African American Studies of Women History Class

My African American Studies class of Women History has been the most interesting class that I have taken thus far while attending the University of Mississippi. This class has opened a new perspective for me of how other people view women in all areas of their life. We have had great discussions, or should I say others have had great discussions because I rarely talked only listened, on different topics on the roles of  men and women, their lives, and how others view each other. We have read many articles, which started with Sarah Bartmann, on how black women are still being seen today. In the readings we talked about many prestigious women who were overlooked by men who were in the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement, different organizations such as SNCC, NAACP,  and many others. Our professor was a great teacher and I am very grateful for her fighting to even teach this class. This summer session it has taught me a lot. It has taught me to not be that typical overbearing, loud mouth, female that black men try to run away from. :-0 It was great hearing the men's perspective in class and see that yes women do some of the things that men say  they do and also how to change those things. This class was great and I will recommend anyone that needs a history class for something or even just to have more hours to take this class if it is offered.

Interview on Mrs. Shavonne Thigpen

Deneshia Walls

AAS 362

June 27, 2011

Interview Two

1.      What is your name? Maiden and Marriage

Shavonne Fields-Thigpen

2.      Where were you born?

Oakland, California

3.      Where did you grow up?

Marks, MS

4.      What happened in order for your family to move back to Mississippi?

Her family had to move back to Mississippi because her parents got divorced.

5.      What were your parent’s names and occupations?

Mother- Margret Fields           Father- Earnest Fields

Mrs. Thigpen was a cook and her father worked food service in a hospital

6.      Do you have any siblings? Yes or No, name?

Yes: Their names are Patricia Fields-Rogers, Albert Boyd, and Tiffany Fields-Blackburn

7.      What was your life like growing up as a black girl in_______?

Growing up in Marks, Mrs. Thigpen was raised in a single parent home with very strict rules. She also stated that she was very poor and that they rarely seen their mother because she worked two jobs just to provide for her family. Because of this her and her family had to stay with other relatives.

8.      Did you ever encounter racism? Explain

Yes: growing up in Marks, she attended an all black school until the 9^th grade. Then after that they integrated the schools. She had white friends, but she could only be their friends at school. One day she decided to sneak on her bike and ride on the other side of town where her white friends stayed. When she got there, the white girl’s parents did not say anything racist to her, but said that she should go home because it wasn’t safe for her to be over there by herself. When she got home she got in trouble with her family because they felt that she could have been killed or anything being in that part of town. That’s when she realized that racism was still there.

9.      What privileges or setbacks do you feel that you experienced growing up a black female in the North/South?

Mrs. Thigpen felt that she had an economic setback because her family was so poor. They had to receive all the federal help that they could. She also had many manager positions that both white and black women had a problem with. She was once a manager over two older white ladies and they told her to her face that they didn’t like her or had to listen to her because she was a young black girl. Many black women felt that Mrs. Thigpen thought she was better than them only because of her position, and said that she had to be sleeping with the boss in order for her to get the position she had and not because of her work experience or her  work performance.

10.  What, if anything, do you remember your parents telling you about race?

Her mom never talked about race, but did state that she had to work twice as hard as a white person to get the same job a white person had.

11.  What did your parents tell you or instill in you regarding being a woman, specifically a black woman?

She instilled into her to do her best in whatever she does.

12.  Did you attend school? Yes or No, why or why not?

Yes: to become successful

13.  Talk a little about those days…

While in school she was always in an all black school. The teachers were all African Americans except one, which was white, but she never showed any sign of racism. All the teachers there encouraged everyone and tried to uplift them to continue their education because they wanted the students to succeed and finish school.

14.  What was it like in school for you as a black female?

It wasn’t bias. Everyone was the same color so she didn’t feel any difference as being a black female.

15.  Did you graduate and attend college?

Yes: graduated from high school. Attended North West Community College until became pregnant and had to withdraw. Later attended Strayer University and got her Bachelors in Business.

16.  Did you get married? To who? When?

Yes: Terry Thigpen

17.  Where you ready to get married or were you forced? How did your parents feel about this?

She felt that she was ready to get married and that Mr. Terry was the right man for her. Her mother felt as long as she was happy and that was the right man for her then she was okay with it.

