Subject(s): Glendra L. Lewis
Interviewer: Linnea D. Mize Date/time:May 10 2021 Location: GL’s Condo in West Haven, CT Topic(s) her experience growing up in a black urban community File:https://soundcloud.com/linnea-mize/interveiw |
I conducted this interview with my mother in our condo in West Haven on May 10 2021.My mother talked about her experience growing up post civil rights movement as well as post school segregation. She talks of the discrimination she faced between the 70s and 90s in the urban city of Detroit. She talks about how her race impacted her day to day life and how it almost prevented her career as a Police officer. A job which she had for 17 years.
0:08-0:27
Linnea: So I need you to um state your name, where you're born and your current age and when you were born as well. Glendra: My name is Glendra lewis i was born in Detroit michigan in 1972 so that would make 4e almost 49 years old. 0:42-2:25 Linnea:What is the earliest memories that you can recount of? Glendra: It’s funny that you say that because the schools actually weren’t desegregated at all.The way that the city of detroit and many other states where that they were red lined. So, um, they wanted the inner city kids to stay away from the better neighborhoods if you will. So when you ask that question it makes me think about, 3rd, I’m sorry Fourth grade when they bussed us to a predominantly white area, um, and they didn’t want black people in their school. And they, the Klu Klux Klan was out there. People were picketing, people were spitting at us, and screaming at us. And [clears throat] I’ll never forget there was a kid in my class named Billy and he was upset that I was to answer the teacher's questions. |