Collision - People and Events that Shaped the Vietnam Era in Maryland, 2008

The Doris M. Johnson Project: Collision - People and Events that Shaped the Vietnam Era in Maryland was a joint endeavor of the Maryland Historical Society and Doris M. Johnson High School in Baltimore. Students from the high school conducted research for the interviews through the MdHS’s Student Research Center for History (SeaRCH). An exhibit of the same name featuring videos utilizing clips from the oral history interviews, photographs, press articles, and ephemera was held at the Maryland Historical Society from August 22, 2008 to January 4, 2009.

Interviewees include: Elizabeth McAlister a former nun and wife of Catonsville Nine member Phillip Berrigan. On May 17, 1968 the Catonsville Nine, consisting of nine catholics, set hundreds of draft records ablaze outside of the Catonsville Draft Board Office in a protest against the Vietnam War; Jordan Goodman, a student at the University of Maryland College Park who took part in the anti-war demonstrations that took place on the campus in the early 1970s; David Eberhardt, a member of the Baltimore Four. The group, which included Phillip Berrigan, was arrested for pouring blood on draft records at the Baltimore Customs House on October 27, 1967; Willa Bickham and Brendan Walsh, who, in 1968 established Viva House, which offers food, housing, clothing, and other services to people in need in Baltimore. In 1968 they hosted members of the Catonsville Nine and their families during their Federal trial for destroying draft records; Vietnam War Veterans, Alex Fisher, Shelton Skinner, and Michael Warner Burke.

The collection also contains one of the last interviews with historian and activist Howard Zinn before he passed away in January of 2010. Mr. Zinn, best known for his book A People’s History of the Unites States, discusses his anti-war activism during the Vietnam War as well as his experiences as a bombardier during World War II. Specific topics discussed relating to Maryland include: Mr. Zinn's relationship with Phillip and Daniel Berrigan, the Baltimore Four, the Catonsville Nine, Viva House and Jonah House.