Alan Laird and Bill Fowler Conversation, May 2021

about this image...

This video is a conversation between Alan Laird and Bill Fowler. They discuss the life of Levy Laird, a remarkable African-American who was a cook on the Southern Pacific passenger trains for more than thirty years. Alan Laird tells a poignant story about his father, Levy Laird, whose ancestors were enslaved persons in Louisiana and his (Levy's) journey from rural Louisiana to become a respected member of the African-American community of Oakland, California.