Dr. Valda Harris Montgomery's StoryFile

Valda was a teenager during some of the most intense periods of the Civil Rights Movement. She witnessed the Freedom Riders and a bloodied and beaten John Lewis finding respite in her kitchen late at night. Her home served as a sanctuary and meeting place for Dr. Martin Luther King, Rev. Ralph D. Abernathy, Diane Nash, James Farmer, and other leaders of the movement. Her 2010 book, Just a Neighbor, is a reflection of the solidity, strength and trauma of the era.

Dr. Valda Harris Montgomery answered 269 questions including:

What was it like growing up in Montgomery, Alabama during the Civil Rights Movement?
What do you remember about the Freedom Riders staying in your home?
What are you doing to preserve the history of the Harris House?