WEBVTT
00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:37.000
Speaker1: Of course, it's called The History of Black Women. My subject is
Mrs. Lillian Biggs. And when they asked her the questions that were
distributed to the class last week, my first question is to you, Mr. Biggs,
is that in what roles of your mothers did or do you find reinforcement of
your own self esteem? And why are these important to you? Why your self
esteem? I'm talking about you feel confident in yourself. You protect
yourself.
00:00:37.000 --> 00:00:41.000
Speaker2: Grandparents and my mother.
00:00:41.000 --> 00:00:48.000
Speaker1: Do you find a portion of your own in this? Are these important
to you?
00:00:48.000 --> 00:00:52.000
Speaker2: Yes, it is very important.
00:00:52.000 --> 00:00:55.000
Speaker1: Do you try and project this same image to your own children?
00:00:55.000 --> 00:01:00.000
Speaker2: Well, I talk to them about it and I let them run their own.
00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:04.000
Speaker1: So how much is your education? Have you received, Ms.. Banks?
00:01:04.000 --> 00:01:07.000
Speaker2: Well, eighth grade as far as I.
00:01:07.000 --> 00:01:10.000
Speaker1: Do you feel that that's been enough for you?
00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:16.000
Speaker2: No, I would love to go to college, but my mother couldn't.
00:01:16.000 --> 00:01:27.000
Speaker1: Good because we haven't had enough education that has
handicapped you in any way? No. Has religion been an important factor in
raising your family?
00:01:27.000 --> 00:01:29.000
Speaker2: Yes, it has.
00:01:29.000 --> 00:01:46.000
Speaker1: Do you as a black church, in your opinion, one of the strongest?
Places for. Getting the band together. Here's your mother or your own
parents. Did they reject the church to you?
00:01:46.000 --> 00:01:57.000
Speaker2: Well, they can't miss the church. When we were little and we
always went, sometime we'd stop and then go back and always return to the
church.
00:01:57.000 --> 00:02:15.000
Speaker1: You know, throughout my aspects, I noticed that the black church
is still the. Most important factor of getting people together. You feel
that the black church is still playing that same role today rather than,
you know, you have a different they have.
00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:17.000
Speaker2: Different ways now.
00:02:17.000 --> 00:02:23.000
Speaker1: Okay. Um, what kind of sacrifices have you made for your
children?
00:02:23.000 --> 00:02:41.000
Speaker2: Well, my husband and I both have sacrificed a lot, and we try to
give them as much as we can. We love to give them more, but. There's no way
we can do it.
00:02:41.000 --> 00:02:49.000
Speaker1: Okay. How much do you feel a woman should sacrifice for her
children?
00:02:49.000 --> 00:03:11.000
Speaker2: When a woman has a child, she should do the best she can if
she's able to be home with it and she's not and has to work, she should
have somebody that's capable to take care of. They are confidence and
taking care of their children. Right? Not just leave their children with
anybody and go ahead.
00:03:11.000 --> 00:03:36.000
Speaker1: My belief has been that, you know, when the parents are working
and the child is in school, whatever the. The parents should spend some
type of sharing with the child, you know, to let her know. Okay. Name and
discuss a few ways in which religion, self-esteem and family upbringing
determine your career.
00:03:36.000 --> 00:04:19.000
Speaker2: Well, as far as I can remember. Let me see. My mother always
take me to church. She always taught us Bible. We used to read the Bible
together. And I tried to tell the children the same way and let them go
from there after they got larger. And tell them to read the Bible. And
because God will help everybody, no matter who they are. And if you don't
go to church once in a while, there's nothing harmful in going to church
because you supposed to give God some of your time. You can't give God some
of your time. I don't know who you're going to go to after that.
00:04:19.000 --> 00:04:26.000
Speaker1: Do you think that your religious upbringing helped determine
your career?
00:04:26.000 --> 00:04:29.000
Was just the eighth grade. Education.
00:04:29.000 --> 00:04:38.000
Speaker2: You know, my mother, she kept us in school because we could drop
out any time we wanted to.
00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:53.000
Speaker1: Okay. Why did you as an adult join clubs, church or sororities
or national organization? Why didn't you? As opposed to.
00:04:53.000 --> 00:05:04.000
Speaker2: I don't know, because I've always taken my time with my
children. I thought that was more important than clubs and everything
like.
