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Lenier Grogan: Mrs. Elizabeth Caddle. Sunday, July 25th, 1976. Six.
Question number one and what rolls of your mothers did, or do you find
reinforcement of your own self esteem? Elizabeth Caddle: Role of my
mother.
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Elizabeth Caddle: Do I find reinforcement of myself and entertaining? Uh.
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Caddle: The role of her character. Uh, the role of her, um. Pride. Her
ambition in life.
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Grogan: Okay. Why are these important to you?
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Caddle: It's important to me to have character, to have pride, and to have
ambitions and goals in life, to set them and try and aim for them.
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Grogan: Question number two how much education have you received?
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Caddle: Uh, three and a half years of college.
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Grogan: How has it been enough for you?
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Caddle: No, I would like to finish my college and go for a master's in my
major that I was taking, which was social work.
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Grogan: How much education should the Black woman have in order to be
successful?
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Caddle: I think all Black women should have a college background and
college education to be successful. But there is some circumstances where
some women could be successful with just a good high school, a very good
high school education where they got received quality education.
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Grogan: Okay. Question number three. Has religion been an important factor
in raising your family?
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Caddle: Yes, it has. In my case, religion has been an important factor.
I'm Catholic and the Catholic religion has been an important factor in
raising my son.
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Grogan: Okay. Question number four, what kinds of sacrifices have you made
for your children?
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Caddle: Well, that could take up all of our tape, but I'll try and tell
you. Uh huh. Uh, I only think. I think that I have made all types of
sacrifices in raising my son. I have worked very hard. I raised him by
myself. I headed the household. I tried to see that he had the best quality
education. Uh, he is now in college, and I'm still sacrificing.
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Grogan: Okay. How much do you feel a woman should sacrifice for her
children?
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Caddle: I think that any woman who has children should sacrifice to the
very end for her children. And especially when they show an ability, uh,
and appreciation. I think that all mothers who have children should want
their children to have better than they have.
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Grogan: Okay. Question number five. Name and discuss a few ways in which
religion, self esteem and family upbringing determine your career.
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Caddle: On.
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Grogan: Religion, self-esteem and family operate and determine your
career..
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Caddle: Well, I was brought up in a very strict Baptist background, and my
mother had very strict rules on, uh, morals, values. Um. Pride and all
those type of things, and especially a strict rule on education that you
must get an education in order to get anywhere in life. And these were the
beliefs that I came up with, along with morals and along with values that
she had. Now, this was the background in which I was raised and I have
passed or tried to pass this background on to my son with some things
additional, I changed to Catholic. My reason for investors was because of
my son and to give him a good quality education. And at the time he came
along, that was the only place that he could get a quality education was in
a parochial school.
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Caddle: So at four years old, all he knows is Catholic. But I was Baptist
before I was Catholic. I turned Catholic because I only had the one child
at the time he came along. It was strict rules about fasting and eating and
things like that. And I had to there had to be someone to join him in these
things. So that caused me to turn Catholic with the background I had and
raised up in and the Catholic background and the teachings that you get
there. They all suited very well in what I wanted my son to be. Uh, first
he had a religious background, even though it was different from what I had
had in the beginning, from Baptist to Catholic.
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Caddle: Secondly, he got a quality education. The thing that I had had in
my background too, it was stressed that an education was the important
thing and a good education. He got this by being in the Catholic school. He
also got the morals and the value of respect. Uh, and where I was taught in
good old fashioned Baptist background of honor, thy father and thy mother,
his was respect your parents. And this was taught every day to him.
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Caddle: And this was the background I needed because I found myself at 18
months old that he was without my husband to help me raise him by him being
a boy and me knowing that I had to go out and work and work hard to
maintain him and I and a decent household, he needed the values that he was
going to get that I had got with a father and a mother in my background. He
needed that with one parent missing and between what I did from working two
and three jobs at a time to maintain us and what the Catholic religion gave
him, I think, has caused me to be proud of the product that I produced at
20 years old that he is now. He has a good education. He has moral values.
He has pride, he has determination. And these were the things, the
background that I had come up in with two parents.
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Grogan: Okay. Question number six, why did you or why didn't you as an
adult join clubs, churches or church auxiliaries, sororities or national
organizations.
