Everyday Life Under Segregation

Everyday Life Under Segregation: First-Person Narratives

Family, Neighborhood, and Community Life

1. Mary Colston: Family and Neighborhood Life in Segregated Washington, D.C. Mary Colston oral history | Mary Colston; interviewed by Marilyn Saks-McMillion | Ruth Ann Overbeck Capitol Hill History Project | May 7, 2002

Colston recalls raising a family in Washington, D.C., describing neighborhood relationships, shopping, churches, transportation, schools, and movie theaters. Her testimony explores both everyday life under segregation and the uneven transition to desegregation, including the persistence of familiar neighborhood institutions and social boundaries.

2. The Loving Arms of the Black Community The Loving Arms of the Black Community | Yemi Toure | American RadioWorks / American Public Media | Undated

Toure remembers growing up in South Carolina surrounded by the care of Black family members, neighbors, and teachers. His account emphasizes how communities created safety, affection, educational opportunity, and self-confidence within the restrictions of segregation.

3. Better, Not Bitter Better, Not Bitter | Ron Reaves | American RadioWorks / American Public Media | Undated

Reaves describes a father who worked multiple jobs, parents who encouraged reading, and family vacations complicated by discriminatory restaurants and lodging. His narrative connects everyday economic pressures with the determination to provide children with education, travel, and opportunities denied to earlier generations.

Schools, Books, and Educational Opportunity

4. Sue Russell: Leaving Home to Continue School Sue Russell interview recording | Sue Russell | Duke University Libraries, Behind the Veil | August 5, 1994

Russell recalls growing up in Milton, Florida, where racial exclusion required Black students to leave town to continue their education beyond sixth grade. Her oral history also covers college attendance, campus experiences, and professional ambitions, showing how segregation shaped the geography and expense of education.

5. Bridgeport Library Branch, Chicago, Illinois, Circa 1963 Bridgeport Library Branch, Chicago, IL, Circa 1963 | Kenneth M. Stone | American RadioWorks / American Public Media | Undated; recalls approximately 1963

Stone remembers visiting a library in a white Chicago neighborhood with two other Black boys because their local branch lacked needed books. White youths pursued them afterward. The account illustrates how intimidation enforced racial boundaries around ordinary educational activities outside the South.

Employment and Economic Discrimination

6. Cynthia Baker Anderson and Fletcher Anderson: Segregation and Employment in Bogalusa Cynthia Baker Anderson and Fletcher Anderson oral history interview | Cynthia Baker Anderson and Fletcher Anderson; interviewed by Joseph Mosnier | Library of Congress, Civil Rights History Project | May 27, 2011

The Andersons describe segregation and job discrimination in Bogalusa, Louisiana. Their recollections connect the daily realities of racial inequality with their decision to participate in the civil rights movement, providing a household perspective on the relationship between employment, community life, and activism.

7. Jim Crow in Philadelphia Jim Crow in Philadelphia | Nicholas Chacon | American RadioWorks / American Public Media | Undated

Chacon recalls being recommended for a store job and learning its duties before being told that the business did not employ Black workers. He later earned an academic award presented by the same businessman. The narrative documents employment discrimination and a young person's determination to challenge its assumptions.

Travel, Restaurants, and Public Facilities

8. Packing the Pee Can for the Road Trip Packing the Pee Can for the Road Trip | Jerry Hutchinson | American RadioWorks / American Public Media | Undated

Hutchinson remembers family journeys from Indiana to Tennessee with a coffee can packed for use as a toilet. Exclusion from restrooms and concern about safety limited where the family could stop. His account demonstrates how segregation shaped the practical preparations for an ordinary visit to relatives.

9. White Only White Only | Anonymous narrator | American RadioWorks / American Public Media | Undated; recalls the 1950s–1960s

An anonymous narrator recalls childhood in Natchez, Mississippi, through restrictions at transportation facilities, dentists' offices, schools, lunch counters, hotels, and theaters. The account also describes unequal emergency services, showing how segregation affected routine activities as well as moments of urgent need.

Recreation, Parks, and Movie Theaters

10. Johnny Ford: Childhood Exclusion from Public Parks Johnny Ford interview recording | Johnny Ford | Duke University Libraries, Behind the Veil | July 13, 1994

Ford recalls growing up in Tuskegee, Alabama, and watching white children play in a park that Black children could not enter. He describes climbing trees or looking through the fence to watch activities. These experiences helped inspire his interest in the political power that controlled access to public facilities.

11. I Sat Where I Wanted to at the Movies I Sat Where I Wanted to at the Movies | Beverly Prince | American RadioWorks / American Public Media | Undated

Prince recalls visiting a theater in Jackson, Missouri, at age nine and being directed through a separate entrance to balcony seating. The experience contrasted with moviegoing in her hometown. Her account captures a child's discovery of segregation and the enduring memory of an otherwise ordinary outing.

Childbirth, Health Care, and Community Work

12. Willie Lucas: Midwifery and Everyday Community Care Willie Lucas interview recording | Willie Lucas | Duke University Libraries, Behind the Veil | July 7, 1995

Lucas, an Arkansas midwife whose mother and grandmother also practiced midwifery, describes attending births, learning the work, receiving payment, and using home remedies. Her account documents community care during the Jim Crow era and the changing relationship between midwives and the medical profession.

Everyday Life Under Segregation: First-Person Narratives — Batch 2

Childhood, Schools, and Educational Opportunity

13. Vennie Moore: Picking Cotton While White Children Attended School Oral history interview with Vennie Moore | Vennie Moore | UNC Southern Oral History Program / Civil Rights Digital Library | February 24, 1999

Moore recalls growing up in Davidson, North Carolina, where Black children continued picking cotton while white children left the fields for school. She describes inadequate school resources and explains that she initially lacked any basis for comparison with white schools. Her account shows how segregation restricted both educational opportunity and knowledge of the inequality itself.

14. Ruth Dial Woods: A Lumbee Childhood Under Segregation Oral history interview with Ruth Dial Woods | Ruth Dial Woods | UNC Southern Oral History Program / Civil Rights Digital Library | June 12, 1992

Woods describes attending an Indian school in Robeson County, North Carolina, and moving to Tennessee when discrimination prevented her mother from completing graduate studies in North Carolina. Later experiences in Detroit changed her understanding of the restrictions she had grown up with. This narrative adds a Native American perspective on segregation and family educational choices.

