OH+questions+and+audio+recordings

Questions: Statistics: Gwendolyn S. Bishop Date of Birth: September 17, 1921 Family Information/Background: First child, 3 brothers, Mom and Dad Born in Roanoke, Virginia Kendall: What year did you attend high school? Gwen: “1934-1938 Don’t remember why they moved. Her father was in insurance and got a job in Chicago.” -anything about the depression? “The depression was over by the time I was in high school.” Mom: 1979-1982 Kendall: What city did you live in? Gwen: “Chicago, Illinois My mother had a grocery store and we had to give a lot of credit. The depression was over and the black neighbor” Kendall: What was the name of your school? Gwen: “Morgan Park High school. It was one of the best high schools in the state.” Kendall: How was the community surrounding your school? Gwen: “The school was located in upper middle class white neighborhood. The school district served a middle class black neighborhood. “ Kendall: “Was it segregated?” Gwen: “No. There were no black teachers at her high school although she had some at her elementary school.” Kendall: “Have you ever encountered a racial conflict during your school experience?” Gwen: “The entire new freshman at the high school went to the auditorium and assigned to a homeroom teacher. None of the black students were called to go into a homeroom for three days. Prior to this year, they tried to change the rules so that blacks could not go to school until their junior year. The superintendent of schools denied the change and the school” (Long pause) “Wonderbread company loaned the white community their sound trucks to go through the white community to encourage them to stay home so that integration would not take place all of the black stores boycotted the Wonderbread company for 15 years.” Kendall: Do you feel you received the same amount of education or treatment in school related activities? “Yes!” Kendall: What was the material you were studying like, and were there enough for everyone? Gwen: “History, English, current events, zoology, typing” Kendall: How was it socially among your school? Where there groups, if so what? Gwen: “There were groups. Not much social/racial intermixing in the area.” Kendall: What social events did you attend at your school? Gwen: “Prom, Basketball games, Assemblies, dances. Girls danced together. Not used to that in the black neighborhood.” Kendall: While you attended school were you encouraged to do community service if so what? Gwen: “We did community service in the community not through the school. We read stories to children, volunteered at church, etc.” Kendall: If you could go back to your high school education what is one thing that you would change and why? “English teacher flunked her. She was Caucasian. I got an A in Latin and failed English. She did not like my writing.” Kendall: What do you think you took away from your high school experience the most? “Interest in current events “ Kendall: Overall did you enjoy your educational experience? “Oh yes, I liked school. I know that I was ahead of many kids when I went to college. I went to a Southern college. I found the work very easy at the college level. We had a lot of fun in high school and we had to walk about 15 blocks to get to school every day.” Kendall: What were your groups of friends like? “We had 3 groups of friends. One of the mothers had an only child. She started a club and we would go biking, read stories to kids, volunteer, had holiday parties and we had to go to the theatre. It was a fun group and we stayed close. There are only 2 of us left and there were 6 boys and 3 girls in our group. Getting a bicycle was a great thing.” Questions: Statistics: Synovia Youngblood Date of Birth: August 6, 1963 Family Information/Background: third child, two sisters, one brother Born in Milwaukee Wisconsin Mom: 1979-198 Mom: Milwaukee, Wisconsin Mom: Milwaukee Lutheran High School. It was located in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. A very segregated suburb at the time. Our parents took us to school. We were rarely allowed to ride the city bus to school like the other black kids. Our parents were very protective of us having to get off the bus and walking through the white neighborhood to get to school. No. There were no laws to stop us although we definitely felt a difference when we went in the stores to shop or when we played the schools from up north who were all white. Mom: I did not encounter any racial conflict in my experience but I was a high profile highly recruited athlete with lots of friends Yes because I was always encouraged to excel academically and in sports by my teachers which were from the white community. (I never had a black teacher from kindergarten to 12th grade Mom: biology, religion, chemistry, calculus, geometry, home economics (sewing and cooking hahaha my worst classes belly laugh)  Mom: there were not enough black students to have non integretated groups, were forced to integrate with the white community by the fact that you could be included with the other people  Mom: EVERYTHING! Homecoming, prom, student council, leadership groups, captain of all sports teams, choir, literally everything ( every thing I wanted to do)  Mom: I was not encouraged to do community service…ummmm…. I was encouraged to be a leader  Mom: I probably would have went on dates and had a normal fun life instead of just being a super duper smart athlete headed to the number one college in the country a.k.a USC….but everything paid off in the end  Mom: “if it is to be it is up to me” my favorite quote that got me through every hardship I ever encountered Mom: Yes, I know that going to private school my whole life was a privilege and something that my parents sacrificed for my sisters and brother to attend. I had great teachers that influenced me and awesome coaches who pushed me to my limits to get me where I am today.