00:05:04.000 --> 00:05:24.000
Speaker1: We know. What active moves have you made as an organization
member that affects a large number of blacks? So because you said that you
don't belong to any. And then push more or less five to at any organization
for blacks ever held ever made help available to you or anyone.
00:05:24.000 --> 00:05:30.000
In your family. You know, if you're.
00:05:30.000 --> 00:05:32.000
Speaker1: Somebody in your family's in a fire or.
00:05:32.000 --> 00:05:38.000
Something. They donated clothing.
00:05:38.000 --> 00:05:41.000
Speaker2: I shouldn't say that because.
00:05:41.000 --> 00:05:52.000
Speaker1: They want to eat foreigners. What about such organizations as
the NAACP?
00:05:52.000 --> 00:05:56.000
Speaker2: There, dog. Naacp.
00:05:56.000 --> 00:06:03.000
Have they ever helped anyone?
00:06:03.000 --> 00:06:11.000
Speaker1: What changes, if any, occurred in black organizations since
World War Two?
00:06:11.000 --> 00:06:20.000
Speaker2: Well, there's a lot of difference because I do go around and
help their colors. It's not as hard as it was before.
00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:25.000
With black organizations.
00:06:25.000 --> 00:06:27.000
Speaker1: During World War Two or whatever they were.
00:06:27.000 --> 00:06:39.000
Speaker2: Was a hotel. You had to go by your color. Be yellow. I'll tell
you just how it was. If you weren't yellow, you didn't get anything and
won't be bothered with it.
00:06:39.000 --> 00:06:45.000
Speaker1: And what about during the 50s? How did you see any changes
occurred.
00:06:45.000 --> 00:06:49.000
In the early 50? These black organizations we're getting away from.
00:06:49.000 --> 00:06:53.000
Speaker1: So-called light skinned black. Yes.
00:06:53.000 --> 00:06:58.000
Speaker2: Yes. They got away for some of.
00:06:58.000 --> 00:07:01.000
Speaker1: What do you feel is the most powerful?
00:07:01.000 --> 00:07:06.000
Attribute a black woman has.
00:07:06.000 --> 00:07:26.000
Speaker2: Well, she's more involved in giving things that's going on.
Well, you get out of here and get better jobs and things like this. You
don't have to work for $3 a week and $15 a week like. My mother has this.
00:07:26.000 --> 00:07:49.000
Speaker1: How should she use it? How should a black woman use her
attributes as she has done? I think that you should use it in a manner to.
Take care of the home aspect or.
00:07:49.000 --> 00:08:00.000
Speaker2: Some other means, use it to help with their home. This is able.
00:08:00.000 --> 00:08:05.000
Speaker1: At what point in your life did you feel a sense of
responsibility for other blacks?
00:08:05.000 --> 00:08:13.000
Speaker2: I've always felt that way, even when I was a child.
00:08:13.000 --> 00:08:41.000
Speaker1: It was because you had a sense of responsibility for other
people. You think that that was taking something away from you? No. Have
you ever attended a church sponsored school? No. What do you recall of your
grandparents?
00:08:41.000 --> 00:08:59.000
Speaker2: Well, they were very loving. Very. My grandfather was and
grandmother were Irish. My grandmother was Irish friends. My grandfather
was Irish. And my other friend. It was.
00:08:59.000 --> 00:09:02.000
Speaker1: Your great grandparents were African.
00:09:02.000 --> 00:09:10.000
African and Irish. It's. Um.
00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:17.000
Speaker1: What would some of the stories that your grandparents used to
tell you? About where they came from down south.
00:09:17.000 --> 00:10:08.000
Speaker2: My. No. My grandfather on my mother's side came from Africa.
They stole him from Africa. Him and his brother. And his sister and his
father. My land. My. My grandfather on my mother's side. She. He used to be
in slavery. He had the bloody flux. And they left him on a ship with my
grandfather. The Africans, they got him. Well, they sailed back to Ireland.
When they came there, they wouldn't let them land. So he came back to
France, and then he came on to the United States. About his wife. And she
was a French and French slave.
00:10:08.000 --> 00:10:15.000
Speaker1: Uh, you know, they carry some of the stories about, you know,
closeness of the slaves.
00:10:15.000 --> 00:10:29.000
Speaker2: Yes. He said they were very close and they were very good. And
he kept my grandfather and his youngest brother. But the youngest brother
ran away. They never seen her father and her mother and sister anymore.