15. Richard Bowman: Schools, Libraries, and Buses in Asheville Oral history interview with Richard Bowman | Richard Bowman | UNC Southern Oral History Program / Civil Rights Digital Library | July 8, 1998

Bowman remembers segregated schooling in Asheville, North Carolina, and his early opposition to restrictions in libraries and on buses. He also discusses racism encountered during military service and life in California. His recollections connect childhood experiences with a lifelong concern about whether educational integration actually benefited Black students.

16. Chants from the Schoolyard Chants from the Schoolyard | Travis McGahee | American RadioWorks / American Public Media | Undated; recalls schooling beginning in 1963

McGahee describes inferior instructional equipment at his segregated elementary school in Asheville, North Carolina. He remembers improved resources appearing with integration, alongside racist taunts from white students. His account contrasts material educational gains with the hostility Black children endured.

17. That Was Unreal! That Was Unreal! | Trane Washington | American RadioWorks / American Public Media | Undated; recalls the 1950s–1960s

Washington remembers receiving used textbooks from white schools in Louisiana. When he prepared for college, his grandmother's white employer tried to discourage her from sending him. His grandmother's commitment to education provides the central counterpoint to the expectations imposed on Black families.

Shopping, Restaurants, and Everyday Restrictions

18. Cheryl Clarke: Standing to Eat While White Customers Sat Cheryl Clarke oral history interview | Cheryl Clarke | Rutgers Oral History Archives | September 21, 2018

Clarke recalls segregated Washington, D.C., including stores that would not serve Black customers, separate movie theaters, and a lunch counter where Black patrons stood while white patrons sat. As a small child, she needed a milk crate to reach the counter. She also discusses neighborhood change, schooling, and family vacations.

19. Halcyon O. Watkins: Jim Crow in Bryan and Across the Country Jim Crow in Bryan and Across the Country | Halcyon O. Watkins | Texas Christian University, Civil Rights in Black and Brown | July 23, 2015

Watkins recalls theater balcony seating in Bryan, Texas, and segregated facilities encountered while traveling to Virginia. She describes restrictions surrounding shopping and trying on shoes, noting that her family had access denied to many other Black customers. She explicitly rejects the idea that living under segregation meant accepting an assigned social position.

20. Wanda Perry: Childhood Shopping Experiences Childhood Shopping Experiences | Wanda Perry | Texas Christian University, Civil Rights in Black and Brown | July 5, 2016

This recorded excerpt focuses on Perry's childhood shopping experiences in Fort Worth, Texas. The archive indexes the account under discrimination in stores, residential segregation, Black-owned businesses, and relationships among racial and ethnic groups. It offers a focused source for examining shopping within a divided city.

21. Gloria Carter: Learning Where You Would Be Welcome Oral History Interview with Gloria Carter | Gloria Carter | Plainfield Public Library, Oral History Collection | Interview date not verified

Carter describes the unwritten rules of segregation in Washington, explaining how people learned which stores welcomed them and which places to avoid. Her recollection emphasizes restrictions communicated through experience and word of mouth rather than posted signs.

22. Bruce Fisher: Understanding Childhood Routines in Retrospect Oral History: Bruce Fisher | Bruce Fisher | Metropolitan Library System, Oklahoma | September 17, 2007

Fisher recalls a happy childhood in Chickasha while explaining how adults shielded children from discrimination. He later understood why the family ate before going downtown and why his grandmother checked clothing sizes against his body instead of letting him try garments on. Familiar routines had concealed restrictions he did not recognize as a child.

Neighborhoods, Family Life, and Community Boundaries

23. James Atwater: Growing Up in a Segregated University Town Oral history interview with James Atwater | James Atwater | UNC Southern Oral History Program / Civil Rights Digital Library | February 28, 2001

Atwater describes Black community life in Chapel Hill from the 1930s through the 1950s, including churches, schools, and neighborhood activities. His parents worked for the University of North Carolina, as did many Black residents. He explains how dependence on white employers shaped local power relationships and how visiting other communities changed his understanding of segregation.

24. Johnella Franklin: Navigating Segregation in Conroe as a Child Navigating Segregation in Conroe as a Child | Johnella Franklin | Texas Christian University, Civil Rights in Black and Brown | July 18, 2016

Franklin's recorded recollection concerns childhood in Conroe, Texas. The archive identifies residential segregation, public accommodations, shopping districts, Black-owned businesses, and economic differences within the Black community as its themes. The account provides a child's perspective on the boundaries organizing everyday local life.

25. Geraldine Keels-Coulter: Boarding Houses, Restaurants, and Neighborhood Life Oral History Geraldine Keels-Coulter | Geraldine Keels-Coulter | Metropolitan Library System, Oklahoma | Interview date not stated on page

Keels-Coulter describes moving to Oklahoma City, living in a boarding house, commuting to work, and eating at neighborhood establishments. She recalls Black residents operating restaurants from their homes and a substantial local business community. Her account also discusses housing boundaries and restrictions on visiting public attractions.

26. Leroy Beavers: Remembering Savannah's Black Community Oral history interview with Leroy Beavers | Leroy Beavers Jr.; interview also includes Leroy Beavers Sr. | UNC Southern Oral History Program / Digital Library of Georgia | August 8, 2002

Beavers remembers the social networks and self-contained Black community of segregated Savannah, Georgia. He offers a strongly critical personal interpretation of integration's effects on neighborhood cohesion and economic independence. The account is useful for studying remembered community strengths and contested interpretations of subsequent change.

27. Segregation a Shock Segregation a Shock | Richard Hill | American RadioWorks / American Public Media | Undated

Hill recalls traveling from St. Louis to Mississippi to spend summers with his grandmother. Separate water fountains, bathrooms, and theater seating confronted him with restrictions that his mother's lessons about respect and possibility had not prepared him to encounter. His narrative captures the emotional impact of discovering segregation during family visits.