18.  Did you have any children? Yes or NO? How many? Why? Was this a choice or just happened?

Yes: 3 children. All the pregnancies just happened. They were never a choice.

19.  Where did you work as an adult?

She worked at a casino and many other factories. She is currently now working at the Panola County Welfare Office.

20.  Tell about your adult life and what was it like living as a black woman?

It was a struggle. She had to provide for her family and felt like she had to prove herself to others to let them know that she could make something of herself and take care of her family.

21.  Are there any specific stories that you would like to share regarding your adulthood life and being a black woman?

While being a black woman, Mrs. Thigpen has experienced sexual harassment on the job by her boss. She tried not to say anything because she needed her job to provide for her family, but the boss thought it was okay. He felt that he could say anything to her that he pleased and she should just take it and keep her mouth close. Those situations made her upset even more and soon left the job.

22.  What were your relationships like with other women? Specifically white and black women.

In some relationships it was great. There weren’t any problems that she had with both race where she have felt uncomfortable. There was a situation with some white women that made her pretty ill. Two white women at work would always come in twenty minutes late with clients waiting on them in the lobby. Nothing was ever said to them. A black woman came in six minutes late on her lunch break and they had an email sent around about a problem with people being late coming from their lunch break. Mrs. Thigpen told the women about themselves and also said something to the manager about things not being fair. Unfortunately, nothing was ever done about this problem.

23.  Would you consider yourself friends with white women? Do you have friends that are of another race?

Yes: would consider self friends with white women and also do have friends of another race.

24.  What type of relationship do you have with black men?

Mrs. Thigpen stated that she really didn’t like some men. They are very idealistic and she felt this because of her past experiences with men and also the absent of her father.

25.  What do you think is the role of both black men and women in relationships and what should their role be inside the role be?

She felt like each person should respect the needs and wants of the other person. She also felt that the man/husband should be the leader and the one responsible for other things. They should be the ones that discipline the children as well. The woman/wife should be the helper and the follower. She should also be the nurturer.

26.  What do you think about people dating outside of their race?

She felt that in today’s society people are more acceptable to biracial couples, but people should be mindful of how others were raised and that some may not be more acceptable as they are. During her time black people called whites crackers and whites called blacks niggers, therefore; they can’t help how they feel because of the past.

27.  What issues do you think most affect black Americans today?

Laziness and also the fact that now many opportunities are equal for both white and black children. White children are encouraged a lot and pushed more to become whatever they want to be, but black African American children don’t receive that from their family members or others. The family may be afraid that if they push them then they will be hit by a problem or situation that will destroy themselves and their career.

28.  What advice could you give to young girls today?

Young girls should set their goals, write out a plan and speak to that goal and plan. Soon the plan will change and the goal will stay the same. Also recognize your achievements and reward yourself.

Interview of Mrs. Johnson

Deneshia Walls

AAS 362

June 27, 2011

Interview One

1.      What is your name? Maiden and Marriage

Sharon Ann Walls-Johnson

2.      Where were you born?

Batesville, MS

3.      Where did you grow up?

Courtland, MS

4.      What were your parent’s names and occupations?

Mother- Velma Hines-Walls               Father- Cary Walls

Her mother was a housemaid and also a sewing machine operator. Her father worked at a service station then later as an electrician for TVA.

5.      Do you have any siblings? Yes or No, name?

Yes: 3, their names are Glenn Hines, Carolyn Walls-Hubrins, and Darron Walls

Mrs. Johnson was the next to the oldest out of the four children. Another child was born after her, but the baby did not make it. When her mom went into labor, the baby came out still-born. To Mrs. Johnson’s knowledge she did not know what happened in order for her mom to lose that child.

6.      What was your life like growing up as a black girl in_______?

Growing up in Courtland, MS was awesome. It was filled with joy and laughter. Mrs. Johnson stated that she loved it.

7.      Did you ever encounter racism? Explain

Not by knowledge

8.      What privileges or setbacks do you feel that you experienced growing up a black female in the North/South?

Mrs. Johnson experienced many privileges. She felt that getting a good education while in school was a privilege and also being able to attend Barzeon, which was a modeling school, was a privilege.