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Caddle: As an adult? I did join them as a young person in the Baptist
church. I was in, uh, the uh, BYPU, um, I belong to in the Bible school. I
was always my mother pushed me up front with recitations and whatnot. And
as as I got up as an adult, I had knew this background then I did. In my
high school days, I headed, uh, edited part of our paper, uh, from, uh,
high school. I joined other organizations. I did not join a sorority in
college, but from high school. As I got older, I joined other
organizations.
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Grogan: Okay. Why did you join these? Why? Why did you join all these?
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Caddle: Because I was taught my mother had been an active person and I was
taught to be an active person and just to work and come home was not
enough. I wanted to help people. Some of the organizations I joined were
organizations that would help other people, and some of the organizations
were organizations that had quite a bit of activity in them. On doing
things. And this is the type of person I have been raised in this type of
background that I like to be. I have volunteered at services and just
helping people.
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Grogan: Okay. Question number seven, What active, active moves have you
made as an organization member that affects a large number of Blacks?
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Caddle: Um. I belong to the new professionals and the active moves that
I've made in there that has affected a large number of Black adults, both
men and women. It's an educational organization to recruit adults and try
to help them get a college education. All those who would desire and to get
their GED. Um, I belong on a local, regional and national level to the, um,
nblc National Black Catholic Organization, and that's an organization that
helps all Black Catholics. Uh, it helps them to get things in the church,
to have a part in the Catholic Church of which they never had before.
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Grogan: Okay. Have any organizations for Blacks ever made help available
to you or anyone in your family? Discuss?
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Caddle: Uh, yes. The, uh. Yes, the Black Catholic Ministries and Laymen's
Council has helped me since I had a serious operation within these 18
months. They have helped me tremendously financially. The Catholic diocese
and the Catholic Church has helped me tremendously within these 18 months
coming up with my son through the Catholic school system. The diocese has
directly paid tuition when I was short or I didn't have it to pay to see
that, he continued his Catholic education. Okay, let's say it. So it's on
there.
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Grogan: Question number nine. What changes, if any, occurred in Black
organizations since World War Two and during the 1950s?
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Caddle: During the 1950s, we did not have the Black organization sense
that we have since World War Two going on. We have more federally funded
organizations to help Black people. Since World War Two than we had during
the 50s. We didn't have them at all to help people that we have today since
World War Two.
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Grogan: So I may say that. Question number ten, what do you feel is the
most powerful attribute of a Black woman has?
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Caddle: Get that off like.
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Caddle: Secondly, she has the ability to show the world what she can do. A
Black woman can do anything that she sets her mind to do and wants to
really do.
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Grogan: How should she use this?
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Caddle: A Black woman should use this, uh, attribute and her ability to
the best and the highest of his advantage and esteem. Set that off.
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Grogan: Question 11. At what point in your life did you feel a sense of
responsibility for other Blacks?
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Caddle: I reached adulthood and and spreading my scope of organizations
belonging. And found out how much need there was for Blacks and what
different helps that Blacks needed.
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Grogan: Question 12 Have you ever attended a church sponsored school?
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Caddle: No, I've never attended a church sponsored school.
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Grogan: Okay. Question 13 What do you recall of your grandparents?
Grandparents?
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Caddle: I did not know my grandparents. And the only, uh, thing that I can
recall is my mother telling me about my grandmother. I'm named after her.
And by my mother and grandmother being Cherokee Indians. I heard a lot of
things. My, um, grandmother was a Cherokee Indian daughter about her that
way, but I did not know her or anything. The only thing I can recall is
what my mother told me and asked me that.
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Grogan: And then I'll tell you. Uh, what about your great grandparents?
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Caddle: I did not know my great grandparents either.
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Grogan: Question 14 Is the woman as head of your household a bad thing or
a good thing as well as a woman, as head of household, a good thing or a
bad thing? Caddle: I guess they mean, as a woman does head of household do
you think is good or you think it's bad? Grogan: Yeah. Um.
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Caddle: It has a lot of difficulties at times that go with it. When a
woman heads a household in the business world, such as you run into things
where you could not do certain things because there was not a male to sign
certain papers or to back you up. But now that some of those barriers have
been cut down and you have a woman has become equally with a man, it is not
a bad thing. It never was a bad thing from the beginning, with the
exceptions of some of the things that you would run into, because I think a
woman can head a household and raise her children just as well as, uh, a
woman and a man.
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Caddle: I also think that children should have a father. But if it comes
to circumstances that a father isn't around, there is no reason not to have
the same type of children. If a woman, it means she must work a little
harder at it than if she had a husband to help her with the children. But
there's no reason not to have the same type of children as you would have
if there was, uh, both parents in the household.
