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  *SAMPLE* Oral History - M. Roy

Posted by Matthew Roy in African American History - Roy - A on
Below is a sample of the post that you should create for your oral history interview. It should be divided into the abstract, research (with sources), and the transcript. All of these portions will be put in the "Write Text" portion of the post. I suggest that you type up everything in a Google Doc first and then copy/paste it here in the event that there is a problem saving the post. Your audio file should be uploaded through the "Upload Media" tab. If you encounter any problems, see me ASAP to resolve them.

The example below comes from an oral history found at:

http://dc.lib.unc.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/sohp/id/13824/rec/1

Abstract

In this interview, Floyd Alston and his mother, Ethel Thorpe Alston, remember their lives in Granville County, North Carolina. Floyd and Ethel trace their family lines, some of which lead to slaves, others to sharecroppers, some to brothers and sisters who died, still others to factory workers. This interview offers more information on the Alston and Thorpe families than it does about African Americans’ lives in the rural South generally, but it does offer some revealing insights into racial identity and the struggles of post-emancipation African Americans to find economic and social security.


​Research

After the end of slavery, many African Americans were drawn into sharecropping. Without land of their own, former slaves raised crops on land owned by whites in exchange for a share of the profits. Sharecroppers generally purchased all of their supplies on credit from the landowner and usually found themselves still in debt once the crops were sold. “As that deficit grew, he [the sharecropper] found it impossible to escape from his situation by legal means.” Sharecroppers often ate a poor diet, suffered ill health, and lacked the freedom to choose a new path for themselves. In the interview, Floyd Alston references his grandfather’s experiences with sharecropping. Somewhat unusually, Alston’s grandfather did not come to this practice after emancipation. Rather, he was born in New York and moved to the South later. He managed to leave sharecropping by getting work in a mill.

Sources

  • http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/brown/sharecropping.htm
  • http://www.pbs.org/tpt/slavery-by-another-name/themes/sharecropping/
  • http://digital.library.okstate.edu/encyclopedia/entries/t/te009.html

Transcript

Interview with ETHEL THORPE ALSTON and FLOYD ALSTON, JR.

29 NOVEMBER 1995

JAMES EDDIE McCOY: The date is November the 29th, 1995. I’m visiting with Floyd Alston, Jr. His mother Mrs. Ethel Thorpe Alston. The address is 201 First Street. Mr. Floyd Alston's birthday is 6-15-1933. Age sixty two. Mrs. Ethel Thorpe Alston's birthday is April 29th, 1916. Mrs. Austin, what area that you growed up in?

ETA: Well, uh, we were raised up most around in the county.

EM: But when you was a kid, you came up in Tar River Station? 

ETA: No, that's when.........????????? Uh, two years, or three years, you know people you used to farm one year and move to another farm. 

EM: Were your parents sharecroppers?

ETA: Uh-huh. 

EM: What was your daddy's name?

ETA: Ather Thorpe 

EM: What? 

ETA: Ather. 

EM: Ather. 

ETA: Ather Thorpe. 

EM: Ather Thorpe. Where did he come from?

ETA: He must have come back.........??????????????? 

EM: What about your mother's name, what was her name? 

ETA: Pearl Thorpe 

EM: What was her name before she was a Thorpe?


oral history sample post

Benchmark

Posted by Imani Washington in African American History - Roy - A on

Abstract


My grandmother Cynthia Washington reflects on how it was to be African American during the Civil Rights Movement time period. She shared her knowledge and outlooks on topics pertaining to discrimination against blacks and her outlook on race and how it ties into society. She begins the conversation talking about how she attended a segregated school and then later moves into her perception of race and events/ things that were occurring when the Civil Rights movement took place. She wraps up the interview with her thoughts on what was going on in the schools at the time and how whites were offered a much better education than blacks were.


Research

Topic: How was the education offered to blacks during the Civil Rights Movement different than the education that was offered to the whites?


In most places the blacks lived in some of the poorest places and neighborhoods with some of the worst schools/ facilities. The teachers had the worst paid jobs so therefore they couldn’t afford some of the common schools/ facilities.

That they did was symbolic that they had the worst paid jobs that could only afford the most basic of facilities. The worst financed schools were most of the ones that were separated. Meaning they were segregated. This information can tie into what my grandmother told me in the interview because she said the schools didn’t have a lot of money and most times they didn’t have enough supplies to educate the students at all times.  


http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/civil_rights_education.htm




I didn't get to have a face to face conversation with my interviewee so I don't have an audio file. I did however have a phone interview with my person and wrote down their answers to my questions.

Conversation

ME- Hi grandma, how are you doing today?

GRANDMA- I'm doing good Imani, how about you?

ME- I'm fine, I called to see if you could answer some questions about life during the Civil rights Movement time.

GRANDMA- Sure, I'll answer some questions.

ME- Ok I have 10 questions for you

GRANDMA- Ok

ME- Did you attend a segregated school?

GRANDMA- Yes

ME- Did you ever get attacked by a group of white people? Either by their words or violent actions?

GRANDMA- I had never gotten physically attacked by any whites but every now and then there  would be whites that would say rude racial slurs and remarks to me

ME- How has your perception of race changed from then and now?

GRANDMA- I see race in a way different limelight then I did back then. Back then I didn't feel that race was a good things. Simply because of the fact that me and my people were getting discriminated against. I didn't feel like whites and blacks were equal in anyway. A lot of things were unfair to me. A lot of things also didn't sit right with me. Now we're in a whole nother day in age where these aren't the circumstances anymore. I feel the exact opposite on how I felt before.

ME- What specific things do you remember from when the Civil Rights Movement took place?

GRANDMA- There was a lot of protesting going on and a lot of violent outbreaks.

ME- How do you see the role of race in society?

GRANDMA- I feel and think that race plays a huge role in society. For example believe it or not sometimes race can play into what kind of a job you can get how much money people decide you earn etc.

ME- Did you feel like a minority during these times?

GRANDMA- Yes i did, like I stated before I just felt like a lot of things were unfair.

ME- Did you ever feel like you weren't safe since whites were so prejudice against blacks?

GRANDMA- At times I would feel unsafe especially because of the things you would see on tv and in the newspapers about violence going on in other places.

ME- What were some things you observed pertaining to discrimination?

GRANDMA- I would see and hear whites making racial comments and other offensive things to blacks.

ME- What took place/ what was going on in schools during these times?

