Bob Zellner and Pamela Smith Zellner

Interviewed by Tawreak Gamble-Eddington

Bob was born April 5, 1939, in Daphne, Alabama, and is the grandson of a KKK member. Despite this, Bob was the first white field secretary of SNCC, building off his faith to become involved in the Civil Rights Movement, being routinely beaten and arrested for his advocacy. Pamela Zellner was born in Fairhope, Alabama, and was raised on the move by her military parents. Pamela attended the University of Missouri and was active in SDS before becoming disenchanted with their proclivity for violence. The central focus of the project is to understand the experiences of these two not only as individuals but as a couple. Additionally, for Bob Zellner, we aim to explore how and why they chose acceptance and/or nonviolence.