Work, Black-Owned Businesses, and Health Care

28. Laura B. Waddell: Making a Living as a Seamstress in Savannah Oral history interview with Laura B. Waddell | Laura B. Waddell | UNC Southern Oral History Program / Digital Library of Georgia | August 6, 2002

Waddell describes beginning work as a seamstress after eleventh grade and eventually establishing her own business in Savannah, Georgia. Her account concerns skill, earnings, independence, and navigating the racial politics surrounding downtown businesses. It offers the perspective of a working woman whose daily priorities did not always coincide with organized protest.

29. Robert R. Sampson: A Pharmacy and a Black Shopping District Oral history interview with Robert R. Sampson | Robert R. Sampson | UNC Southern Oral History Program / Civil Rights Digital Library | October 9, 2002

Sampson recalls operating a pharmacy and the commercial life of Greensboro's Black business district. He describes relocating as redevelopment approached and the difficulties other business owners faced when their establishments disappeared. His testimony documents an economic community that developed under segregation and the damage he associated with urban renewal.

30. Clifton O'Neal and Diana Lyons: Segregation and Black-Owned Businesses Clifton O'Neal and Diana Lyons Discuss Segregation, Black-Owned Businesses | Clifton O'Neal and Diana Lyons | Texas Christian University, Civil Rights in Black and Brown | June 29, 2016

O'Neal and Lyons discuss segregation and Black-owned businesses in Galveston, Texas. The recorded excerpt addresses neighborhood divisions, shopping districts, and racial discrimination at work. It provides a local perspective on the relationship between residential separation and commercial life.

31. Salter and Doris Cochran: Medical Practice, Family Life, and Segregation Oral history interview with Salter and Doris Cochran | Salter Cochran and Doris Cochran | UNC Southern Oral History Program / Civil Rights Digital Library | April 12, 1997

The Cochrans describe settling in North Carolina's Weldon–Roanoke Rapids area and encountering entrenched racism. Their account connects medical practice, hospital access, children's schooling, friendships, and threats associated with challenging discrimination. It shows how professional and family life could become inseparable from efforts to desegregate local institutions.

32. Jim Crow in the 1940s Jim Crow in the 1940s | James Stewart | American RadioWorks / American Public Media | Undated; recalls the 1930s–1940s and subsequent employment

Stewart recalls segregated movie seating in Pennsylvania, racial assignments and separate sleeping arrangements in the Navy, and restrictions imposed on him as a Washington, D.C., police officer. His narrative follows discrimination across civilian recreation, military service, and public employment.

Swimming Pools, Beaches, and Recreation

33. Ozell Williams: Working at a Segregated Beach Oral History Interview with Ozell Williams | Ozell Williams | National Park Service, Biscayne National Park | December 9, 2011

Williams describes working as a lifeguard at a segregated beach serving Black communities near Homestead, Florida. He recalls swimming lessons, daily maintenance, concessions, coworkers, and the later transition to integrated facilities. The interview provides unusually concrete details about both recreation and the labor that supported it.

34. Leonard Bethel: Swimming and Racial Boundaries in Philadelphia Leonard Bethel oral history interview, Part One | Leonard Bethel | Rutgers Oral History Archives | February 19, 2021

Bethel recalls growing up in West Philadelphia, participating in swimming, and encountering hostility when he worked as a lifeguard in a white neighborhood. He distinguishes racial separation enforced by social attitudes from segregation mandated by law. Family expectations, education, and community pride also feature prominently.

35. Sherri Williams and Lawrence Naff: A Childhood Visit to a Swimming Pool Oral History Sherri Williams and Lawrence Naff | Sherri Williams and Lawrence Naff | Metropolitan Library System, Oklahoma | Interview date not stated on page

In this joint interview about Northeast Oklahoma City, Williams recalls visiting an amusement park and discovering that she could watch swimmers but could not enter the water because she was Black. She also remembers neighborhood summer activities and discusses how her parents protected and encouraged her.

36. Susana Almanza: Segregation and Racial Discrimination in Austin Segregation and Racial Discrimination in Austin Part Two | Susana Almanza | Texas Christian University, Civil Rights in Black and Brown | June 8, 2016

Almanza's recorded account addresses segregation in Austin, Texas, including public accommodations and swimming pools. The archive places the excerpt within both Jim Crow and Juan Crow history and identifies Black–Brown relations and residential separation among its themes. It broadens the collection's coverage of racial and ethnic boundaries.

37. Municipal Swimming Pool Municipal Swimming Pool | Ted Gaskins | American RadioWorks / American Public Media | Undated; recalls the early-to-mid-1950s

Gaskins recalls his white grandparents operating a municipal swimming pool in Alamogordo, New Mexico. Black swimmers were admitted during a restricted Sunday period, after which the pool was drained and scrubbed. His childhood questions and his grandfather's racist explanation reveal how adults presented discriminatory practices as normal.

Everyday Life Under Segregation: First-Person Narratives — Batch 3

Childhood, Family Work, and Schooling

38. Robert J. Brown: Childhood Poverty and Segregation in High Point Robert J. Brown oral history interview | Robert J. Brown | Library of Congress, Civil Rights History Project | October 1, 2013

Brown recalls growing up in High Point, North Carolina, where poverty and segregation shaped his childhood. He discusses his grandmother's influence and family history, then describes becoming one of the city's first Black police officers. The interview connects childhood experiences with the racial barriers he later encountered in employment.

39. Mary Jones: Childhood Work and Two Generations of School Experiences Mary Jones oral history interview | Mary A. Jones | Library of Congress / Civil Rights Digital Library | March 9, 2013

Jones describes childhood in Albany, Georgia, including the work she performed and her memories of school. She also recalls her own children's experiences entering formerly white schools. Her narrative connects family responsibilities, education, newspaper reading, and growing involvement in community efforts against discrimination.

40. Gladys Sims McCoy: Farm Life, Education, and Early Employment Oral history interview with Gladys Sims McCoy | Gladys Sims McCoy | Oregon Historical Society | February 20–June 22, 1981

McCoy recalls Depression-era farm life in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and segregation's effects on her childhood, schooling, and early jobs. She contrasts those experiences with the international faculty and more integrated academic community she encountered at Talladega University in Alabama before moving to Oregon.