GRANDMA- In the black schools a lot of changes were taking place. We didn't have everything that we needed at all times to be educated properly. Such as the school not having enough supplies and books for kids... etc

ME- Did you feel like you got the same education that whites had/ were offered. Why or why not?

GRANDMA- No because we didn't have as  good of a quality education that they were offered. Like I said before sometimes we didn't even have enough materials for everybody to learn.


Benchmark

Posted by Autumn Green in African American History - Roy - A on

Design For the design part of the project i will interview my grandfather Rev. Clearance Green. I will be interviewing him at my house, on the date i’m not sure about that yet because my grandfather is a busy person . First want to ask when and where he was born and his experience as a child and what was going on around that time.? I want to ask about how hard it was living in the jim crow era?. Did he ever come in contact with a essuie with a white person?. Did you meet civil right leaders like MLK? Did you march with blacks? Did you move north during the great migration? What was it like growing up in the south? How did the jim crow laws/era affect the way you lived, growing up? Have you ever marched or boycotted anything? Application Autumn Green interviewer/ Clarence Green interviewee AG: What is your full name? CG: My full name is Clarence Green AG: When were you born? CG: I was born July 9 1938 AG: Birth place? CG: West Columbia, South Carolina AG: What was it like growing up in the south? CG: It was an unusual experience, umm you faced with a lot of bigotry. Lived in a segregated umm place, and umm it was something that we lived through. You know that it was an experienced that by the help of God, i was able to live through. Umm South Carolina was a southern state and most segregation was in southern states, umm well. Inspite of that i was able to obtain an education. Because i wanted to finish high school. AG: Okay my next question is, if so did the jim crow era or laws affect the way you lived and growing up? CG: Yes they did, they AG: Details CG: In what way, you was restricted of going to certain places, and even the schools were inadequate. They was ah, even though they came out with rode and brown and segregation were equal but it still wasn’t equal because the schools that we attend was inadequate. But because of the dedication of teachers and with the desire to learn we were able to overcome that. AG: Next question!. What was it like going to school? CG: Well me first six years the school contained one building. One house. And in that school the grade ran from one to six. First row was the 1st grade, second row was 2nd grade, third row was the 3rd grade, up to the 6th grade. The teacher would start at she would teach the the 1st grade grade which was the first row, then after she was done teaching that lesson for the first graders she would move one step back to the second row to the 2nd graders and all they way back to the 6th grade. AG: So did it in section , so it was a lot of pressure for the teacher? CG: Yeah it was pressure but it was dedicated pressure. It was pressure that she knew of jim crow, she knew her desire, she knew that we as students will be able to make it. She had to do her part of making sure that we learned. Audio https://docs.google.com/a/slabeeber.org/file/d/0By1dFC-uKL1HR2RNUUF0bllxZFltQmNGUldKNE1BSmwyMGhn/edit This took place at my grandfather house on May 18th, 2014 at 5:43 in the evening. Knowledge The most significant aspects of our conversation was to me mostly everything, because this was a person who live through most of his life. When you get the chance to make history within the population of blacks in the south to have equal rights. From boycotts to marches and getting the chance to meet Dr. King and walk with him and just because he had obstacles he overcame them and had a dream and made it come true. Process Presentation

Oral History- Dior Thompson

Posted by Dior Thompson in African American History - Roy - A on

rec_420s

Abstract:

Dior Thompson interviews her Great Grandmother (84 year old, Earlene McCullough nee Beft) on how her life was growing up in time where segregation was prominent. Dior touches basis on where her family was born, what personal experiences she was exposed to, and the types of different radio stations that blacks and whites listened to separately. They talked about what it was like living in a time when Martin Luther king was alive, and what type of changes started to come about and her families part in the Great Migration. Earlene being the youngest of 8 never really experienced as much hate geared towards her like her other family did. * She will refer to her as Nana, at times during the interview” *


Research:

The great migration is the movement of large amounts of blacks (about 6 million) moving to the northestates. The majority of blacks moved to major northern cities like Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh and New York. Although by the end of World War 2, many of them moved to the West.

The economy was one of the reasons why blacks wanting to move. Since being freed from slavery, southerners had only few job choices.Many in order to provide were forced to turn to sharecropping, tenant farming or becoming a farm laborer. Shortage of jobs was a big issue in the South, so most just up and left. Another was the harsh laws against them. *The dates vary but some say the great migration started in 1915 or 16. Other sources say it started in 1900.*


Sources:

http://www.blackpast.org/aah/great-migration-1915-1960

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow/stories_events_migration.html

http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/great-migration








DT: "This is Dior Thompson & a Mrs.Earlene McCullough , who is 84 years old. It is 6:07 May 23rd"

DT: Nana?

EM: Yes?

DT: where were you born?

EM: Here, In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

DT: Okay and where was your mother's family born?

EM: My mother's was born in Wilmington, North Carolina.

DT: And where was your father's born ?

EM: In Goldsboro, North Carolina.

DT: When you were younger did you experience any type of segregation?

EM:Yes

DT: can you give me example?

EM:Once I visited my aunt in Coatesville, and as I was walking down Main Street, a person called me thee "N- Word"

DT: Was your family apart of the great migration living in North Carolina?

EM:was my family what?

DT: part of the great migration

EM: I guess so, I'm the youngest of eight Dior, So they did migrate from North Carolina into Philadelphia Pennsylvania , But I was born here

DT: where there any casualties in your family around that time?

EM: Any what?

DT: Casualties, like deaths?

EM:  Any tragic things?

DT: Yes

EM: Not that I remember. As, I said I was born here the others were born in North Carolina.

DT: Did they tell you of any things that happened to them? Can you tell me some of the things that happened to them?

EM: They did say that they had experienced some segregation, of course everybody did. At that particular time, that's why neighbor migrating up North for betterment.

DT:  were you ever directly involved in any raids or marches?

EM: No, it didn't happen?

DT: I know that the new Negro Network was established, it was like radio stations and stuff. Did you listen to segregated radio stations? Do you remember the names of any?

The same radio stations we always had were "KYW" I would say that one.

DT: Where did you live? What was your childhood like? Were you wealthy, well off? Did you live in an low income family?

EM: I didn't experience anything because, since I was the youngest, my family always found a way to provide for me okay. I was thee 8th child.