00:10:29.000 --> 00:10:30.000
Speaker1: Do you think that.
00:10:30.000 --> 00:10:40.000
Speaker2: He married my grandmother? My African grandfather married my
Irish. French grandmother.
00:10:40.000 --> 00:10:51.000
Speaker1: Do you think some of the stories that you listened to from your
grandparents? Great grandparents. They were very touching to you that you
know, that such things went on in.
00:10:51.000 --> 00:11:25.000
Speaker2: Yes, because he used to beg my mother and her sisters and
brothers not to hate me. He loved them very much. He put them on his lap
and begged them not to hate him before he even died. And he loved. You very
much. Brought them to Washington, Pennsylvania. He bought them a farm where
the white folks stole it all off because they take it as payment. If you
needed anything, you know, any material, they take so much of your land.
Government did that. Okay.
00:11:25.000 --> 00:11:33.000
Speaker1: Um, is the woman as as head of household a bad thing or.
00:11:33.000 --> 00:11:36.000
Speaker2: I think both people should be the head of the house.
00:11:36.000 --> 00:11:42.000
They should share together.
00:11:42.000 --> 00:11:46.000
Speaker1: You know, like Black Wednesday, she became a more successful.
00:11:46.000 --> 00:11:49.000
And mainly the reason why a lot of black women is becoming success.
00:11:49.000 --> 00:11:52.000
Speaker1: Because they are.
00:11:52.000 --> 00:12:02.000
Speaker2: Well, if they don't have a husband, they should be the head of
the house. But if they have the husband, they should share it, not be over
the husband. I don't think that's right.
00:12:02.000 --> 00:12:07.000
Speaker1: Okay. As a proud black woman, what piece of your culture or
heritage are you leaving.
00:12:07.000 --> 00:12:16.000
With the younger black?
00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:31.000
Speaker1: You represent your culture or heritage? Pass. Dollars. Something
that, you know, something that might be special to you in a sense as far
as.
00:12:31.000 --> 00:12:57.000
Speaker2: Religion or I would try to tell them never to be ashamed of
their parents or their. That's one thing I believe I always deliver and
think of them because everything they did wasn't their fault. Somebody else
taught it to them.
00:12:57.000 --> 00:13:04.000
Speaker1: Do you think that is better for black women to work and have a
career and to take welfare that she can be with her children?
00:13:04.000 --> 00:13:13.000
Speaker2: No, I don't believe in welfare. If I can work and have somebody
take care of my children, I'd rather do that.
00:13:13.000 --> 00:13:41.000
Speaker1: No talk of welfare. As you know, black people have been black
men and black women have been working just about all their lives. And some
people revert to welfare and. To get back some of the money that they put
into it and. Welfare is just another means of, you know, getting back some
of the money that they've given the government and. There's more whites on
welfare than there is blacks.
00:13:41.000 --> 00:13:43.000
Speaker2: That's true. Yeah. More whites.
00:13:43.000 --> 00:13:45.000
Speaker1: To be the cause of.
00:13:45.000 --> 00:13:51.000
Uh, you know, welfare wise, to lead. And we're the ones supposed to be the
leading welfare today. And, you know, we're not the.
00:13:51.000 --> 00:14:07.000
Speaker2: Leaders. White people, some of them don't even need it, but
they're on it. But a black person getting on welfare, she has a hard way to
go. And everyone's looking at her and trying to see what she's doing with
her.
00:14:07.000 --> 00:14:11.000
Speaker1: But, you know, if the black woman can't.
00:14:11.000 --> 00:14:20.000
Speaker2: She can't afford to go out there and work and have someone to
take care of children. She should take that welfare. Okay. She should take
it.
00:14:20.000 --> 00:14:24.000
Speaker1: Do you object to the image of blacks on television? Radio?
00:14:24.000 --> 00:14:37.000
Speaker2: Those who sometimes not all the time. Some things are in front
and you take it as one because you see white people. White people do.
00:14:37.000 --> 00:14:38.000
Speaker1: Kind of aggravation.
00:14:38.000 --> 00:14:45.000
Do you see? Television or radio or in the movies.
00:14:45.000 --> 00:14:46.000
Speaker1: Some of the things that aggravate.
00:14:46.000 --> 00:14:54.000
You because you see black folks. Excuse me. Some things when they get.