41. Larry Caldwell: Family Provisioning, Caddying, and Everyday Racism Interview with Larry Caldwell | Larry Caldwell | University of Georgia, Griffin African American Oral History Project | August 30; catalog lists 2019, transcript introduction states 2018

Caldwell remembers poverty, his father's efforts to feed the family, and work as a golf caddie. He discusses the racism he encountered growing up, influential teachers, and relationships within his community. Later sections address swimming, school integration, and opportunities denied to Black students.

42. Sheila Florence: Growing Up in a Low-Income Black Community Oral history interview with Sheila Florence | Sheila Florence | UNC Southern Oral History Program / Civil Rights Digital Library | January 20, 2001

Florence recalls childhood in segregated Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and the poor conditions of its Black schools. She describes the harassment she experienced after entering formerly white Chapel Hill High School. The interview's opening sections also document ordinary life in a low-income Black community after World War II.

Home, Churches, and Neighborhood Relationships

43. Lydia Douglas: Family Life and Library Access in Atlanta Lydia Douglas interview | Lydia Douglas | Atlanta History Center, Voices Across the Color Line | January 5, 2006

Douglas remembers childhood in a segregated Atlanta neighborhood, her family's background, and attending a segregated public library. Her father operated a restaurant and her mother was a registered nurse. She also discusses how her experiences connected with participation in the Atlanta Student Movement.

44. The Hicks Family: Home Life Under Segregation and Threats Hicks Family Interview | Members of the Robert and Valeria Hicks family | Civil Rights History Project; transcript hosted by Civil Rights Movement Archive | May 27, 2011

Seven family members recall life in Bogalusa, Louisiana, including family affection, childhood routines, and the disruption caused by racist threats. They describe hosting civil rights workers and changes to sleeping arrangements when their home needed protection. The interview shows how resistance to segregation affected daily household life.

45. Charles Harris and Mary Freeman: A Black Catholic Family on Capitol Hill Charles Harris and Mary Freeman oral history | Charles Harris and Mary Winifred Harris Freeman | Ruth Ann Overbeck Capitol Hill History Project | August 22, 2005

These siblings recall growing up in a Washington, D.C., household with nine children and an extensive network of relatives. Their memories of the 1940s and 1950s emphasize St. Cyprian's, a Black Catholic church, and the relationship between family, worship, segregation, and gradual integration.

46. Mary Tolbert: Growing Up in Conroe Growing Up in Conroe | Mary Tolbert | Texas Christian University, Civil Rights in Black and Brown | July 22, 2016

Tolbert's recorded account concerns childhood in Conroe, Texas. The archive identifies extended family networks, churches, Black-owned businesses, segregated neighborhoods, and schooling as its subjects. It provides material for examining how family and community institutions supported children within a racially divided town.

47. Leonard Sweat: Childhood, Housing, and Parents' Protective Roles Jim Crow, Discrimination, and Childhood | Leonard Sweat | Texas Christian University, Civil Rights in Black and Brown | June 8, 2016

Sweat's interview excerpt addresses childhood under Jim Crow, including residential separation, inadequate housing, businesses, and restrictions in stores and public facilities. The archive also identifies parents' efforts to shelter children from racism, making this a useful account of how families managed exposure to discrimination.

Stores, Public Facilities, and Local Racial Boundaries

48. James Harrison: Jim Crow in Huntsville Jim Crow in Huntsville | James Harrison | Texas Christian University, Civil Rights in Black and Brown | July 23, 2015

Harrison's recorded recollection concerns segregation in Huntsville, Texas. Its indexed subjects include housing, stores, schools, public accommodations, and water fountains. The excerpt offers a local account of how racial separation extended across several ordinary settings rather than remaining confined to a single institution.

49. Robert L. Person: Childhood Experiences in Bryan Jim Crow in Bryan | Robert L. Person | Texas Christian University, Civil Rights in Black and Brown | July 17, 2015

Person's brief recollection addresses childhood in Bryan, Texas. The archive identifies segregated water fountains, J.C. Penney, and parental or community involvement in education as relevant subjects. It is a focused starting point for exploring children's encounters with the rules governing everyday public life.

50. Larry Kegler: Childhood Experiences During the Jim Crow Era Childhood Experiences During the Jim Crow Era | Larry Kegler | Texas Christian University, Civil Rights in Black and Brown | June 24, 2016

Kegler recalls childhood in Lufkin, Texas. The archive connects his account with residential segregation, stores, public facilities, and school integration, including freedom-of-choice arrangements. Identified locations include Main Street, the Perry Brothers variety store, and Lufkin High School.

51. Barbara Cooper: Jim Crow in Bryan, Texas Jim Crow in Bryan, Texas | Barbara Cooper | Texas Christian University, Civil Rights in Black and Brown | July 17, 2015

Cooper offers a personal recollection of Jim Crow in Bryan, Texas. This five-minute excerpt is indexed under segregation in public accommodations and religion. It contributes another resident's perspective on the racial boundaries organizing local life.

52. Tommy Wilkerson: Segregated Neighborhoods in Montgomery, Texas Segregated Neighborhoods and Growing Up in Montgomery | Tommy Wilkerson | Texas Christian University, Civil Rights in Black and Brown | July 19, 2016

Wilkerson's recollection concerns Montgomery and Conroe, Texas. The archive identifies agricultural work, landownership, racially restricted occupations, Black-owned businesses, churches, and separate schools as themes. The account brings together the residential, economic, and religious dimensions of community life under segregation.

Language, Work, Professional Life, and Health Care

53. Sylvia Herrera: First Experiences with Racial Discrimination First Experiences with Racial Discrimination | Sylvia Herrera | Texas Christian University, Civil Rights in Black and Brown | June 10, 2016

Herrera's account addresses early encounters with discrimination in Austin, Texas. The archive identifies stores, schools, racist signs, speaking Spanish, and corporal punishment as relevant subjects. It adds a Mexican American perspective on the everyday enforcement of racial and linguistic boundaries.

54. Eva Benavides: Discrimination and Segregation in Baytown Experiences with Discrimination and Segregation | Eva Benavides | Texas Christian University, Civil Rights in Black and Brown | July 20, 2016

Benavides's recorded account concerns family and childhood experiences in Baytown, Texas. Its indexed themes include a separate Mexican school, Spanish-language restrictions, school discipline, neighborhoods, movie theaters, and water fountains. It offers material for comparing discrimination in education with restrictions in public spaces.