DT: when you were younger growing up, did you have any friends that were from a different race than you? Did you ever get that chance to have friends at a young age who were of a different race?

EM: When I was coming up, no, basically all my friends were all people of color.

DT: What was it like to live during the time of Martin Luther King?

EM:  I would say I had a pretty good life you know things were changing at that particular time. the change was coming at that particular time when Dr King born.

DT:  were you surprised when he was assassinated?

EM: I certainly was

DT: did you ever feel as if you would  live to see the first African American president?

EM: ..?

DT: Did you ever believe that you'd be able to see an African american president come into office?

EM: I guess yeah because that would be, I didn't know when but I'm sure that it was going to happen but I didn't know when of course.

DT:  did your mother or father ever tell you what their childhood was like?

EM: yes

DT: can you explain to me please?

EM:  my mother and my father live in the city of Wilmington North Carolina, in a house that they had there. Where they raised my siblings.  which was my other 7 sisters and brothers.  my father always worked , and my mother was always a domesticate. Domesticate , which meant she always stayed home and raised us children.

DT:  what is the  saddest event that you remember from that time?

* Tape Ends*




Oral History

Posted by Tiffany Irick in African American History - Roy - A on

​

Abstract

Hello, This is Tiffany Irick . Today, I will be providing you full audio by Myself interviewing Rite Brunton. This Audio is for a 4th quarter project Oral History. The question asked are to be answered by the interviewee to re-cap on any memories about the civil rights movement times. I had interview Rita in Her home. We figured it would be best. As our interviewee answers these questions she thinks about the things the african americans had to go through. Hope you enjoy the audio for the Oral history Project. She talked about the things that went on in her life as a young girl. She provided bits of information that she remembered.

Research-

My interviewee had said a couple of this that caught my eyes. One things she had said went something like this “ ….we played baseball with hispanics.” At that moment I looked back and wanted to research things about hispanics being around or in company with the blacks. So on the http://www.tolerance.org/latino-civil-rights-timeline link 1953 During "Operation Wetback" from 1953 and 1958, the U.S. Immigration Service arrests and deports more than 3.8 million Latin Americans. Many U.S. citizens are deported unfairly, including political activist Luisa Moreno and other community leaders.

1954 Hernandez v. Texas is the first post-WWII Latino civil rights case heard and decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. The Hernandez decision strikes down discrimination based on class and ethnic distinctions.

I found out that In the civil rights movement there wasn't just black people involved, there were other races like the latios involved trying to get freedom. There are two happenings dated in the link .

Also in the audio interview Rita had said something about the marches in the civil rights movement. I decided to look up some more information about the marches held in america. http://mshistory.k12.ms.us/articles/62/the-civil-rights-movement-in-mississippi-on-violence-and-nonviolence in this link it had some distrubing things in the article writen. It talked about violence and racism. From there I realized that it wasn't just a march but it was a war basically.


Transcript-

TI- Today i will be doing a project on oral history and I wanted to ask you a couple of questions.


can i ask you what is your name and when and where were you born?


RB-MY name is Rita Bruton/ yuillei how do you spell that? Y-U-I-L-L-E-I I was born july the 5th 1948 and richmond virginia.


TI when growing up what were some things you couldn't do or what was something you could do.

-


RB-some things that i was not aloud to do was stay out late at night i would have to be in the house about 8 o'clock or on the steps.


okay umm


somethings i was aloud to do was like play baseball, kick ball


TI-did you play baseball with white kids?


RB-umm no it was like hispanic kids


TI-hispanic


TI-was you aloud to play baseball with white kids?


RB-Yes if there were any around


TI-and in your neighborhood were there any around?


RB-no there was no white kids in my neighborhood


TI-umm how did people act when they seen your skin color around


RB-umm are you talking about white people? Anybody pertaining to race.


RB-well there was no reaction but sometime when you would get on the bus there was white kids on there they would act like they didn’t want you to sit beside them and different things like that


TI-so did that ever happen to you?


RB-umm no not to me, not to me per say


TI-did any white kids act like they were frighten or feel like they were scared of you


RB-umm no


TI-did they speak to you?


RB-yeah


TI-when you was younger did you like your skin color?


RB-yes i loved my skin color


TI-do you like your skin color today?


RB-yes i do


TI-how do you feel about race back then


RB-i wasn’t a racist, race didn’t matter to me black, white purple green whatever you still is a human being to me


TI-what do you remember about the civil rights movements


RB-they were on march, they went on different marches and white people would throw stones and stuff at the people that was marching in the civil rights march


TI-were you involved


RB-no i was not


TI-was your parents involved?


RB-no not that i know of, no my parent wasn't


TI-how did your mother react towards race did she like black people or white people, my mother didn't act funny towards no other races, do you know any times she was involved in racism with racism from a white person


RB- no, no



TI-how was your education experience?

RB-compared to the education now mines was marvellous because they taught us much better we had more activities to do in school and everything


TI-and, and so how do you feel about the world today


RB-the world today is crazy .


TI-do you feel like they were more racist now or back then when you were younger


RB-they were more racist back then than now


TI-why would you say that


RB-what the worlds more crazy?


TI-no that they were more racist


RB-because the way they acted back then, black people had to sit in back of the bus and white people had to in the front of the bus, they didn't want black and whites together as girlfriends and boyfriends a lot of black kids weren't allowed to play with the white kids they couldn't go in the same store if they did they had to go through the back door. thats the reason why i say that


TI-right so when you heard those stories did you feel some type of way


RB-i felt sad , for the kids and other people that had to go through that but i didn't take it out on other people


TI-right. well that you for the interview, ah wait i wanted to ask you another question, how do you feel about martin luther king and malcolm x.