00:14:54.000 --> 00:15:06.000
Speaker2: On there and try to act. Uncle Thomas, because we're not Uncle
Thomas, we had to be made like that. That's the way they made the image of
us. Like there. But I don't like that. Not one bit.
00:15:06.000 --> 00:15:16.000
I don't think it's very nice. Okay.
00:15:16.000 --> 00:15:22.000
Speaker1: How do you chose to determine your own destiny?
00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:41.000
Speaker2: Well, I thought I'd live as. Nice as I can. Try to teach my
children to be the same way. Try to be kind to people. And I don't like to
meddle in people's business. I like them to treat me the same way. Right.
00:15:41.000 --> 00:15:49.000
Speaker1: Can you feel that society in America dominates your actions most
of your adult life?
00:15:49.000 --> 00:15:52.000
Now I go my way. I do my way. I don't let.
00:15:52.000 --> 00:15:57.000
Speaker2: Anyone tell me how to do.
00:15:57.000 --> 00:16:11.000
Speaker1: Many of us noticed that because of some because of the way the
white man has taught us, you know, we still revert to that way. And. We as
black folks do get something. People seem to say.
00:16:11.000 --> 00:16:21.000
That he's charming, and yet he's just an individual trying to. Here while
leaving. Everyone trying to get ahead and.
00:16:21.000 --> 00:16:29.000
Speaker2: Also being kind to others is not as fortunate as they are. I
believe that.
00:16:29.000 --> 00:16:37.000
Speaker1: Uh, do you involve yourself in the actions of the local school
board? Your children are directly affected?
00:16:37.000 --> 00:16:40.000
Speaker2: Yes. Did you see what was going.
00:16:40.000 --> 00:16:48.000
On and help in school? When I was, you know, the children were in school. I
always go up there and.
00:16:48.000 --> 00:16:53.000
Speaker2: Go to school and look and see what was going on and ask
questions.
00:16:53.000 --> 00:17:18.000
Speaker1: Tell them what I thought. Recently. I've done some research. The
deterioration of the schools, particularly in the Pittsburgh area. And the
thing that I felt was the greatest disaster is not the class size. Which
teachers had to teach, but the lack of parent interest.
00:17:18.000 --> 00:17:19.000
Speaker2: Yes, there's very little.
00:17:19.000 --> 00:17:23.000
Period of interest because I know when we were. My children were in
school.
00:17:23.000 --> 00:17:33.000
Speaker2: I'd go and be very few parents. Maybe about 5 or 10 parents
would be there and you'd have something going on, you know, trying to do.
00:17:33.000 --> 00:17:41.000
Different things with the children. They wouldn't come around and help. My
answer to that was that.
00:17:41.000 --> 00:17:51.000
Speaker1: If the banks took some interest in the schools, took an interest
in their children to go see about the school, other than just the open
house, which allows the parents to come.
00:17:51.000 --> 00:17:57.000
To the school. And the parents went to the school to see how good the
children were doing.
00:17:57.000 --> 00:18:02.000
Speaker1: It was a reinforcement there. What made the child feel?
00:18:02.000 --> 00:18:15.000
Speaker2: Satisfied. You know, it would. They were really going see about
their children, not just go when they're invited, though, once in a while
on their own.
00:18:15.000 --> 00:18:22.000
Speaker1: How do you influence what they are telling your children?
00:18:22.000 --> 00:18:44.000
Speaker2: School. Well, one thing I didn't want in spring when my children
started, you know, everyone is supposed to know their timetable. I had
taught mine. Some of those teachers say they don't need timetables. Every
child in the world needs timetables or you cannot count. Yeah, you can't do
algebra or nothing.
00:18:44.000 --> 00:18:50.000
Else without knowing how to count. Okay.
00:18:50.000 --> 00:18:52.000
Speaker1: In what ways do you curb your spending.
00:18:52.000 --> 00:19:02.000
In white Anglo-Saxon Protestant business? You mainly to shopping the white
community?
00:19:02.000 --> 00:19:10.000
Speaker1: What you saying? Or do you go to the blacks in the black
neighborhood and spend your money also?
00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:21.000
Speaker2: There is both. Wherever I can find what I can buy, I go to both,
you know, black or white. It's too hard on a black. I go to white. If it's
too high and a white, I go to the black.
00:19:21.000 --> 00:19:27.000
Speaker1: That's mainly been a problem with that. People always say, well,
our own people is ripping us off in our own neighborhoods.
