Monday, June 27, 2011

Interview 2

1. What is your name? Maiden and Marriage (if applicable) Doris L. Davis
2. Where were you born? Kosciusko, MS
3. Where did you grow up? Kosciusko, MS
4. What were your parents names and occupations? Cleveland Fox worked in a factory Globeweiss Mosella Fox Lewis Head Start teacher
5. Do you have any siblings? Yes or No, names?
2 Debroh Fox Young Mary Fox Rand
2 Anthony Lewis Fox Cleveland Lee Fox
6. What was your life like growing up as a black girl in _________?
Pretty good life because her family kept her in church and her father was a very hard worker.
7. Did you ever encounter racism? Explain?
Yes, I went to school when it was integrating during the 1960’s and 1970’s
8. What privileges or setbacks do you feel that you experienced growing up a black female in the North/South?
They let white people pass to the next grade made black kids repeat first grade if they could not read .
Tension in the store as a kid\
9. What, if anything, do you remember your parents telling you about race?
White people were prejudice and that at one time they could not attend school with white students.
10. What did your parents tell you or instill in you regarding being a woman, specifically a black woman?
My father told my that I was beautiful and that every man who wanted something from me would tell me the same. Daddy told her to get her education so she could fall back on that if she ever married and her husband left her.
11. Did you attend school? Yes or No, why or why not?
Yes, because I wanted a high school diploma and to walk the field with the rest of my class
12. Talk a little bit about those days...
White children had the opportunity to go to the bathroom ahead of black children and given extra credit to receive a better grade.
13. What was it like in school for you as a black female? 
Well it was still prejudice
White kids had the opportunity to write on the board and be more active than black students in the classrooms.
White students would hit on black students and call them out of their names.
14. Did you graduate and attend college? [Ask questions here to get more info regarding education ect.]
Yes, I went to Holmes CC for  Office Technology
Mississippi State Office Systems Technology
Jackson State Master in Science Social Work
15. Did you get married?  To who?  When?  [Ask about the circumstances]
WC Lynwood Oct 17, 1987 fell in love
George Davis April 24, 1995 praying to God for a Godly man.
16. Did you have any children? Yes or No? How many?  Why?  Was this a choice or just happend?  If no children, you could ask them why they chose not to or was it medical reasons.
DeAntae Lynwood
Desiree Lynwood
Kenyata Davis
17. Where did they work as an adult
US Navy
18. Ask them about their adult life and what it was like living as a black woman? 
Military prejudice and there is a no ask no tell policy on homosexuality.
Worked you to death if you are dedicated to your job and have the ability to take on multiple tasks.
19.  Ask them if there are any specific stories that they would like to share regarding their adulthood life and being a black woman
Black women have to work harder than white counterpart
Black women have to marry a blue collar man because a lot of men are in jail, dead, or they don’t have the same educational level as a lot of black women.
Love goes beyond boundaries such as education economic status and political statues
20.  What were their relationships like with other women?  Specifically ask about white and black
women.
I have good relationships with black women but I don’t trust them because they will go with your spouse and tend to tell your personally business to their friends and family.
Sweet and kind spirited.  
More empathetic and sympathetic
White women have a lot of problems that they like to talk about openly. I tend to talk to them very little because they have a lot of problems and always want you to be their for them, they kind of bossy and controlling.
21.  Would they consider themselves friends with white women?  Or do they have friends that are of another race?
Yes, some friends that live in Canada and some Indians from India in Tulsa, Oklahoma
22.  What type of relationship do you have with black men?
Pretty good because I respect them and they respect me.
23.  What do you think is the role of both black men and women in relationships and inside of the home should be? [Here, you can ask specific questions regarding marriage and the roles of both men and women inside of marriage]
Men should be the priest of their homes and should pray together and look for God for direction and women should be adored and honored by the man that they are with. Men should not beat on their women and should be active with their family and children. Both parents should be the best role model they can be for their children.
24.  What do you think about people dating outside of their race?  Black men marrying white women and black women marrying white men?
To each it’s on but there is a difference between the races.
People should try to stay in their own race.
Makes people feel less inferior when they don’t come from the original people.
Messes up their genetics and biological make up.
25.  What issues do you think most affect black Americans today?
Racism and discrimination that takes place on job sites.
The message that young black role models send to their viewers. (Drugs and violence)
Black teenagers voting and advocating for their own rights.