RB-well i really didn't get into so much about malcolm x but martin luther king i felt as though he was a great man a great person because he tried to help everyone white,black whatever color he had not racism in him i think he was a great man


TI-so did your mother meet martin luther king,


RB-no not that i know of,


TI- right, okay thank you for the interview


Audio- here is my audio link , It wouldnt let me post to the media files it said there was a error abroad. https://slabeeber.instructure.com/courses/341/assignments/9453/submissions/827?preview=1&rand=203257#

Oral History: Dashawn M. Inniss

Posted by Dashawn McIntosh-Inniss in African American History - Roy - A on

Abstract:

The women that Dashawn Inniss interviewed was his second cousin’s wife. Dashawn asked her around 12 question about her point of view during the Civil Right Movement and this is a short summary of what she stated. Coney McIntosh was born in Philadelphia and is currently 55 year old. She have many experiences in life because of the actions of segregation that affects many people in that time even though she was 7 at the time. Her parents were hard workers, her mother worked while her father tried to help with the movement by working with Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, and even the black panthers. The actions of her father cause her to be taken and placed in foster care from the age of 5 to 13. Being taken away made her both stronger and angry at the world for putting her through this mess. He moved from foster care to foster care until she was placed in this one household that treated and cared for her like their own child even though they were white and she was black. Over the years she kept pushing forward even though many others cursed her for her skin color, but she didn't care. Education was hard to get,but she got hers; because she kept fighting. Coney is a proud black woman that is proud of the changes such as being able to vote, share restaurants, and so on. She is also proud and happy for all the people that fought for her freedom such as Rosa Park, Eli Whitney, and many other people. Nevertheless, her mother and great grand mother were born in the South but migrated to the North. Her great grandmother was a slave, and her mother believed that Philadelphia is a better place to live. Coney hard a long hard life but believe it was all worth it because it’s all better now; she have children, grandchildren, and a good job all because of determination and change.



Research:


During the interview with Coney, she mentioned that her father worked with Martin Luther King with the movement and was part of the Black Panthers as well. She said her father went out each day to help and stand up for minorities because they were afraid or wasn't able to do it themselves. Although her dad went out to fight she was placed in foster care for this; the government made excuses to take her away stating not because of her father which was a lie.

Based on history, the Black Panthers was believed to be a rebellion organization similar to the KKK except they stood for black people.I say this because they had no problem using violence to be heard, and because they believed that Dr. Kings nonviolence movement wouldn't work and would take too long so they had to put this situation in their own hand. The Black Panther Party was created for Self-Defense by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale to protect minority communities against the U.S. government. The BPP was inspired after the Black Power movement and U.S. politics. Black Panther Party became an icon of the counterculture of the 1960s. The Panthers had many interactions with to police/FBI such as protest, shootouts, and many other situations; now I understand why Coney had been taken away from her family based on her father's actions and involvement with the Black Panthers Party.

Coney’s Father was also involved with Martin Luther King’s movement. The movement was based on ensuring that the rights of all people are equally protected by the law, including the rights of minorities.This was created because the US was being hypocritical with it’s laws towards minorities. In order for their point to be heard and seen, thousands of people including Coney’s father marched, protest, and boycott for everyone in the US to be equal and live happily.



Sources


Black Panthers Party:




Martin Luther King:




Transcript


Interview with Coney McIntosh

May 17, 2014



Dashawn: Today is May 17, 2014, and I’m interviewing.


Coney: Coney McIntosh.


Dashawn: My cousin, and were checking out her point of view of how the, of how she survived through the civil rights movement. Now my first question was, well my first question is when were you born?


Coney: April 1959.


Dashawn: And how old are you now?


Coney: 55


Dashawn: Okay, so uh where were you born?


Coney: Philadelphia.


Dashawn: Uh how was life growing up with racism in the civil rights movement?


Coney: Well during the civil rights movement when uh the movement was really going on when I was only the age of 7 when this was happening, so I did live through it and umm my father marched with them uh to help with the movement


Dashawn: Okay, so you said your father helped with the movement, how did he help and what about your mother?


Coney: My mother worked.


Dashawn: Okay


Coney: My father marched, and he marched with Dr. martin Luther King, he marched with the movement, Malcolm x and so forth.


Dashawn: Was your father in any, like group activities through this. Well you said he marched with Malcolm x and?


Coney: He did a lot of protesting of uh racism. Right he was in the black panthers, he did a lot of marching umm against racism, voting rights, and for non discrimination. for different race color and origins.


Dashawn: Alright, so you said your father was part of it, was you ever involved with the civil rights, movement?


Coney: Just a child of it.


Dashawn: Okay so umm, basically from your past would you change anything that dealt with the civil rights movement if you were ever involved; like would you ever change anything?


Coney: No, not really I think the civil rights movement was a good thing most of it was non violence there was a little violence during that time but not a lot.


Dashawn: Okay uh, because your african american were you treated differently it talked about?


Coney: Yes, most of the time. Named like pick-a-nanny and different things. Uhh I was removed from the home because you know they said my parents didn't make enough money; it was different things going on in my life that affected my life as a child uh. In that movement.


Dashawn: So you became a foster child basically.


Coney: Yes I did.


Dashawn: Okay uh it. Your african american would you ever change your skin color for anything or  are you proud to be african american?



Coney: I'm proud to being african american or whoever I am.


Dashawn: Okay, uh you said you were discriminates so were you discriminated in school or work or anywhere else?


Coney: Oh yeah in school, uh, a lot of time we weren't aloud to sit with the Caucasian children, uh at work. I did private care so a lot of them were uh what you call, stuck in their ways uh, the Caucasian and I've been call names like big fat black B*****. And bastards uh, an unlimited amount of names that were discriminated


Dashawn: Okay, I want to go back to the question I mean the statement when you said that you were a foster child. Did you ever at any time go back to your foster care the foster parents or did you enjoy becoming, I meant well did they treat you right as a foster child?


Coney: Well I was in many of them, uh there was only one couple and believe it or not the were Caucasian that cared for me the best, but when I went back to find them I couldn't find them anymore


Dashawn: okay, it’s at least good that you tried to go back and find them that's very interesting. umm how was things with racism change over time well how did racism change over time?


Coney: oh it changed a lot we can vote we can work freely, your life is not dictated, you can share restaurants, there's a lot of things you can do now that you couldn't do now that you efficiently couldn't do. look at the interracial couples you could not do that at all umm


Dashawn: how as education and yeah?


Coney: how was education during the movement?


Dashawn: for african americans


Coney: they didn't want you to learn, but our parents were pretty smart so if you didn’t learn at school you learned at home.


Dashawn: okay, yeah, or did you learn based on the surrounding like?


Coney: Oh yeah, we were taught a lot about the uhh movement civil right movement and that's one thing they don’t do a lot in school now but uh we had black history and we were taught a whole lot it was many different african americans that made life better for example, Rosa Park Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Eli Whitney, all of them has contributed to the black race and how we live now.


Dashawn: uh did you have any uh like family member that uh before you like, are your family members born and lived in Philadelphia or did they ever live some place else?


