brothers and sisters you have – who were they, what did
they do?
B) Growing Up – Now, let’s talk a little about your experiences
growing up.
o Can you tell me about the neighborhood you grew up in?
o What was your home life like?
o What kinds of activities were you involved in?
o Can you share some of the memories from your childhood that
influenced you later on in life?
Cue: I’m going to ask you about your educational experiences:
• Where did you go to elementary school?
• Where did you go to middle school/high school?
• What did you do after you left high school?
o What was school like for you?
o How did integration/segregation impact your educational experiences?
Cue: What role did religion play in your life growing up?
• Did you belong to a church growing up?
• Which one?
• Can you describe this church/churches.
o Optional: Who were your role models?
o Could you tell me a little bit about your family at this point in
your life?
• Are you/were you married?
• What was your spouse’s occupation?
• Do/did you have any children?
C) The target period (50’s-70’s; Civil Rights era)
This part of the interview can be shaped to fit the interviewee and
the level of their involvement during this time. If the interviewee
was not directly involved in the CRM refrain from using the term
“Civil Rights Movement” too often. The Second level prompts may or may
not be applicable to the interviewee.
Cue: Let’s talk a little about the period from about the
1950’s-1970’s.
o Are there any stories in particular from this period that you would
like to share with us?
o Optional: What was it like trying to raise a family during this time
period? Did you find it difficult at all?
o Optional: Were there some morals that you felt were important to
instill in your children while bringing them up during this time?
• Did you find it difficult explaining racial issues and the
prejudices of that time to your children?
o What kinds of activities were you involved in during this period?
For example:
• Were you involved in your neighborhood?
• Were you involved in your Church?
• Were you a member of any organizations? Can you tell me about some
of them?
• What kinds of entertainment did you enjoy?
Examples: Zoo, Movie theaters, Music, Beale Street
o Did segregation and/or integration shape your experience of these
activities?
o Were you working during this period (1950-1970)?
• If so, what did you do or where did you work?
• Did segregation and/or integration shape your experience at work?
o Optional: Voting – experiences with, local politics, etc.
• Did things like the drive to register people to vote have an affect
on your personally?
• Did you campaign for anyone or attend political rallies?
o Do any events during this period (50s-70s) stand out in your memory?
o Do you remember when you started hearing about sit-ins and/or civil
rights demonstrations?
• How did you feel about people getting involved?
o What/When you remember hearing about/witnessing during the civil
rights movement?
Examples:
• Before and after the assassination of MLK?
• Robert Kennedy’s visit to Mississippi
• Voter’s rights Act/Freedom Summer
• The murder of Emmett Till
o Optional: Were there people in your life who helped to shape your
thinking about civil rights?
o Optional: If the interviewee was actively involved in CRM, this is
the point to ask them some specific questions about their role.
• Who or what encouraged you to become involved?
• What impact did this/these experience(s) have on you? On your
family?
• Do you think involvement and experiences varied depending on if you
were a man or a woman? How?
• Were there some immediate changes that you witnessed as a result of
your participation?
• What did you learn from these experiences?
• Do you feel you were you changed as a result of these experiences?
D) Wrap-up
o Optional: If the interviewee has lived in other places besides
Memphis – How would you compare living in X [city] to living in
Memphis?
o How would you compare race relations in Memphis then and now? What
has changed, what has not?
o Is there any advice that you would want younger Memphians to know?
If so, what would you tell them?
o Is there anything you would like to add on that we haven’t covered?
o Optional: If you could go back in time, what advice would you give
yourself?
o Optional: What is your proudest moment?
Thank you for participating in the Crossroads to Freedom Project.
Only to be used as a guide, some may or may not be relevant depending
on the individual being interviewed. Each interview should be tailored
based on interviewer’s pre-interview prep-work. Note: Open bullet
points represent primary questions; closed bullets represent secondary
questions.
Opening – Thank interviewee for participating and summarize in 1-2
sentences what the interview is going to focus on.