Interview

1. What is your name? Maiden and Marriage (if applicable) Mosella Lewis Fox
2. Where were you born? Ethel MS Dec. 11, 1944
3. Where did you grow up? Kosciusko, MS
4. What were your parents names and occupations? Mose Lewis Sr. farmer and worked public jobs building roads Ella Mae Mitchell Lewis Housewife and domestic worker
5. Do you have any siblings? Yes or No, names? Seven children
Yes,
Robert Kelly Lewis
Ora D Lewis
Moses Lewis Jr.
James Henry Lewis
Ida Mae Lewis
Lucinda Lewis
Mosella Lewis
Fred Gamble Stepfather Mother name became Ella Mae Mitchell Gamble
Mitchell Gamble
Freddie Lee Gamble
Fannie Jean Gamble
Jossie Ann Gamble
6. What was your life like growing up as a black girl in?
My life was pretty common I mostly worked on the farm with her stepfather and siblings.
I had to take care of my younger siblings when my family moved to the city of Kosciusko, MS in 1959.
7. Did you ever encounter racism? Explain?
No, I didn’t but I heard about it from my mother and stepfather. They described to me how young women were being molested by white men and mistreated. Her mother did not let her or her siblings travel along because there was strength in unity.
8. What privileges or setbacks do you feel that you experienced growing up a black female in the North/South?
I did not get to go to school like white children in my community because I had to work the fields and take care of my younger siblings. Only had the opportunity to attend school during the winter and had to wear my coat the entire time I was in class. Had to walk to school and use older textbooks from white school students.
9. What, if anything, do you remember your parents telling you about race?
My parents always told her to look white people in the eye. Always answer the question direct and don’t give them more than they ask for. Never had the opportunity to go out after dark and had to be home before dusk. Black people had to use the restroom in the basement at the courthouse. The bathrooms where not in good conditions because they usually were not cleaned daily. Had  to use different water fountains which were always dirty and had a sign that said colored. Her mother carried some water in a fruit jar for her and her siblings. Never went to school with white children because schools did not integrate until 1969.
10. What did your parents tell you or instill in you regarding being a woman, specifically a black woman?
Believe in God and whatever you put your mind to you can achieve it. They also told me to go forward and never look back. You can do anything you want to do if you put your mind to it
11. Did you attend school? Yes or No, why or why not? Yes, until the tenth grade.
12. Talk a little bit about those days. Only went to school when it was cold outside and had to use old textbooks and school material from white schools after they received new ones.
13. What was it like in school for you as a black female? 
Girls were mostly the ones who scored high on their test because a lot of the boys had to work in the fields. Most males came to school late unless they had a parent who was a school teacher. Women were always called on to answer questions in the classroom.
14. Did you graduate and attend college? [Ask questions here to get more info regarding education ect.] Left school in the tenth grade but later received her GED and went back and took courses in early childhood development
15. Did you get married?  To who?  When?  [Ask about the circumstances] Married February 1964 to Cleveland Lee Fox Sr. because she was in love and ready to start her life as an adult.
16. Did you have any children? Yes or No? How many?  Why?  Was this a choice or just happend?  If no children, you could ask them why they chose not to or was it medical reasons.
Yes because I always wanted to have children and I have five children.
17. Where did they work as an adult? Head Start
18. Ask them about their adult life and what it was like living as a black woman? 
Pretty good because her husband was a good provider her husband had a good education and attended college. Alcorn State then he went he Jackson State A and B student (science)
19.  Ask them if there are any specific stories that they would like to share regarding their adulthood life and being a black woman
20.  What were their relationships like with other women?  Specifically ask about white and black women.
No I do not associate myself with a lot of white women because they have different values and customs on life in general
Yes I do have a strong relationship with a lot of black women in my community because I am active in the church, a member of the local NAACP, and the Heron of Jericho.
21.  Would they consider themselves friends with white women?  Or do they have friends that are of another race?
No, I don’t associate with white men and women. I have a hard time trusting anything they say.
22.  What type of relationship do you have with black men?
I have a good relationship with black men as long as they respect me I respect them.
23.  What do you think is the role of both black men and women in relationships and inside of the home should be? [Here, you can ask specific questions regarding marriage and the roles of both men and women inside of marriage]
I believe that men and women should have equal roles in marriages. Men and women should be able to come and go as they please and say and do what they want. Marriage should be a partnership and there should never be a circumstance in which someone is being abused in any way.
24.  What do you think about people dating outside of their race?  Black men marrying white women and black women marrying white men?
Personally people should marry inside their own race because it usually doesn’t last that long since white people think differently from black people.
25.  What issues do you think most affect black Americans today?
Financially being able to provide for their household, because they didn’t receive the proper education.
Discriminated against and feeling inferior to white people
Black people have fallen away from the true meaning of love.
The church not teaching black men and women how to stick together and support one another.
TV plays a  big role in the way black people view one another such as language and violence.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Tragic Mulatto

Helga Crane was the daughter of a whit woman and a black man. She had a hard time identifying with both races because of the way she was raised. Her mother married a  white man who was argumentative and talked down to Helga. She could not identify with her white step siblings. Her uncle sent her to a school where she did not fit in and was lonely. Helga grew up to be a very emotional lady who feared her desires. She tried to buy material things to replace her alienation and pride. She could not fully discover her emotions and desires in life because of her self conscious. She tried to conform to the norms within white society and self identify herself as white.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