9.      What, if anything, do you remember your parents telling you about race?

Mrs. Johnson didn’t remember her parents telling her anything about race. It never was an issue to talk about.

10.  What did your parents tell you or instill in you regarding being a woman, specifically a black woman?

She instilled in her values and mortality. She also told her to do her best in whatever she does.

11.  Did you attend school? Yes or No, why or why not?

Yes: Her mother made her attend to further her education for a better life.

12.  Talk a little about those days…

She could remember going to HeadStart in a car. A lady by the name of Ms. Daisy would come by every morning and pick up the children around the small community at the time, and take them to school. Mrs. Johnson also remembered that some children would receive a bag with different school supplies and she never received one because both her parents were working and their income over exceeded the amount that was recommended for low-income families. In high school, she also remember the proms as being segregated.

13.  What was it like in school for you as a black female?

Mrs. Johnson did not have any problems during this time.

14.  Did you graduate and attend college?

Yes: graduated from high school, but did not attend college

15.  Did you get married? To who? When?

Yes she did get married- Ricky Johnson- Got married on May 11, 1980

16.  Where you ready to get married or were you forced? How did your parents feel about this?

Mrs. Johnson felt that she was ready to get married. She was 17years old and her husband was 18 years old at the time. Her parents and his were quite happy about it.

17.  Did you have any children? Yes or NO? How many? Why? Was this a choice or just happened?

Yes: she had 4: she felt that she was a bit ready for one at the time: it was not a choice it just happened, but after the first one, she tried to get pregnant only to have one so her first child would have someone to play with.

18.  Where did you work as an adult?

Mrs. Johnson worked at a shirt factory and then later at Panola Mills.

19.  Tell about your adult life and what was it like living as a black woman?

It was a great life. It was a time of happiness and fun. She was also proud of herself for being able to take care of her children and not having to depend on others and the government.

20.  Are there any specific stories that you would like to share regarding your adulthood life and being a black woman?

There weren’t any stories that she wanted to share.

21.  What were your relationships like with other women? Specifically white and black women.

They were the same with everyone else. She didn’t discriminate and basically treated everyone the way she wanted to be treated.

22.  Would you consider yourself friends with white women? Do you have friends that are of another race?

Yes: and do not have friends that are of another race

23.  What type of relationship do you have with black men?

She has a relationship with men that stay on a friendship level.

24.  What do you think is the role of both black men and women in relationships and what should their role be inside the home?

Mrs. Johnson thought that he role should be equal. If the man works and the wife doesn’t then the wife should be able to at least take care of the home. She was once a housewife and didn’t mind housework, but she would only go so far with it. She felt that sometimes men could go too far with the role of the woman.

25.  What do you think about people dating outside of their race?

She has no problem with people dating outside of their race. She felt that if a person meets someone who respects them and treats them right then that is all that matters.

26.  What issues do you think most affect black Americans today?

She felt that an issue that is affecting black Americans today is the lack of blacks not being able to find good jobs. Many people prefer mostly whites to receive the job.

27.  What advice could you give to young girls today?

The advice that Mrs. Johnson gave was not to get married while you are young. She said to finish school and get a good education and find yourself first. She stated to do what you want to do first in life before committing to someone else.

Anita Hill and Clarence Thomas

In the article that we had to read in class, Anita Hill was sexually abused verbally by her boss Clarence Thomas. Ms. Hill enjoyed working with Mr. Thomas and admired him greatly. She was very thankful for him because he opened doors for her that she couldn't have possibly done on her own. Mr. Thomas was very attractive to Ms. Hill and wanted to have many social gatherings with her, but she refused. She wanted to keep their relationships only on a work level. I thought Ms. Hill was right in every way for not ignoring the fact that Mr. Thomas made sexual comments to her. At first I was a bit upset with her for not doing something when it first began. I know that it was a freeze on a lot of the jobs that she wanted, but someone needed to know what kind of person Mr. Thomas was before he got sworn into office. When I did one of my interviews the lady told me that she too had been a victim of sexual harassment and the reason why she didn't tell was because she needed her job to provide for her family. She made me look at Anita Hill a bit differently. I should not have judge her because of the action that she took. A lot of people, like myself, are quick to judge other women for actions that they take, but we honestly don't know how that person may feel until it is done to us. Another issue that was a problem to me was Mr. Thomas wife asking Ms. Hill for an apology. I feel that she was only trying to do it to make Ms. Hill seem as if she was in the wrong and also to get others from looking at her husband as a sexual harasser. I felt that Ms. Thomas knew it was the truth and didn't want to admit it. She didn't want to admit to the fact that her husband was attracted to a beautiful African American woman and not a woman like herself.