55. George Simkins: Dental Practice, Recreation, and Hospital Access Oral history interview with George Simkins | George C. Simkins | UNC Southern Oral History Program / Civil Rights Digital Library | April 6, 1997

Simkins recalls his education as a Black dentist and efforts to challenge segregation in Greensboro, North Carolina. He discusses golf, swimming, and hospital access, alongside harassment from opponents. His experiences show how routine recreation and professional responsibilities could expose the same underlying racial barriers.

56. Alexander M. Rivera: Working as a Black Photojournalist Oral history interview with Alexander M. Rivera | Alexander M. Rivera | UNC Southern Oral History Program / Civil Rights Digital Library | February 1, 2002

Rivera discusses his reporting and photography, including coverage of school desegregation litigation. He also reflects on changes affecting Black businesses and a historically Black college. This professional account is useful for exploring how work, community institutions, and economic life changed as legal segregation weakened.

57. Jim Akins: A Child's First Job on a Delivery Truck Childhood delivery-route account | Jim Akins | American RadioWorks / American Public Media | Undated

Akins recalls collecting bottles on a North Carolina delivery route at twelve and encountering frightening racist humiliation from the white driver.

Short Personal Recollections of Everyday Encounters

58. The Shiny Plastic Letters The Shiny Plastic Letters | Thomas Lanier | American RadioWorks / American Public Media | Undated; recalls 1960 or 1961

Lanier remembers a Nashville school trip where separate factory lunchroom signs introduced children to workplace segregation.

59. I Never Got Arrested — I Got Dirty Looks I Never Got Arrested — I Got Dirty Looks | Liz Schick | American RadioWorks / American Public Media | Undated

Schick recalls a Florida friend's fear of sharing drinking fountains and her own later decisions to disregard their racial labels.

60. Church Trip to St. Louis Church Trip to St. Louis | Anonymous narrator | American RadioWorks / American Public Media | Undated; recalls the early 1960s

A young traveler remembers restaurant exclusion during a church trip through southern Illinois, exposing discrimination beyond the Deep South.

61. Jim Crow Lesson Learned Early Jim Crow Lesson Learned Early | James Carrasquer | American RadioWorks / American Public Media | Undated; recalls 1963

Carrasquer recalls theater exclusion while accompanied by his Black nanny in Louisville and his parents' subsequent explanation of racial discrimination.

62. Water Fountains Labeled “White” and “Colored” Water fountains labeled white and colored | Mary Sive | American RadioWorks / American Public Media | Undated; recalls summer 1947

Sive, a white traveler from the North, recalls encountering racially labeled drinking fountains during a cross-country rail journey. She explains how this ordinary act of drinking water made segregation's pervasive reach tangible to her.

Shopping, Travel, and Public Spaces

63. Clara Maddox — Buying a Banana Split but Being Forbidden to Sit Down Interview with Clara Maddox | Clara Maddox | National Park Service | October 18, 2017

Maddox remembers everyday restrictions in Marietta, Georgia: buying ice cream but being unable to eat inside, using separate drinking fountains, and entering businesses through back doors. She also describes standing on buses when white passengers occupied the rear seats, alongside memories of school routines and neighbors sharing food.

64. Lamuriel Adams — Childhood Friendships, Segregated Buses, and Klan Intimidation Interview with Lamuriel Adams | Lamuriel Adams | National Park Service | October 18, 2017

Adams recalls accompanying her grandmother to domestic work, playing with white children, and later moving to the Black side of town. Her account includes crowded segregated buses, long walks to school, and instructions to close windows and extinguish lights when the Ku Klux Klan drove through the neighborhood.

65. Herbert Cross — Waiting Until Every White Customer Had Been Served Childhood Memories | Herbert Cross | Civil Rights in Black and Brown, Texas Christian University | June 20, 2016

Cross describes growing up in Mineral Wells, Texas, where Black employment centered on hotel service, laundry, and domestic work. He remembers a small school serving all twelve grades and stores that made him wait while white customers received service first, even when he had arrived before them.

66. Nathaniel Washington — Restaurant Rules and Bus Seating in Charlotte Nathaniel Washington Oral History Interview | Nathaniel Washington | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | November 14, 2006

Washington recalls separate ordering procedures for Black restaurant customers, segregated bus seating, and the destruction of Black neighborhoods through urban renewal. His account also follows his working life, including advancement to a restaurant management position supervising white employees.

67. Billy Taylor — Music, Shopping, and Exclusion in Washington, D.C. Interview with Dr. Billy Taylor | Billy Taylor | PBS, Duke Ellington's Washington | Undated transcript

Taylor remembers a neighborhood sustained by Black doctors, businesses, churches, and musicians. He describes being excluded from downtown theaters and lunch counters while enjoying concerts at Howard University and music in family homes. His childhood memories reveal both the restrictions of segregation and the community's rich cultural life.

Teachers and Everyday School Life

68. Anna McCright — Teaching in a One-Room School and Becoming a Principal Interview with Anna McCright | Anna McCright | Marshall University | 1999, catalog publication year

McCright discusses a teaching career beginning in a one-room school in 1942 and extending into school leadership in West Virginia. Her recollections cover segregated education, changes accompanying desegregation, racial and gender barriers, childhood celebrations, and experiences living in a white neighborhood.

69. Mary M. Elston — Family, Recreation, and a Teaching Career Interview with Mary M. Elston | Mary M. Elston | Marshall University | 1997, catalog publication year

Elston recalls childhood recreation, family relationships, education at Genoa High School and Bluefield State, and her later teaching career. She discusses segregation and desegregation alongside marriage, children, sorority membership, and social differences within Black communities.

70. B. W. Browne — From a One-Room School to Lincoln High School Interview with B. W. Browne | Birdius William Browne | Murray State University | July 2, 1979

Browne remembers attending a one-room school in Warsaw, Kentucky, and later teaching in segregated schools. As a former principal of Lincoln High School in Paducah, he describes educational life, relationships with parents and the community, and the consolidation of schools in 1965. The archive provides a recorded interview.

