I continued to process series three of O’Neal’s papers, finding more historical treasures! Of note is one of O’Neal’s essays titled, “Motion in the Ocean – The Political Environment of the Free Southern Theater.” O’Neal penned an essay describing his stint in the southern student movement in 1962 and meeting Gilbert Moses for the first time in Jackson, Mississippi in 1963. O’Neal’s essay expresses his preparations for a journey to New York City to learn the craft of theater, however, several encounters with SNCC members led O’Neal from Southern Illinois, to Southeast Missouri, to Atlanta, to Southeast Georgia, to the Mississippi Delta, to Central Southern Mississippi, and finally back to Jackson, Mississippi, where he met Gilbert Moses and co-founded the Free Southern Theater. He also noted how he felt politically responsible while remaining a true artist during the southern Civil Rights Movement.
Another interesting document is a travel study by O'Neal. From January to February 1972, O’Neal traveled to New York City, Washington D.C., Baltimore, Maryland, Atlanta, Georgia, and Cleveland, Ohio to observe similar African American theater groups on their training and administrative efforts. His goal was to develop relationships with other theater groups and examine creative ideas that were applicable to the Free Southern Theater.
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