"Black is Beautiful" by Sharon D. Brown Rogers

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Black is
Black is as beautiful as a bed of milky white clouds.
Black is as beautiful as soft as a newborn baby hair.
Black is as beautiful as standing up for what is right.
Black is as beautiful as trying on grandmother's classy hats.
Black is as beautiful as you and I saying Hi!
Black is as beautiful as two sisters walking hand in hand.
Black is as beautiful as wading in a pond on a hot summer day.
Black is as beautiful as you holding your baby for the very first time.
Black is as beautiful as saying I miss you.
Black is as beautiful as going fishing with your dad.
Black is as beautiful as calling your mother on her birthday.
Black is as beautiful as two brothers playing basketball.
Black is as beautiful braiding your sister’s hair.
Black is as beautiful as grandpa taking you to the park.
Black is as beautiful as the sweet sound of a saxophone playing.
Black is as beautiful as eating mom's Never Fell caramel cake.
Black is as beautiful as the bright rising sun.
Black is as beautiful as a simple kiss placed on the forehead.
Black is as beautiful as lilies on Easter morning.
Black is as beautiful as say I love you.
Black is me and I AM BEAUTIFUL.


India Arie "I am Not My Hair"

I Am Not My Hair"(feat. Akon)

[Talking:]
Is that India.Arie? What happened to her hair? Ha ha ha ha ha
Dat dad a dat da [4x] Dad a ooh

[Verse 1]
Little girl with the press and curl
Age eight I got a Jheri curl
Thirteen and I got a relaxer
I was a source of so much laughter
At fifteen when it all broke off
Eighteen and went all natural
February two thousand and two
I went on and did
What I had to do
Because it was time to change my life
To become the women that I am inside
Ninety-seven dreadlocks all gone
I looked in the mirror
For the first time and saw that HEY....

[Chorus]
I am not my hair
I am not this skin
I am not your expectations no no
I am not my hair
I am not this skin
I am a soul that lives within

[Talking:]
What'd she do to her hair? I don't know it look crazy
I like it. I might do that.
Umm I wouldn't go that far. I know .. ha ha ha ha

[Verse 2]
Good hair means curls and waves
Bad hair means you look like a slave
At the turn of the century
Its time for us to redefine who we be
You can shave it off
Like a South African beauty
Or get in on lock
Like Bob Marley
You can rock it straight
Like Oprah Winfrey
If its not what's on your head
Its what's underneath and say HEY....

[Chorus]

[Bridge]
(Whoa, whoa, whoa)
Does the way I wear my hair make me a better person?
(Whoa, whoa, whoa)
Does the way I wear my hair make me a better friend? Oh
(Whoa, whoa, whoa)
Does the way I wear my hair determine my integrity?
(Whoa, whoa, whoa)
I am expressing my creativity..
(Whoa, whoa, whoa)

[Verse 3]
Breast Cancer and Chemotherapy
Took away her crown and glory
She promised God if she was to survive
She would enjoy everyday of her life ooh
On national television
Her diamond eyes are sparkling
Bald headed like a full moon shining
Singing out to the whole wide world like HEY...

[Chorus 2x]

[Ad lib]
If I wanna shave it close
Or if I wanna rock locks
That don't take a bit away
From the soul that I got
Dat da da dat da [4x]
If I wanna where it braided
All down my back
I don't see what wrong with that
Dat da da dat da [4x]

[Talking:]
Is that India.Arie?
Ooh look she cut her hair!
I like that, its kinda PHAT
I don't know if I could do it.
But it looks sharp, it looks nice on her
She got a nice shaped head
She got an apple head
I know right?
It's perfect.

"Outspoken"

Alain LeRoy Locke popularized the term New Negro during the Harlem Renaissance, which gave way to a more formal African American. It was used to define African Americans who were more outspoken and radical. African Americans began to refuse to obey the rules and regulations of Black Codes and Jim Crow Laws in the South. Following Reconstruction black women and men began to make social and economic progress with court cases such as Plessy v. Fergusion. African Americans gained public and private interest and spoke their minds openly. African Americans insisted on gaining self-determination, self-pride, self-definition, and self expression in America. Locke also rejected cultural separatism and endorsed a hybridist derived from the marriage of black experience and Euro-American aesthetic forms.

"The Status of Race"

Slaves brought to the Colonies were not viewed as human beings because of their physical appearance and ability to work. A lot of Europeans believed that African slaves were inferior and a savage group of animals or monsters. The women were unfit mothers because they could have children and go back to work in a timely matter. European men stated that slaves could have easy births and did not fear having babies like women in the Colonies. Slaves were not human and considered savages because they killed their children and consumed them. Africans were also known as people of beastly living because of the way they dressed and practice their social customs. Race became a reality and was giving gratification during slavery because there had to be a system of class and structure. Black women were considered unwomanly because of their physical make up and long breast. Some women were compared to monkeys and other animals because of their ability to work. Slaves lost their beauty and were mistreated so there could be a system of hierarchy in America. There had to be somebody who was in control and somebody who could serve for the purpose of power and pride. Children who were mulattos and had white fathers would still remain slaves. They might have a better job or be treated a little different from their darker relatives but they were slaves.