71. Walter Banks White — Growing Up Around a Segregated Community School Interview with Reverend Walter Banks White | Walter Banks White | Winthrop University | July 11, 2012, archive publication date

White recalls childhood in Rock Hill, South Carolina, during the 1930s and 1940s and attending Emmett Scott High School, graduating in 1947. His account connects schooling with community life, his subsequent teaching and ministry, and the difficulties that accompanied school integration.

72. Hazel Harvey Peace — Teaching, Theater, and Unequal Access to Libraries Oral History Interview, OH 1504 | Hazel Harvey Peace | University of North Texas | February 2003–March 2004

Peace discusses growing up under segregation and teaching at I. M. Terrell High School in Fort Worth. Her recollections include student theater and debate, obstacles to using Texas Christian University's library, and summers spent in New York. This link is a catalog description; consult the archive for the full interview.

Family and Community in South Carolina and Oklahoma

73. Eva Armstrong — Farm Life and Long Walks to School Eva Armstrong Oral History | Eva Armstrong | University of South Carolina | October 26, 2017

Armstrong remembers growing up in a large family near Ridgeway, South Carolina, raising food and walking miles to school. She describes cold hands, teachers helping children warm up, and teachers boarding with her family. Her account links household survival, landownership, and education under segregation.

74. Fannie Ford, Charlie Belton, and Easter Samuels — Teachers' Home Visits and the Loss of a School Joint Oral History Interview | Fannie Ford, Charlie Belton, and Easter Samuels | University of South Carolina | October 26, 2017

In this joint interview, three former students recall Fairfield County schools, family conversations about integration, teachers visiting homes, and the closing of Fairfield High School. They discuss curriculum differences and limited extracurricular opportunities for Black students at Winnsboro High School, as well as class rings and reunions.

75. Carl Jackson Jr. — Family, School, and Work in Winnsboro Carl Jackson Jr. Oral History | Carl Jackson Jr. | University of South Carolina, via Civil Rights Digital Library | October 26, 2017

Jackson recalls growing up in Winnsboro, relationships with his grandparents, and attending Gordon and Fairfield schools before integration. His account follows his movement through textile work, military service, college, and teaching, connecting childhood education with the opportunities available to him later.

76. Edwinda Goodman — Teachers Boarding at Home and Growing Family Responsibilities Edwinda Goodman Oral History | Edwinda Goodman | University of South Carolina, via Civil Rights Digital Library | October 26, 2017

Goodman remembers a close-knit Winnsboro community, teachers boarding in her family home, and attending Fairfield and Winnsboro high schools during integration. She discusses classroom life, influential educators, becoming head of her family at eighteen, and integration's effects on Black teachers.

77. Okla Hicks — Moving So the Children Could Continue Their Education Oral History Interview with Okla Hicks | Okla Hicks | Oklahoma State University | August 9, 2014

Hicks recalls her family's move from Murphy to Vinita, Oklahoma, after her older sister exhausted the schooling available locally. A 1953 graduate of Attucks School, she describes her childhood home, teachers, working while attending school, and the lasting community connections maintained through reunions.

Housing, Homeownership, and Neighborhood Life

78. Joseph R. Williams — Practicing Medicine and Finding a Home Oral History Interview, OH 0871 | Joseph R. Williams | University of North Texas | August 24 and 30, 1990

Williams recalls childhood in Dallas, medical training, discrimination against Black physicians, and restricted housing opportunities. He discusses building a home in Hamilton Park and concerns about schools and zoning. This catalog record identifies a 132-page interview; consult the archive for the full narrative.

79. Freddie M. Nance — Buying a House and Building a Social Life Oral History Interview, OH 0895 | Freddie M. Nance | University of North Texas | August 31–September 9, 1990

Nance discusses segregated schooling in Dallas, employment, housing choices, and her decision to buy a home in Hamilton Park. Her recollections include home improvements, church activities, social life, and school desegregation. This link provides the archive's description of the interview rather than its complete text.

80. Edward L. and Mary A. Newhouse — Raising a Family in Hamilton Park Oral History Interview, OH 0956 | Edward L. and Mary A. Newhouse | University of North Texas | December 6–14, 1990

The Newhouses remember segregated education in East Texas and the housing difficulties Black families faced in Dallas. Their joint account covers home improvements, neighborhood social life, school activities, flooding, and the closing of Hamilton Park's secondary schools. This is a catalog record for the 108-page interview.

81. Vivian T. Starks — Teaching, Transportation, and Homeownership Oral History Interview, OH 1005 | Vivian T. Starks | University of North Texas | April 23 and May 8, 1991

Starks recalls segregated schooling in Bryan, attending Wiley College, and teaching in Dallas's segregated schools. She discusses buying a home in Hamilton Park, transportation difficulties, church life, and changes in her teaching employment during desegregation. The linked page is an interview catalog record.

82. Ona B. Smith — Shopping, Transportation, and Pride in a Home Oral History Interview, OH 1032 | Ona B. Smith | University of North Texas | April 30 and May 7, 1991

Smith remembers childhood as a sharecropper's daughter, segregated education, and Dallas housing conditions during the 1940s and 1950s. She discusses homeownership, shopping, transportation, drainage problems, and involvement in school and neighborhood organizations. This catalog record describes an 86-page oral history.

Education, Work, and Crossing Racial Boundaries

83. Euvester Simpson — Leaving Mississippi for a Better Education Euvester Simpson Oral History Interview | Euvester Simpson | Civil Rights History Project, Library of Congress and Smithsonian Institution | March 12, 2013

Simpson recalls growing up in Itta Bena, Mississippi, and her parents' decision to send her to Racine, Wisconsin, because of the education available under segregation. Her account connects family decisions and interrupted schooling with her return to Mississippi and subsequent involvement in the civil rights movement.

84. Cynthia Plair Roddey — Everyday Life as Winthrop's First Black Graduate Student Interview with Cynthia Plair Roddey | Cynthia Plair Roddey | Winthrop University | September 4, 1994

Roddey discusses family encouragement, influential teachers, and her preparation at a historically Black college before entering Winthrop. Recalling her graduate studies from 1964 to 1967, she describes limited social integration despite an absence of overt hostility, offering a personal account of life after formal admission barriers fell.

