Virginia Collins begins the interview by discussing her affiliation with the Ethiopian Women and the Republic of New Afrika and her attendance at the Black Power Conference in March 1968. Collins explains that she has served as Vice President and is now President of the Republic of New Afrika . She describes at length the dissolution of Ethiopian Women and that group's successor organization, the Republic of New Afrika . Collins continues to describe the importance of African American land ownership and how African Americans often subsisted in virtual enslavement long after Emancipation. Collins discusses her background and familiarity with agriculture, canning, and other related activities around Iberville Parish, including alliances formed with illiterate White farmers. She describes an event with police when they came upon this interracial alliance at an African American schoolhouse. After the police confrontation, Collins explains how she organized separate coalitions of White and Black farmers after the police confrontation. She also notes how surprised she was to discover the prevalence of illiteracy among White farmers. Collins describes how this led her to found adult education classes for White farmers in Iberville Parish. Collins also briefly describes a shootout between police and members of the Republic of New Afrika as well as her involvement with the Southern Conference Educational Fund.
