Oral History - Ashley Bailey

Abstract

During this interview, Ashley Bailey listens to her grandmother, Lucilla Commander explain what it was like growing up during several racial events. Even in the small city of her hometown Lynchburg, South Carolina where she was born in August 18, 1954. Mrs. Commander was not a slave herself, but as an african american woman she was worked and used like she was a slave. There were ones who she knew because of their race not to cross their line. However, that thought disappeared from her mind whenever she felt that she was right no matter what skin color a person was. If she felt she was right she stood up for herself. This interview covers more information on some experiences, thoughts, and feelings of Lucilla, more than an entire african american society. Although there are some racial relations dealing with property, jobs, discrimination. Usually, some people as well as Mrs. Commander were used to the treatment and just dealt with it.

Research

Since as early as 1960, the african american unemployment rate has been twice the white rate. As of 2010, if the blacks had equal the amount of unemployment rate as the white then there would have been an additional 1.3 million blacks working. If blacks had the same employment rate as white then an additional 2 million blacks would have been working.  African Americans earned some what to half of what the whites made. Sometimes employers wouldn’t even get their money from their work. Not only did it make african americans unemployed but it left them homeless and could not provide for himself, yet alone a family. According to my research, african american kids only had half the chance to complete high school, one third of a chance to complete college, and a third chance of entering a career profession when they grew up. All of that also cut down on the african american working percent because so many didn’t have the opportunity to a  proper education or were forced to work as for someone. African Americans earned some what to half of what the whites made.

Sources

• http://www.epi.org/publication/bp328-african-american-unemployment/

• http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtid=2&psid=3323

• http://www.english-online.at/history/african-americans/history-of-african-americans.htm

Transcript

Interview with Lucilla Commander

May 10, 2014

Ashley: Hello, I am here with my grandmother, about to do a short interview, and now she will quickly introduce herself.

Lucilla: I am Ashley’s grandmother. I was born in Lynchburg, South Carolina. It was a small town. I was raised in the country on a farm and I moved to Philly after high school at the age of seventeen, alone.

Ashley: Okay, first question. How would you explain your hardships during the Civil Rights Movement or any other discriminating occasions?

Lucilla: Uhm, well.. I would describe it in a more of a metal way than physical way. Uhm, we weren’t allowed to eat at certain places and ‘uhh we would have to go the back of the establishments to order a sandwich or order our food. We couldn’t go inside. ‘Uhh so that was hardship right there to me or mentally.

Ashley: And did you ever try to fight back?

Lucilla: ‘Uhh, well you know fighting back that covers a whole lot, but I never thought about that. It was just a way of life.

Ashley: Did any of these experiences ever make you want to harm yourself?

*not part of the interview*

Lucilla: No, never. That experience just caused me to want to change my way of life and improve myself.

Ashley: So, how did you hide or show your emotions? In other words, how did you deal with things?

Lucilla: See, I had that right on the tip of my tongue. Hmmmm, what did I say Ashley?

*asks for help answering the question*

Well, I read a lot of books about places that I never dreamed that I would ever visit. So, I mostly buried myself in books reading about a better life.

Ashley: So, that’s how you hid your emotions. So, you never showed your emotions?

Lucilla: No, not really.

Ashley: Okay now, what was your typical schedule like as a worker?

Lucilla: ‘Uhm, well as a worker I started working, well raised on a farm you start working early, but my first physical job and official job was in high school. 9th grade I worked, in the office. From 9th grade through 12th grade and this helped me to pay my way through school and then in 1962 at the age of 17 I moved to Philadelphia and I got a job working in a hospital kitchen and I was making a dollar and hour.

Ashley: Why did you decide to move to Philadelphia?

Lucilla: Because at that time if you didn’t have transportation it wasn’t no way to get…. it wasn’t no jobs really for us down there. It was just farm working back there. Mostly farm working or house working in ‘62.

Ashley: And you said you got paid a dollar an hour. Was that normal for african americans or was that something, like how would you describe how you guys got paid maybe to how the whites got paid?

Lucilla: Well to be honest, making a dollar an hour it was basically black working in the kitchen where I worked at and we all made primarily the same thing at that time. So, I don’t know.

Ashley: Okay, ‘uhm. Did you always follow all of the laws or like did you always obey your authority?

Lucilla: Well, most of the time. If I thought I was right, I stood up for it even if it meant some type of punishment. I still believed if I’m right, I’m right no matter who says I’m wrong.

Ashley: Understood. Now do you feel like you have accomplished anything as a person or do you feel like we have accomplished anything as an African American society?

Lucilla: Well, as a person I would say I have accomplished a lot. When you look back from where I came from. I came from the cotton field, from a farm, picking cotton, harvesting tobacco, and whatever else we grew and from there I went on to working in a hospital kitchen. From there I filed clerk for a company and finally became an accountant for a company at that company.

Ashley: Now, what about African American as a society. What do you feel like we’ve accomplished?

Lucilla: Well, we have accomplished a lot of stuff. I feel we’re able to vote and we’re able to voice our opinion about different things. We have a black president. That’s a great improvement right there. When you think about years ago I never thought I would live to see a black president of the United States?

Ashley: Do you think racism is over?

Lucilla: Well, it depends. There’s all types of racism I believe. ‘Uhh discrimination, it’s all types so my belief there will always going to be some type.

Ashley: No, can you tell about an experience you had, if any where you were discriminated because of your race?

Lucilla: Well, I have… like I said before when I went into a resturant, sat down, and they wouldn’t serve us because of the race. They walked by and acted like we didn’t exist and we were told to just ignore it and just weren’t served.

Ashley: Okay, last question to wrap things up. Did you ever see yourself here today?

Lucilla: As a young girl growing up in the South, no. I thought sure we would have been… no, I just didn’t see myself here today.

Ashley: And why is that?

Lucilla: Because of the way of life back then in the 50’s and 60’s.

Ashley: So, what did you think was gonna happen? Like, where did you see yourself?

Lucilla: That I never pictured myself anywhere. I don’t know. Wait a minute. I didn’t see myself here today because I just thought that. Oh my God… I don’t know Ashley.

Ashley: Well, when you say you no, is there a particular reason why you say no? Or you just thought you wouldn’t make it past everything that was going on?

Lucilla: Everything that was going on and the way… it was just so much going on back then. you just didn’t see yourself making. Some people didn’t see himself making it and I was one of them.

Ashley: Okay, well that’s all for today. Thank you for your time.

Lucilla: Your welcome. I hope I’ve been some help.