85. Robert Ramsey Jr. — Childhood at Attucks School and the Arrival of Integration Oral History Interview with Robert Ramsey Jr. | Robert Ramsey Jr. | Oklahoma State University | August 9, 2014

Ramsey remembers childhood in Vinita's segregated community and attending Attucks School before integration. He describes the school and reactions to the transition, then reflects on his later career and ministry. His account adds a younger student's perspective to memories of Oklahoma's separate school system.

86. Josetta Walker — College Bus Journeys and a Family's Experience of Desegregation Interview with Josetta Walker | Josetta Walker | National Park Service | October 18, 2017

Walker recalls traveling between home and Tuskegee, including a segregated waiting room at the Montgomery bus station. She also remembers her father preparing to pay his poll tax and discusses her family's experience when her husband became one of the Black teachers desegregating Marietta High School.

87. Ledell Goodson Randle — From Sharecropping to Domestic and Factory Work Oral History Interview, OH 1600 | Ledell Goodson Randle | University of North Texas | October 7, 2006

Randle recalls childhood in a sharecropping family near Hawkins, Texas, attending all-Black schools, and moving to Dallas in 1941 for domestic and factory work. She discusses marriage, relocation to Eastland, church life, and her children's schooling. This link is a catalog description of the interview.

Everyday Life: Recreation, Friendship, Shopping, and Meals

88. Julius Keaton — Family Outings to a Segregated Beach Oral History Interview with Julius Keaton | Julius Keaton | National Park Service | December 9, 2011

Keaton remembers growing up in segregated Homestead, Florida, and spending weekends at the beach with his extended family. Food, music, dancing, and family gatherings feature prominently. He also recalls restrictions extending to the roads leading to the beach and changes that followed integration.

89. Nancye Turner Suggs — Playing Together but Attending Separate Schools Oral History Interview with Nancy Suggs | Nancye Turner Suggs | National Park Service | August 15, 2001

Suggs describes the contradictions of her Washington, D.C., childhood: she played with white neighborhood children, but they attended separate schools. Her interview connects family employment, neighborhood boundaries, and educational segregation, showing how racial divisions could interrupt otherwise familiar childhood relationships.

90. Octavia Briggs — A Childhood Playmate's Invitation Withdrawn Oral History Interview with Octavia Briggs | Octavia Briggs | National Park Service | August 1, 2001

Briggs recalls playing with a white girl while her father worked on the girl's family's land near Summerton, South Carolina. When lunchtime arrived, the girl's mother refused to let Briggs enter the house. Her broader account includes farming, family life, and growing up within a segregated community.

91. Christine McCreary — Finding Somewhere to Eat at Work Christine McCreary Challenges De Facto Segregation | Christine McCreary | United States Senate Historical Office | May 19, 1998

McCreary remembers beginning work in the Senate in 1953 and asking where she could eat in segregated Washington. She describes the reception she received at the Senate cafeteria and returning repeatedly until her presence became accepted. This excerpt makes workplace discrimination tangible through an ordinary breakfast.

92. Alice Spraggins — Saturday Theater Trips and Restrictions on Buying Clothes Interview with Alice Spraggins | Alice Spraggins | PBS, Duke Ellington's Washington | Interview year not stated

Spraggins remembers saving money for Saturday shows at the Howard Theater, music lessons, and neighborhood social life. She also describes exclusion from downtown theaters, buying clothes from a traveling seller, and refusing to return to a store that imposed a special requirement before she could try on a hat.

Childhood and Unequal Education

93. Mary Helen Berlanga — Childhood Segregation in Texas Segregation in Childhood | Mary Helen Berlanga | Texas Christian University, Civil Rights in Black and Brown | July 12, 2016

This recorded interview segment concerns Berlanga's childhood experiences of segregation. The archive indexes it under residential separation, Anglo-Mexican relations, family relationships, textbooks, and community involvement in education. It provides a Mexican American perspective within the broader history of everyday racial boundaries in Texas.

94. Claudis Minor — Segregation Across Schools and Public Accommodations Childhood Memories: Segregation and Education | Claudis Minor | Texas Christian University, Civil Rights in Black and Brown | June 25, 2016

Minor's recorded recollections connect childhood education with segregation beyond the classroom. The archive identifies stores, restaurants, transportation, parenting, and school sports among the segment's subjects. The interview was recorded in San Antonio and references local schools and Prairie View A&M University.

95. Glenda Funchess — Growing Up During School Desegregation Glenda Funchess Oral History Interview | Glenda Funchess | Library of Congress, Civil Rights History Project | December 2, 2015

Funchess remembers childhood in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and becoming one of the first Black children to attend its previously white schools. She also discusses Freedom Summer and the Mount Zion Church Freedom School, connecting formal schooling with the alternative educational opportunities created by her community.

96. Adkin High School Alumni — Discovering What the White School Had Adkin High School Group Oral History | John Dudley, Eleanor Stewart, Charles Jarmon, Frances Suggs, Harold Suggs, and Samuel Dove | Library of Congress | June 28, 2013

Six former students remember family life and schooling in segregated Kinston, North Carolina. They describe recognizing inequalities between their school and the white school they could not attend. Their joint account explains how those everyday disparities led them to organize a school-wide walkout in 1951.

97. Louise Willingham Broadway — Schooling and Lessons Learned at Home Louise Broadway Oral History Interview | Louise Willingham Broadway | Library of Congress, Civil Rights History Project | March 9, 2013

Broadway recalls attending segregated schools in Baker County, Georgia, and the lessons her parents taught her during childhood. This interview offers a family-centered perspective on growing up under segregation, linking experiences in formal education with the guidance children received at home.

Family Support, Teachers, and Learning Racial Boundaries

98. Johnnie Ruth McCullar — Growing Up in Sasser, Georgia Johnnie Ruth McCullar Oral History Interview | Johnnie Ruth Browner McCullar | Library of Congress, Civil Rights History Project | March 9, 2013

McCullar remembers childhood in southwest Georgia and attending segregated schools in Sasser. She connects those experiences with her later participation in sit-ins and voter registration work. Her reflections consider changes in local social and political life across her lifetime.

99. Grace Hall Miller — Family Life, Schooling, and Community Support Grace Miller Oral History Interview | Grace Hall Miller | Library of Congress, Civil Rights History Project | March 9, 2013

Miller recalls childhood in Baker County, Georgia, segregated education, marriage, and raising a family. She describes her home's role in the local civil rights movement and the community's support for her children. Her account also connects her children's school integration experiences with her commitment to improving education.