Still Being Held Down

During one of our readings in my African American studies class, we read about the Civil Rights movement and when it began to come into play. Many organizations began to form to fight for their rights and for equality. Many groups such as the Freedom Rides, SNCC, and, SCLC began to take place. While we were discussing  the matter in class we brought up the topic about the role of the children within this movement. Many African American children played a role during this time and the parents were a hundred percent behind them. On the opposite side, during the riots, many whites attacked camera men from filming and taking photos of the events that were being taken place. One camera man in particular was held by an attacker who let a couple of white women claw him in the face and beat him. Then the same women allowed their children even get involved in beating this man. I was shocked!!!!! Reading that made me think of an instance that took place in the school where I was completing some of my field experience hours for one of my education class. It was a first grade class. During Black History Month the students had to write a couple of sentences of some facts about a famous African American person then provide a picture. While completing this assignment the students had to present them in class. During the presentations, one little white boy got up and presented Abraham Lincoln and talked about the penny. The teacher was astonished!!!! She couldn't believe it. After the presentations were over she took the little boy aside and asked him why did he do Abraham Lincoln when that was not a famous African America?. He told her that his father told him that he could not do his project on a black person, so his father chose the penny. After school, the teacher  made a phone call to the parent and asked about the project and the father specifically told her that his child was not going to be apart of recognizing black people for what they did!!! When I heard this I was furious!! I couldn't help but think why did some white people still try to keep black people from moving ahead. All children need to know their history and shouldn't be deprived of that. Racism is still being taken place and parents are still teaching their children to play a part in in it. Just like the mothers allowing their children to beat the camera man that was only trying to capture the trials that blacks had to face for equality, the father was trying to deprive his child of seeing who was in the forefront during that time.

Zora Neal Hurston and The Complete Stories

In my African American Studies Class of Women History, we were assigned to  read a few  articles by Zora  Neal Hurston. The articles that were were supposed to read was "Sweat and The Gilded Six-Bits". These articles were very interesting to me.

In the article "Sweat" the story reminded me of Ms. Hurston's movie "Their Eyes Were Watching God". Mrs. Delia Jones was a hard working black woman. Her daily job was being a washerwoman, where she washed white people clothes for a living. Her overbearing husband ,Sykes Jones, was very abusive physically and verbally. Sykes did not work. Instead he paraded another woman around town, which was from the north, claiming that the town was his and she could have it all if she wanted it. Sykes also told the woman that soon the house that he share with his useless wife would soon be hers as soon as he gets rid of her. Well little did the woman know, Sykes did not own anything in his house. He didn't even own the house. Delia did. She worked hard to pay for the house and everything in it. Like Janie in the movie, Delia use to be a very pretty young woman, but now looked a bit torn from all the working she did everyday to make a living and also the many beatings she had from her husband. Delia got to a point where she began to stand up for herself against her husband. He actually was a bit shock, but when a woman is fed up she's fed up!!!!! Toward the end of the story, Sykes had brought a snake home that he caught to scared Delia. Little did he know, the very snake that he brought to be vicious is the very snake that was going to end his life leaving him calling on the woman that he thought he would never need again in his life.

The Gilded Six-Bit was also interesting. Normally in many articles that we read, the women are the victims. This one was different. Missy Mae and Joe was the all time perfect couple. Missy Mae waited every day for her husband to come home. When he got there she had his bath water ready and clothes laying on the bed. Then dinner was served. They complemented each other continuously. It was a great relationship until the slimy Otis D. Slemmons came along. Slemmons made the town think he was a big shot, but in reality he wasn't. Missy Mae and Joe dreamed of the life that Slemmons claimed to have, but little did Joe know Missy Mae wanted that life more than he did. One day Joe got off work early and came home to see Slemmons in his bedroom with is wife. Joe acted like any normal human being and retaliated by punching slemmons in the face with his right fist and grab the golden coin around slemmons neck with his left. Things was a bit awkward for the couple from then on. What confused me is that Joe never really got mad at Missy Mae. He wanted to act like nothing happened. Eventually everything got back to normal just when she thought he didn't love her he began to show that he did.