Coney: No, my grandma was born in Mississippi and he mother was a slave.


Dashawn: So ya’ll migrated from Mississippi to Philadelphia and that's where.


Coney: From Mississippi, from Georgia, uhh Virginia


Dashawn: So y'all moved from the south over to the east to Philadelphia.


Coney: Some of them, some of my grandmother's sisters and brothers there was 9 of them so I think 6 of them came to umm different parts like New York, Philadelphia, jersey, yeah they did come from south and moved north.


Dashawn: okay uh, do you believe that life living in the US is easier now or similar or different from?


Coney: It’s a lot easier there trying to change it you know uh its all politics but life is a lot easier than it was then.


Dashawn: So uh do you have any like concern about uh how things are going to turn out like do you think racism will ever come back or how things were in the past?


Coney: Not if our young african believe in what they can achieve and keep their heads up they can make it


Dashawn: So you had a long life, a long.


Coney: A long hard life for a long time  my children young and I’m only 55, I’m a grandmother of 24 but umm my life is better a whole lot better foster care makes you umm, I don't know I was a little angry because I wanted to know my family and I was late learning who my family was but by then I was raising my own self.


Dashawn: So how long were you in foster care?


Coney: oh wow, I was in foster care since the age of about 5 until I was about 13 but before that my godparents was trying to raise me because they wanted to remove me from the house. so the god parents stepped in.


Dashawn: it was, it was good to see your point of view and how you went through the civil rights and how it was in your eyes, umm thank you for letting me interview you today and hopefully we just keep looking forward and well not forget about the past but like learn from the past basically.


Coney: exactly, and I want to thank you for choosing me to be the one to give you my point of view I how it helps


Dashawn: as long as I get an A in this class, ha ha . alright have a good day


Coney: You too.


Dashawn: Alright thank you.
RECORDING 2014.04.17 22-16

Oral History- Jason Perez

Posted by Jason Perez in African American History - Roy - A on

​

Abstract

Me, Jason Perez interviewer's my grandmother Candice on racial discrimination, the civil rights movement, race and racism of course, and the role race plays in our old and new society.

While you are listening to the interview and reading the transcription. You will find out and realize some good points made and well answered questions along with well asked questions. Basically what me and my interviewee talked about was racial discrimination and how has people’s view on race has changed and also the role race has played over the course of the last 50-60 years. I asked my interviewee questions like “has she ever faced or overcome racial discrimination, has her view on race changed and how race and racism affects or old and new society.” She answered the questions very well telling me things like “she has never faced or overcome racial discrimination, how she thinks that we all have come a long way with being racist and racism, even though we are not 100% and how racism and race still plays a big role in our society.” We mainly focused on discrimination and racism itself.


Research Portion

One topic i picked from the interview was when me and my interviewee talked about life after the civil rights movement. Now my interviewee did not remember too much about life after the civil rights movement mainly because she was only 11. But since i did not receive much information on that question i asked that’s why i decided to pick this topic and research it. Now according to the link http://www.usm.edu/crdp/html/cd/impact.htm after reading it, it basically says that the civil rights movement in missisipi had it’s good causes and it’s bad effects. How many people have lost their lives, homes, family and jobs but now no longer were blacks denied the right to vote, to eat, shop, and swim where they pleased, and more importantly, to attend integrated schools. It also mentions other things like how African American Charles Young, elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives in 1978, is a former civil rights activist and how Mrs. Julia Holmes, one of the Meridian activists, thought that the movement brought a number of positive changes to Mississippi and american more then bad.

  • I used other links like http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h2876.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post%E2%80%93Civil_Rights_era_in_African-American_history but the fir

    Transcription

    Jason: hello, good afternoon, beautiful outside, how are you feeling today


    Grandma-im fine how are you


    Jason-im doing good, thank you for asking


    Grandma-you're welcome


    Jason-let’s talk about what we came here to discuss


    Grandma-what kind of questions do you have for me today


    Jason-i would just like to talk about racial discrimination and your view on race itself. we are just going to talk about on your perspective on things overall


    Grandma-okay let’s start!


    Jason-first question. what kind of experiences did you have with racial discrimination


    Grandma-well i really don’t remember too much of going through anything personally.  the only thing i remember when i was middle school i attended a school that was located in a predominantly white neighborhood. which is now known as fishtown. i remember we had to walk to the 15th trolley stop on east girard avenue. there would be teachers standing at the stop to make sure that we would get on the trolley safely.


    Jason-why would the teachers wait for you to get on safely?


    Grandma-because the majority of the kids that went to the school were puerto rican and african american. Being that we were in a white neighborhood the faculty wanted to assure our safety from the neighborhood kids.


    Jason-what do you think would have happen to you guys if there were no supervision from adults to assure your safety.


    Grandma-the neighborhood kids would have probably jumped us and chase us all the way until we passed to the west side of girard avenue.



    Jason-Okay. So what do you remember about the iconic members of the “Civil Rights Movement”. For instance, people like martin luther king, rosa parks, and malcolm x.


    Grandma-I don't remember much about rosa parks. only what i learned in school. i remember that i was only six when she was arrested. but back then i never understood what he meaning of that was and why was it a big deal. I remember Martin Luther King. With civil rights and his walks and marches for civil rights and freedom. i remember he was a vocal point in the news media. I knew martin luther king was as big as life back then and was one of the most important people in america during that time.


    Jason- That was a very good explanation


    Grandma- Thank you


    Jason- In your personal opinion how do you believe people’s view on race has changed.


    Grandma- Well it’s been a struggle there are still narrow minded people have come a long way in becoming more diverse i still think there are still problems with racism in our society. But not as intense as it was back in the 60’d and 70’s.


    Jason- You talked about how race has changed in a positive way but it’s not 100%. So what role does race play in our society TODAY?


    Grandma- Well like i said it’s not 100%. Today i believe now the minorities have more opportunities. Mainly because of our iconic members of the  civil rights movements. It is what they fought for. I think there is still racism and always will be.


    Jason- Do you believe we are discriminated today?


    Grandma- My personal opinion in the work world, discrimination isn’t what it used to be. but in people in general. i do think that there will always be discrimination. Mainly because of their beliefs. I think it’s still.


    Jason- I  have never overcome or come across racial discrimination. Have you.