100. Dorothy Mae Pringle Choice — What Dedicated Teachers Could Provide Oral History Interview with Dorothy Choice, Part 1 | Dorothy Mae Pringle Choice | National Park Service | July 12, 2001

Choice compares her schooling in Sumter County with educational conditions in Clarendon County, South Carolina. She recalls the teacher who inspired her to study French and discusses teachers' preparation, limited resources, and the extra work required to help students succeed within unequal school systems.

101. Leola Ragin Parks — The Bus Ride into a Previously White School Oral History Interview with Leola Ragin Parks, Part 1 | Leola Ragin Parks | National Park Service | July 11, 2001

Parks recalls leaving a segregated educational setting to attend Summerton High School. She describes apprehension on an integrated school bus, white pupils staring and snickering, and the reassurance of family support. She also remembers her grand-aunt reading to her and encouraging her education.

102. Florence Edwards Borders — Learning to Read the Signs of Segregation Florence Borders Interview Recording | Florence Edwards Borders | Duke University, Behind the Veil | June 20, 1994

Borders remembers sounding out segregation signs as a child in New Orleans and asking her father why the facilities designated for Black people looked inferior. She describes his explanations, the books and Black publications he brought home, and his efforts to compensate for inadequate school textbooks.

Neighborhoods, Household Responsibilities, and Community Institutions

103. Olaf Abraham — Radio, Ball Games, Pharmacies, and School Days Oral History Interview with Olaf Abraham | Olaf Abraham | University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Brooklyn Oral History | April 11, 2007

Abraham recalls his childhood home in Charlotte's Brooklyn neighborhood, getting electricity, favorite radio programs, and playing ball at Pearl Street Park. He describes school routines, working in neighborhood pharmacies, theater visits, and the relationships that sustained the community before urban renewal dispersed it.

104. Alfred Alexander — Growing Up with Restricted Access to Downtown Alfred Alexander Oral History Interview | Alfred Alexander | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | May 10, 2001

Alexander remembers childhood in Charlotte's Brooklyn neighborhood and the limits segregation placed on access to downtown public spaces. His account describes separate facilities and restricted access as features of ordinary urban life, offering a resident's perspective on the city's racial boundaries.

105. Evelyn Sears Peevy — Household Chores and Working in the Family Store Evelyn Peevy Interview Recording | Evelyn Sears Peevy | Duke University, Behind the Veil | August 10, 1995

Peevy remembers growing up in a large Norfolk family whose home also housed a business. She describes cooking, sewing, helping in the store, and doing schoolwork while working. Later recollections include college expectations and white colleagues' resistance to her authority during school integration.

106. Ernestine Bynum — Remembering the Businesses Along Fayetteville Street Ernestine Bynum Interview Recording | Ernestine Bynum | Duke University, Behind the Veil | May 27, 1993

Bynum reconstructs the everyday geography of Black Durham through its libraries, churches, groceries, drugstores, theaters, and homes. She also recalls the expectations attached to her family's funeral business and her reluctance to enter that profession, connecting community institutions with personal choices and obligations.

107. Thereasea Elder — Sharing Food, Clothing, and Childcare Oral History Interview with Thereasea Elder | Thereasea Elder | University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Brooklyn Oral History | Interview date not stated; page published September 26, 2016

Elder remembers family activities, church parades, and relationships among Charlotte's Black communities. The recording includes families helping one another with food, clothing, and childcare, alongside discussion of segregation, the Klan, healthcare integration, and the consequences of urban renewal.

Work, Business, Sports, and Medical Institutions

108. David Lee Hunter — Working in a Restaurant Under Segregation David Hunter Oral History Interview 2 | David Lee Hunter | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | April 14, 2005

Hunter remembers working as a teenager at Charlotte's Ringside Grill during the 1940s. He describes support from the restaurant's owners despite prejudice from some customers, then follows his later career in education. His account connects restricted public accommodations with the effects of race on employment.

109. Joseph Burt Scott — Baseball Travel and Refusal of Restaurant Service Joseph Scott Interview Recording | Joseph Burt Scott | Duke University, Behind the Veil | June 14, 1995

Scott recalls childhood in Memphis, baseball, military service, and racial barriers encountered while traveling with teammates. One episode concerns a restaurant refusing to serve him until his lieutenant intervened. His narrative includes segregated accommodations and the personal strategies he used when confronted with racial hostility.

110. York Garrett — From a Family Grocery Store to a Pharmacy York Garrett Interview Recording | York Garrett | Duke University, Behind the Veil | June 3, 1993

Garrett remembers his father's grocery business in Tarboro, North Carolina, and how learning to sell goods shaped his own career plans. He describes studying pharmacy and opening his store in 1921. His account documents Black entrepreneurship, family assistance, and commercial life during the Jim Crow era.

111. William Alexander Clement — Earning a Living in a Black Insurance Company William Clement Interview Recording | William Alexander Clement | Duke University, Behind the Veil | May 28, 1993

Clement recalls entering North Carolina Mutual, training in Durham, and beginning work in Memphis for $12.50 a week. He compares his earnings with teachers' salaries and describes a career spanning several Southern states. The interview offers a perspective on employment within a major Black institution under segregation.

112. William M. Landau — Segregation in Hospitals and Medical Training William M. Landau Oral History | William M. Landau | Washington University, Bernard Becker Medical Library | 1990

Landau recounts experiences of segregation in St. Louis from childhood through medical school and work at Barnes Hospital. His physician's perspective addresses the practices and institutional resistance surrounding hospital and medical-school desegregation. The archive provides the interview recording and a downloadable document.

Additional Research Collections

Behind the Veil: Documenting African American Life in the Jim Crow South | Duke University Libraries | Oral history collection

A major collection of recorded interviews and transcripts documenting Black experiences of family life, work, education, religion, recreation, discrimination, and community organization under Jim Crow.

Remembering Jim Crow: Read Stories | American RadioWorks / American Public Media | Personal narrative collection

Short recollections organized around childhood, public places, survival, desegregation, and other themes. Several entries listed above share a category page; locate each account by its individual title. These contributed recollections have less archival documentation than the recorded oral histories.