00:19:27.000 --> 00:19:31.000
Speaker2: They do, because sometimes they make it too high and you don't
have the.
00:19:31.000 --> 00:19:34.000
Speaker1: Money to go to the white.
00:19:34.000 --> 00:19:42.000
Neighborhood yet. You know, they always crying. Why don't the black people
spend their money in their own black neighborhood?
00:19:42.000 --> 00:19:45.000
Speaker1: I say we take our money and go spend it outside for you.
00:19:45.000 --> 00:20:11.000
Speaker2: Well, I'll tell you, a lot of times you go to a black store and
they want so much for the staff. It's not right because colored people
don't have that kind of money. They need to make it so that can be they
know their own people. They need to lower those prices so other people can
go to their stores. A lot of times you can go and get something reasonable,
but a lot of times you can't get it because it's really too high and you
don't have the money.
00:20:11.000 --> 00:20:12.000
Speaker1: But you would rather cater to the.
00:20:12.000 --> 00:20:19.000
Speaker2: I'd rather cater to my black people if they'd really make
things. You know, so you could buy.
00:20:19.000 --> 00:20:31.000
Speaker1: Enjoy the time being in black neighborhood stores. Little bitty
small corner store. And you could you can just go to the supermarket and
make one clean sweep for all the items that you.
00:20:31.000 --> 00:20:50.000
Speaker2: It's when you buy one thing at that black store and you go to
another store, you can get three and four for that price and see colored
people. Most of us, we don't have the money just to buy one thing. We have
to buy important things. So the last, you know.
00:20:50.000 --> 00:20:59.000
Speaker1: You know, Do you remember any joint business ventures by any
black organization, clubs and sororities?
00:20:59.000 --> 00:21:02.000
Speaker2: The black thing.
00:21:02.000 --> 00:21:11.000
Speaker1: Royal National Bank. Do you think they were successful? Were
they successful and who supported them?
00:21:11.000 --> 00:21:13.000
Speaker2: Will the church is going to.
00:21:13.000 --> 00:21:19.000
Different clubs and things. Black people.
00:21:19.000 --> 00:21:30.000
Speaker1: The New World National Bank I'm not too familiar with, but I do
know some of the personnel that's affiliated with it and Reverend Hopson,
for one.
00:21:30.000 --> 00:21:36.000
Is my pastor. Q is another one. Yeah. And, uh.
00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:46.000
Speaker1: I think the, uh, they are becoming successful and they are
doing. Black churches with mainly keeping the bank together.
00:21:46.000 --> 00:21:51.000
Because they put me on. Yes. Right. Because my husband has.
00:21:51.000 --> 00:21:53.000
Speaker2: Given was in the church has put.
00:21:53.000 --> 00:21:58.000
Investment in the black bank.
00:21:58.000 --> 00:22:02.000
Speaker1: How much education do?
00:22:02.000 --> 00:22:23.000
Speaker2: How could you say some of them have graduated. Some of them went
to college, some quit. Just couldn't afford it, just like I had. Doctors
and some glorious nurses. I see. My mother had nine children. She couldn't
afford it. I was the third from the last.
00:22:23.000 --> 00:22:26.000
Speaker1: In those days, the education cost cost.
00:22:26.000 --> 00:22:37.000
Speaker2: Money and my mother didn't make but $3 to $15 a week. And she
raised us because my father died when I was eight.
00:22:37.000 --> 00:22:43.000
Speaker1: How does it seem to help or hinder the development?
00:22:43.000 --> 00:22:46.000
Too much education.
00:22:46.000 --> 00:22:51.000
Speaker1: And if they hinder you in the development of your children, do
you think.
00:22:51.000 --> 00:23:08.000
Speaker2: They're helping you? They helped me because I always wanted to,
you know, to be educated. I taught them try to get as much schooling and
education as they could. Kept them in school. Sometimes they'd want to do
different things, but I still made them study and go to school.
00:23:08.000 --> 00:23:14.000
Speaker1: And your husband, does he have a higher education that you have?
Yes.
00:23:14.000 --> 00:23:21.000
Speaker2: He said that he went to 12th grade. He graduated.
00:23:21.000 --> 00:24:21.000
Speaker1: Okay, let's get to it. I'd like to thank you, Miss Bass, for the
interview, and I'm sure our class were very helpful and learning all about
your aspects. Thank you.