A) Introduction – Let’s start with some basic biographical questions
to get your memory going
o What is your name?
o When (what year) were you born?
o Where were you born and raised?
o What is your occupation?
o Who are your parents?
o What are/were their occupations? –Describe what they are/were like.
o Describe any brothers and sisters you have – who were they, what did
they do?
B) Growing Up – Now, let’s talk a little about your experiences
growing up.
o Can you tell me about the neighborhood you grew up in?
o What was your home life like?
o What kinds of activities were you involved in?
o Can you share some of the memories from your childhood that
influenced you later on in life?
Cue: I’m going to ask you about your educational experiences:
• Where did you go to elementary school?
• Where did you go to middle school/high school?
• What did you do after you left high school?
o What was school like for you?
o How did integration/segregation impact your educational experiences?
Cue: What role did religion play in your life growing up?
• Did you belong to a church growing up?
• Which one?
• Can you describe this church/churches.
o Optional: Who were your role models?
o Could you tell me a little bit about your family at this point in
your life?
• Are you/were you married?
• What was your spouse’s occupation?
• Do/did you have any children?
C) The target period (50’s-70’s; Civil Rights era)
This part of the interview can be shaped to fit the interviewee and
the level of their involvement during this time. If the interviewee
was not directly involved in the CRM refrain from using the term
“Civil Rights Movement” too often. The Second level prompts may or may
not be applicable to the interviewee.
Cue: Let’s talk a little about the period from about the
1950’s-1970’s.
o Are there any stories in particular from this period that you would
like to share with us?
o Optional: What was it like trying to raise a family during this time
period? Did you find it difficult at all?
o Optional: Were there some morals that you felt were important to
instill in your children while bringing them up during this time?
• Did you find it difficult explaining racial issues and the
prejudices of that time to your children?
o What kinds of activities were you involved in during this period?
For example:
• Were you involved in your neighborhood?
• Were you involved in your Church?
• Were you a member of any organizations? Can you tell me about some
of them?
• What kinds of entertainment did you enjoy?
Examples: Zoo, Movie theaters, Music, Beale Street
o Did segregation and/or integration shape your experience of these
activities?
o Were you working during this period (1950-1970)?
• If so, what did you do or where did you work?
• Did segregation and/or integration shape your experience at work?
o Optional: Voting – experiences with, local politics, etc.
• Did things like the drive to register people to vote have an affect
on your personally?
• Did you campaign for anyone or attend political rallies?
o Do any events during this period (50s-70s) stand out in your memory?
o Do you remember when you started hearing about sit-ins and/or civil
rights demonstrations?
• How did you feel about people getting involved?
o What/When you remember hearing about/witnessing during the civil
rights movement?
Examples:
• Before and after the assassination of MLK?
• Robert Kennedy’s visit to Mississippi
• Voter’s rights Act/Freedom Summer
• The murder of Emmett Till
o Optional: Were there people in your life who helped to shape your
thinking about civil rights?
o Optional: If the interviewee was actively involved in CRM, this is
the point to ask them some specific questions about their role.
• Who or what encouraged you to become involved?
• What impact did this/these experience(s) have on you? On your
family?
• Do you think involvement and experiences varied depending on if you
were a man or a woman? How?
• Were there some immediate changes that you witnessed as a result of
your participation?
• What did you learn from these experiences?
• Do you feel you were you changed as a result of these experiences?
D) Wrap-up
o Optional: If the interviewee has lived in other places besides
Memphis – How would you compare living in X [city] to living in
Memphis?
o How would you compare race relations in Memphis then and now? What
has changed, what has not?
o Is there any advice that you would want younger Memphians to know?
If so, what would you tell them?
o Is there anything you would like to add on that we haven’t covered?
o Optional: If you could go back in time, what advice would you give
yourself?
o Optional: What is your proudest moment?
Thank you for participating in the Crossroads to Freedom Project.
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