Many people try to make men seem a bit like a suspect. Women have the idea that all men are bad, but this story showed that there are some good men that will stand by their wives no matter what. Everyone get mistreated sometimes and it is not always men. In class we always talk about men and bashing them, but we never really talk about the women who are just deceiving as some men.

 In the article Sweat, Delia finally became free from her abusive husband and I think she knew that when she heard him struggling for his life from the snake. She heard him call her, but did not come to his rescue. She was tired and fed up!!!

Their Eyes Were Watching God!!!

In my Aas 362 class the other day we watched the movie "Their Eyes Were Watching God". It was a great movie and very interesting to watch. It was actually my first time watching it and I loved it. The movie was about a lady by the name of Ms. Janie. Ms. Janie was the wife of the mayor of Eatonville. Eatonville was the first black town to be organized. The only thing that she wanted to do was to feel free and loved and she eventually got what she had been dreaming for her entire life and Tea Cake, which was her lover,  made that possible for her.

While I was watching the movie, it reminded me of all the other articles that we covered in class. The one in particular was "The Colored Girl". In the article it basically told about how people viewed colored girls. They viewed them as "the problem". Janie was viewed as a problem. In a part in the movie when everyone was celebrating about the new mayor, Janie's husband, Janie went to the end of the store and overheard the other women talking about  how she thinks since she's the mayor's wife she didn' t have to help them. Then she overheard the other women at the beginning talking about her and Tea Cake and how he took all her money. Janie even was the problem against her husband. He treated her like she was nothing because other men looked at her. He took the role of a woman being submissive to the extreme and when Janie didn't do as he said he physically abused her. Those women and many others gathered their own ideas about Janie and her marriage, but soon her husband died from a sickness and while he was on his death bed, he wished death on his wife. Janie still didn't care. Through all of the physical abuse and verbal abuse, she stood up and did not care what others said about her and felt, so once she had the chance to be free, she lived it to the fullest.

If more women would be like Janie and stop living up to what people have designed them out to be, then the community would be a greater place for people to find out who they really are. In this movie, Janie showed other women that there is someone out there that will understand them and love them just the way they are. Tea Cake loved her for her. He never undermined her for being a woman and colored. Nor did he make her seem lower than him. Tea Cake was the man that every woman can dream of having.

The Colored Girl

 Getting an education is extremely important, but having a great teacher is what is going to be the influence of you getting that education to become something in your lifetime. Many teachers do not get appreciated for the things that they do and what they have accomplished in a child's life. Black teachers, in particular, have to work even harder to achieve their goals and be a good role model for their students and allow them to see that they too can make it.  Within the article of "The Colored Girl" the author, Fannie Barrier Williams, wanted to give everyone an insight of how "the colored girl" had an influence in education. She stated that if anyone could  take the colored girl out of the schools then all the progress would cease. A colored girl works harder than anyone in the country with little compensation. If you could  follow her into the schools then you will see how well they are put together and how well they teach with little or nothing to teach with, but everyone still holds their ideas about the colored girl in a state where she gets no credit for what she has done. A teacher deserve a right to be respected and not taken advantage of.  She is determined and willing to put away all things  that may be dear and personal to her just to help others achieve their goal and help them  make something out of themselves. Williams also stated that if you wanted to look for a colored woman with the qualities of a heroin, then look for her in the most remote places such as the alley or a small building in the woods. Those kind of women are not the women who are well dressed, parading the streets, and filling the churches. If we could all began to appreciate the colored women, who are teachers that actually cares about you succeeding, then the African American race will overcome the obstacles that they are facing. We all have to have the mind frame to be like teachers in order to help each other succeed. If someone is doing something wrong then teach them to do better. Be that great teacher that has a heart of love, patience, and courage.