Oral Histories

Interview of Alfred Ligon

Co-founder and owner of the Aquarian Spiritual Center and the Aquarian Bookshop, a black-owned bookstore specializing in materials relevant to African American politics and life.
Subtitle:
All the Lights the Light
Topic:
African American History
Books and Fine Printing
Biographical Note:
Co-founder and owner of the Aquarian Spiritual Center and the Aquarian Bookshop, a black-owned bookstore specializing in materials relevant to African American politics and life.
Interviewer:
Hopkins, Ranford B.
Interviewee:
Ligon, Alfred
Persons Present:
Ligon and Hopkins.
Place Conducted:
Ligon's office above the Aquarian Bookshop in Los Angeles, California.
Supporting Documents:
Records relating to the interview are located in the office of the UCLA Library's Center for Oral History Research.
Interviewer Background and Preparation:
The interview was conducted by Ranford B. Hopkins, assistant editor/interviewer, Oral History Program; B.A., M.A., history, UC Santa Barbara; Ph.D. candidate, history, UC Santa Barbara; current research entitled, "Leadership and the Growth of the Afro-American Community of Los Angeles, 1900-1965;" interviewer was born, raised and resided in Los Angeles for twenty-two years. Hopkins prepared for the interview by conducting a literature search to locate any published material on Ligon. Two sources were found. One, a 1981 brochure commemorating the founding of the Aquarian Spiritual Center, Aquarian Library and Bookshop, and the Black Gnostic Studies, published by Ligon, was found to contain valuable biographical information. The other was provided by the Los Angeles Times article on Ligon and the establishment of his bookshop (March 29, 1982). Secondly, Ligon and Hopkins had a preliminary discussion to identify and chronicle the major events in the interviewee's life. Finally, an attempt was made to locate individuals who knew Ligon personally or by reputation and who might contribute still more information about him. These included Sylvia Curtis, a UCSB librarian, and Ann Powers, librarian at Santa Monica Public Library.
Processing of Interview:
Editing was done by Rebecca Torres, administrative assistant in the Oral History Program. She checked the verbatim transcript of the interview against the original tape recordings, edited for punctuation, paragraphing, and spelling, and verified proper names. Words and phrases inserted by the editor have been bracketed. Ligon reviewed the manuscript and approved the edited transcript. He made minor corrections and additions and provided or confirmed spellings of names that had not been verified previously. Mitch Tuchman, acting director, reviewed the edited transcript before it was typed in final form. Sylvia Curtis wrote the introduction. Torres prepared the front matter and the index.
Length:
3.25 hrs.
Language:
English
Copyright:
Regents of the University of California, UCLA Library.