    Grandma- No. Not really. I honestly can’t say. As a child i was sheltered. My parents kept me inside. My parents kept me inside because of these reasons. Because of segregation and racial discrimination. I was sheltered. Although slavery was not nearly as much bad here as much as it was down the south. There was racism and discrimination though.


    Jason- Have people ever been racist to you?


    Grandma- No. I’ve never been discriminated against or called names or anything.


    Jason- Have you ever been a racist


    Grandma- No. I would never.


    Jason- Since you live almost 13 years during the civil rights movement. How were things when the civil rights movement ended in 1960?


    Grandma- Well i was only 12. As i have stated i knew what was going on but i was still a little too young to understand or comprehend. I only remembered big things like my own personal experiences. I've never been discriminated against.


    Jason- So you don’t remember anything?


    Grandma- Well remember everything i talked about. Jobs were easier to get, education was better im guessing. From my personal experience it was the same. But there was still racial discrimination and segregation and racism of course. It just wasn’t as bad before the 60’s. Even though we are still racist today it is definitely not as bad as it was back in the 60’s and before then.


    Jason-Have your relatives ever come over racial discrimination?


    Grandma-My sister has. Her husband is african american. They were leaving north philadelphia to live in northeast philadelphia. they were having problems because they were an interracial couple. All of his offers were being declined so he wounded up paying their offer because they wouldn’t let him bargain for anything.


    Jason- Thank you for your time ma’am i really appreciate you taking time out of your day to let me interview you.


    Grandma- You're very much welcome.


    Jason- You're welcome. Have a nice day.


    Grandma- You too.    st link i liked the most and answered my questions and gave me the most information.

Interview 

-Just copy and paste the link to listen.
  • file:///home/chronos/user/Downloads/Interview%20Recording.m4a

Oral History

Posted by Ileka Barker in African American History - Roy - A on

​

Abstract: Ileka Barker interviews her grandmother Betty Jane on the civil rights movement and life around that time. She explained the things she had to deal with in her every day life and how we are lucky that the world has shaped into how it is now, also she talked about Martin Luther during that time period. She was born in 1955 and around that time she was still in her teens. She said she did not experience anything, no one every targeted her or came at her in a negative way.


Research: Martin Luther King was born January 15 1929.As we know Martin had a long history of doing things for his community, later in 1955 he accepted to be the first leader of the negro nonviolent demonstration of contemporary times in the United states.After that he became like the national peace sign everyone came to him and believed in him as hope. He made a huge difference.


Link:

http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.html


Transcript interviewing Betty Jane


IB: Hi my name is Ileka Barker and I’m interviewing my grandmom todays date is may 18, 2014 and its 4:08 pm, I'm going to be interviewing my grandma about the civil rights movement and how it impacted her

BJ: Hello

IB: Hey ma ma

BJ: Hold on a minute sweetheart.

IB: Okay

BJ: hello

IB: Hey how are you ?

BJ: I’m good dear, how are you ?

IB: Yeah, I’m good, can I ask you some questions about the civil rights movement ?

BJ: Yeah I hope I can answer them sweety, wassup ?

IB: How old were you when the civil rights movement started ?

BJ: How old was I when the civil rights movement started.

IB: Yeah

BJ: umm, I was around 10 years old

IB: oh okay, so how was life around the time.

BJ: Life around that time well, umm. How can I say this we didnt have alot.

IB: Mhm

BJ: umm, my mom worked and everything ya know and like if she cooked you know umm. Like say for instance if we happened to have pork chops

IB: mhmm

BJ: If we were lucky enough to have pork chops it was one for everyone one of us that might have been in the house and we had to eat, things were lean, you know it was hard times.

IB: Yeah

BJ: It was hard times we didn’t have a whole lot of stuff you know, it’s almost like kind of now for a lot of people who is struggling, you know black people struggle.

IB: mhm

BJ: Black people struggle you know and if you, it was just rough.

IB: Did you, were you targeted, did people target you ?

BJ: Was I targeted ?

IB: Yeah, since you were so young ? You could see a lot of racism

BJ: No,no,no,no I never got targeted when I was young, no

IB: Okay

BJ: No I didn't get targeted, now I can say that about my mom, my mom was born in alabama and she came up here when she was a teenager but I don't remember anybody in my family ever saying they were targeted or anything. But umm when I was a little girl, you know.

IB: Mhm

BJ: My dad, I know I heard, you had to ride on the trolley cars.

IB: That’s when your mom was young ?BJ: Yeah we couldn't go, I was born but I was still little. You know certain neighborhoods couldn't go into the…

IB: Oh really ?

BJ: Like near Girard avenue they had like white, wherever it was white folks at they didn't want us blacks folks to be at.

IB: Yeah

BJ: You know stuff like that, Have you ever seen Documentaries on the Civil rights movement ?

IB: Yeah we’ve been watching alot in class recently

BJ: Well it was like that

IB: Oh wow

BJ: yeah it was like that, you know how and a lot of times I had holes in my shoes, cardboard in my shoes

IB: How was like school around that time

BJ: Well from what I can remeber you know school was okay and when I first started there was some white people in my school but I always remembered when I stopped seeing them because that was elementary school.

IB: Oh so they weren't there in like middle school and stuff

BJ: I hadn't seen any, I've got to look on my graduation picture from junior high school, I don't think it was no white kids in my class.

IB: Oh

BJ: I dont remeber no white kids being in my class in junior high but I don't remember any white kids being in my class in elementary and kindergarten and first grade because I went to, I don’t remember no white kids being in my classes.

IB: Oh really

BJ: It was so long ago, what you see in those documentaries it’s pretty much like that.

IB: Oh thats crazy.

BJ: I had grandparents who had a club and they made money like that and it seemed like it was the elderly people who had their own homes and stuff like that. My uncle worked for what is called septa now It used to be called the ttc back during the civil rights movement

IB: So like how much has the world changed since then ?

BJ: Huh ?

IB: How much has the world changed since then ?

BJ: It has changed an awful lot except for maybe like a lot of us are still disenfranchised

IB: Yeah

BJ: LIke it seems like sense are president has got elected it seems like racism has raise over head again. You know what I’m saying ?

IB: Yeah

BJ: Now I had people that have acted nasty towards me in stores you know the different lines in the late 70s early 80s and the civil rights movement was over with. You know Martin luther king had died.

IB: Wait so you was

BJ: They don’ t wanna wait on you or something, you know what I’m saying.

