John Hope Franklin, legendary African American historian, shares some of his recollections from his early life in this interview. In some ways, this is more of a conversation than an interview. The interviewer shares his beliefs about race and history in the American South, and he and Franklin chat about various figures who flitted in and out of Franklin's life, and in and out of southern politics and activism. For this reason, Franklin does not offer any lengthy, targeted thoughts on race or civil rights in the South and the interview sometimes reveals more about the interviewer's ideas than Franklin's.