IB: Yeah, did you like ever meet him

BJ: Noo, uh uh

IB: He was alive during the time right.

BJ: He was alive, ya.

IB: ohh

BJ: I think he was assassinated in 68 I think

IB: ohh

BJ: I think he did I have to google it

IB: Okay, thank you mama for the answers.

BJ: You know when they bombed the church with the girls in it.

IB: Oh yeah, how old were you around that time ?

BJ: And, wait a minute that was around in early 60s .











Oral history interview (1) (1)

Oral History- H.Tapia

Posted by Hector Tapia in African American History - Roy - A on

In this video Hector Tapia is interviewing three people, James Cush, Dennis Gruer, and Alexander Henderson, on 10 questions that are related to the civil rights movement. Alexander Henderson brings up what Dr. Martin Luther King jr. did in the civil rights movement, and racial profiling in his interview. All three of them also say that they have felt like their rights have been violated by the government. Two of them said it was because of the police, and one of them said it was because of the army.

Dr Martin Luther King jr. was one of the most recognizable civil rights leaders. He was the main civil rights movement leader. The movement was a success, it led to the civil rights act of 1964. On February 26, 2012 Trayvon Martin was murdered by a Hispanic male, George Zimmerman. The reason that happened wa because of racial profiling.

Sources:
http://www.crf-usa.org/black-history-month/the-civil-rights-act-of-1964
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Trayvon_Martin

May 17, 2014

Transcript:

Hector- Hi, my name is Hector Tapia and this is my Civil rights movement project. I hope you enjoy.


Hector-What do you believe to be the difference between human and civil rights?


James- There is no difference, human beings require civil rights to exist in a society together.


Hector- So did ever feel that your rights have been violated?


James- Of course!


Hector- By who?


James- I’ve felt in the course of my life, of course my rights have been violated in a lot of type of ways. Being drafted to go to vietnam was one.


Hector- How do you remember the civil rights movement was it a positive or negative thing in your life?


James-It was a positive thing.


Hector- I am going to mention human and civil rights leaders, i’ll say them 2 at a time, and out of those 2 I want you to tell me which one affected you the most.


James-Ok


Hector- Martin Luther King .jr or Nelson Mandela


James- Nelson Mandela


Hector- Malcolm X or Gandhi


James- Gandhi


Hector- Rosa Parks or Barack Obama


James- Rosa Parks


Hector- What do you consider to be moral?


James- Anything that pertains to human behavior. When its the love its moral, when there is no love its immoral. You have a choice, its either one or zero.(soft laugh)


Hector- (soft laugh) Is it your responsibility to make sure that your neighbors rights are protected?


James-Yes


Hector- What do you think is most important to the nation, religion or politics?


James-It would be politics.


Hector- Why?


James-To have a society that functions; there is so many different religions it would be chaos if you try to run it with religion.


Hector- For the last question, if you had the opportunity to create or change a law what would it be?


James- I would probably want to create a law.


Hector- What would it be?


James- Everyone must love everyone.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hector- What do you believe to be the difference between human and civil rights?


Alexander- The way you treat one another, now your talking with somebody with sense. Go on, go on.


Hector-Did you ever feel that your rights have been violated?


Alexander- Yes!


Hector-By who?


Alexander- Police department!


Hector-How?


Alexander-Because the police profile black man, now I’m a gentlemen and a soldier and im a veteran.Put my hat on and I’m a respectable man who has never been in jail, put your hat on like this, (puts his hat to the side), the cops will stop you. I dont think its correct for your hat to be like that, but it doesn’t mean you did anything. Next question.


Hector-How do you remember the civil rights movement was it a positive or negative thing in your life?


Alexander- Positive thing, MLK initiated it other people started it but he was the founder of the civil rights movement.


Hector- I am going to mention human and civil rights leaders, i’ll say them 2 at a time, and out of those 2 I want you to tell me which one affected you the most.


Alexander -Alright, alright go ahead.


Hector- Martin Luther King .jr or Nelson Mandela


Alexander-(Silent for a moment) No comment, they were both equal.


Hector- Malcolm X or Gandhi


Alexander-(Again, silent for another moment) No comment.


Hector- Rosa Parks or Barack Obama


Alexander- Rosa Parks


Hector- What do you consider to be moral?


Alexander- Morality is ethic, sexual, no rapist, that is morality. Dont take advantage of nobody, and act like respected.


Hector- Is it your responsibility to make sure that your neighbors rights are protected?


Alexander-Absolutely correct.


Hector- What do you believe is most important to the nation, religion or politics?


Alexander- Religion!, politics is rubbish.


Hector- For the last question, if you had the opportunity to create or change a law what would it be?


Alexander- The democratic and republican parties would be one because they go against each other and that fucks up, excuse my language, the nation.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Hector- What do you believe to be the difference between human and civil rights?


Dennis- Well human and civil rights are basically the same thing, I mean pretty close. Civil rights is like when they have different senses for different nationalities. Like back when they changed the law for the blacks to have the right to vote, and stuff like that. Human rights is like when you just get treated like shit by your government.


Hector-Did you ever feel that your rights have been violated?


Dennis- Yes


Hector- By who?


Dennis- Policemen


Hector- What did they do?


Dennis- You see how my car is sitting right here, I pulled up one day and I got a ticket. You see how this corner right here, (he points at corner with stop sign), you know how you have to pull up in front of it to see. They acted like I ran a red light, they treated me like a criminal.


Hector-How do you remember the civil rights movement?


Dennis- I don't remember a lot of it because I was fairly young, but I remember MLK. I remember a lot of people who were involved in it.


Hector- I am going to mention human and civil rights leaders, i’ll say them 2 at a time, and out of those 2 I want you to tell me which one affected you the most.


Dennis- Alright


Hector- Martin Luther King .jr or Nelson Mandela


Dennis- I would say Nelson Mandela.


Hector- Malcolm X or Gandhi


Dennis- Malcolm X


Hector- Rosa Parks or Barack Obama


Dennis- Barack Obama


Hector-What do you consider to be moral?


Dennis- Everybodys morals are different, you know?


Hector- Well what do you consider it to be?

Dennis- People make moral decisions on more on how they were raised, some people werent raised on moral, its kind of hard to answer that question for me.


Hector- Is it your responsibility to make sure that your neighbors rights are protected?


Dennis- Its not my responsibility, but i think its our responsibility to make sure our rights are protected.


Hector- What do you think is most important to our nation, religion or politics?


Dennis- Religion


Hector- Why?


Dennis- Because think a lot of people dont have that structure, no background religious wise. I think if somebody believes in something they will be more capable of making right decisions.


Hector-And for the last question, if you had the opportunity to create or change a law what would it be?


Dennis- Uhh, now thats a good one,(laughs). You got me on that one, I dont know im going to have to pass on that one. There is so much stuff that I don't know what I would change or create.


My Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieaQ283cI2I&feature=youtu.be


Oral History- Goran Bernard

Posted by Goran Bernard in African American History - Roy - A on

Abstract

During this interview, I, Goran Bernard interview my next door neighbor, Vivian Black. Mrs. Black describes her experiences during the civil rights movement and the privileges she experienced in her career bases however, her husband was not as lucky as she was. She grew up in Washington D.C. but then, because of her many different jobs, she was forced to move to Philadelphia to continue. “I worked first in the Navy yard, Navy department, VA department, umm… what was the other one ?....ummm… VA department, and the Pentagon! “ She also explains the fact that her husband faced a lot of segregation in Philadelphia. He was forced in different parts of the buses, yet he fought for his rights and kept his head high to prove that blacks were the same as whites, they are humans and they deserved the same rights as whites. Vivian Black also expressed her admiration towards Martin Luther King Jr. and how she went to two of his marches back in 1963. She expresses the fact that people from all over the world came to see him present his speeches and that she was very close to him when he spoke.



Research

Vivian Black, the person I interviewed spoke of many different job careers she had during the Civil Rights Movement. She also spoke of a man who went by the name of Martin Luther King Jr as well as her husband who faced a lot of segregation, especially on the buses. Whites, during the 1950s forced blacks to go to the back of the bus. Martin Luther King, however organized a boycott that changed the course of history. Whites would always intimidate blacks to get a rise of them, however Martin Luther King told them not to fight back physically, Nonviolence is absolute commitment to the way of love. Love is not emotional bash; it is not empty sentimentalism. It is the active outpouring of one's whole being into the being of another.

--Martin Luther King, Jr., 1957 He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.

--Martin Luther King, Jr. And many obliged. Dr. King was a man of great determination, He organized marches to unite everyone into one big community. On November 13, the Supreme court ruled that the bus  segregation was illegal. This ensured a great victory for the boycott and an advancement in African American history. Dr. King was a man with great guidance, during the bloody sunday march “Dr. Martin Luther King turned the marchers back around to go back to the church”, two days after that march, Dr. King “led a "symbolic" march to the bridge.” a march into equality.

Sources:

http://www.lib.lsu.edu/hum/mlk/srs216.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selma_to_Montgomery_marches

http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/civilrights/al4.htm


Oral History

May 18, 2014

INTERVIEW WITH VIVIAN BLACK


GB: Where were you born?

GB: About the civil rights movement ?

VB: It wasn’t a movement, I was working in a segregated office in Washington DC, it was veteran’s administration. I grew up in my home in Washington DC I went to school in Washington DC, and I went to College in Howard University but I left because I wanted to go work (laughs) and got a job. During the summer they would hire students, from high school, different high schools to work for the Federal Government during the summer. We worked in the summer and went back to school in the Fall, so I was lucky enough to work during those summers and I worked first in the Navy yard, Navy department, VA department, umm… what was the other one ?....ummm… VA department, and the Pentagon! We get lost every day in the Pentagon, (laughs) because it was new to me, shaped like a pentagon, I’d get lost finding my office every morning, and the security, he wasn’t the security but the guard, he would show me where my office was every morning, (laughs), I was lost getting into the new building. But , before I came to Philadelphia, I worked for the Veteran’s administration. And I happened to come here because my job was transferred to the Philadelphia VA. I didn’t know anything about Philadelphia, during that time it was 1954! I did not know anything about Philadelphia, I would only come up to see the Lincoln games, I don’t know if that answers your questions
GB: That’s fine
VB: The Lincoln games and go back home on the bus. But I had a friend who introduced me to a friend here. Her friend whose aunt lived in Philadelphia, her aunt was a sister of a musician W.C. Handy (I don’t know if you have ever heard of him but he was great musician named W. C. Handy, and I stayed with his sister) her aunt. And that’s how I happened to come and with the work for the VA on the Wissahickon Avenue. That’s where I met my husband’s sister who worked at the VA, she introduced me to my husband. That was back in 1954-55.
GB: Well, hum, so, when you did come here, so there still was segregation and all that, so how did you deal with it?”
VB: the office I worked in and even in Washington, it wasn’t segregated. it was work with all nationalities at the VA. And worked together. There weren’t any problems at all.
GB: That’s pretty good, I mean during that time….
VB: Things were different, I heard Philadelphia was really segregated, back in the.. some time ago. My husband told me about things that happened in Philadelphia. But when I came it was everything.
GB: Do you remember anything he has faced ? your husband?
VB:”I’m sorry ?
Me: Do you remember anything your husband had faced during that time?
VB: Know he told me how the trolleys were segregated and they had to get forced I think it was to,I don’t know,  to… to board the buses, to make sure that everything was safe on the buses, I think it was that so to board the buses, ugh, ugh,the service man or something that board the buses to be sure that everything was safe, people riding the buses trolleys, if they weren’t trolleys,then they were buses, they weren’t trolleys… I don’t think they had any black people drove those buses, I think they were all white all that time, it wasn’t until later years that the segregation came about with Martin Luther King.
Do you remember any … ?!!
Martin Luther KIng, I went on both marches with him…. back in 63 and the one that came after that ten year later…
GB: You went on both marches??
VA: Yes!
GB: How were those?
VA: Okay! It was just, Oh, it was just wonderful, to see so many people to see so many from all over the world come for that march in DC, and I was lucky enough to sit right near where he was speaking, so I had an opportunity to almost look into his face, that’s how close I was, my husband and I , to watch him, to listen to his speeches, the other people who spoke…
That must have been quite an experience…
It’s something to remember and it was all because of him that things happened for our benefit. For All people, it wasn’t just working for us, for me, for anybody…
GA: Thank you.

Here is a VIDEO of W.C. HANDY:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGqBmlZR3dc



Oral History - Ashley Bailey

Posted by Ashley Bailey in African American History - Roy - A on

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



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.



1960_gmom_recording

AFAM-001

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2013-14

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