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Grogan: Question 15 As a proud Black woman, what pieces of your culture or
heritage are you leaving with the younger Black woman?
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Caddle: The pieces of my Blackness. I'm proud of being Black. The pieces I
would like to leave to a younger Black woman is to always hold your head
high, to, uh, have pride. Let the world know about your pride. To be
independent and not dependent to get a good quality education to get out
into the business world. Now that the young Black woman has a chance to
equal and qualify the same as a man for different positions and things in
the business world, to show the world that the young Black woman can
accomplish this and that she will accomplish this because she is going to
work at it.
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Grogan: Question 16. Do you think that it is better for a woman to work
and have a career or to take welfare so that she can be with her children?
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Caddle: No, I do not think that a woman who is able to work should sit
back and wait on welfare to be with her children because there's too many
things today where she can put her children in a quality daycare center for
very young children. Get them the right type of background that they need.
She can work and take care of her children, which she will never have
enough on welfare to do this properly.
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Caddle: And I think that she should work, try to get her the best position
that she can and have the money and think of her children, even if she must
do without at all times, put them in a quality place for schooling, to give
them a better background. And maybe she has, but I don't think any woman
who is able to work should stay home and wait on welfare to be with their
children because really they have nothing to offer their children with a
welfare check.
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Grogan: Okay. Question 17. Do you object to the image of Blacks on
television, radio and in the news? And if so, what kind of exaggerations do
you see?
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Caddle: I do not object to the image of Blacks. I think more Blacks. I
object to the point that the television and radio stations are not in the
city of Pittsburgh using Blacks that I think, to their fullest potential.
Most of the Black newscasters only get on during the week. Sometimes they
are on the anchor part at the end of the week. I wish there was some type
of organization that would fight in the news media, that Blacks would be on
television, they would be on other news during the week or have the
complete Black stations on not just one day or weekend, but on all times to
show the ability of our Black adults, our young Black people, what they can
do on TV.
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Caddle: Some of the programs, most of them have stopped it. I object to
the stereotype role that Blacks play, both adults and young people. Outside
of that, I would like it set up so that they could show their abilities and
whatever the roles might be in play in business, in newscasting
broadcasting period and songs and everything else. Because we do have some
Blacks that have pop ability and really can do the thing as it should be
done, but they do not get a chance to show all these things. And therefore,
in other cities I've been to Washington, for instance, D.C., they have
programs that are on all day with Blacks at night and weekdays, seven days
a week, and we do not carry this in the city of Pittsburgh.
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Grogan: Okay. Question 18. How do you choose to determine your own
destiny?
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Caddle: At this particular time, I had set up how I had hoped my destiny
would go. But at this particular time I am determined and have pride in
trying to continue on. But since my serious hip operation I have am
limited. I haven't been able to get back to work in 18 months. And at this
time I just don't know what my destiny is. But I intend to continue
actively in organizations to go whenever I can to help people where and
whenever I can. I'm a member of the school board of the city of Pittsburgh.
I continue that. I'm in three other organizations.
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Caddle: I continue that. And I can only get around by driving my car
because I cannot ride buses and I'm on a cane. I might have to be
re-operated on in the very near future because of the serious pain that I
carry. 24 hours in this operation that's 18 months old. So it has set me
back. But I don't intend to become a cripple and sit down in a chair and
just give up and say, Well, I can't go any further because of this
operation and I'm crippled now. I intend to continue until the day I die
doing whatever I can, wherever I can to help. And it has kept me going. I
get up days that I can't even walk and with serious pain, take the pills
and say, I have to forget this because there's some place somebody
somewhere needs some help.
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Grogan: Okay. Do you feel that society in America dominate your actions
most of your adult life?
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Caddle: Up until the last 8 or 9 years, yes. The establishment or society
did dominate it because as a Black woman, there was only certain things I
could do, certain places I could go, certain places where I would want to
express my thoughts. I wasn't going to be allowed to do this. I had to take
a back seat, whatever I wanted to say, even though I was taught that I had
freedom of the press and freedom of speech. But there was really not a
freedom. Uh, it was very much dominated. There was only certain things I
could come home frustrated, but there was nobody to tell it to where it was
going to be really listened to and anything did about it. But in the later
years, society still dominates to a certain extent, but we're a little bit
freer than what we were.
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Grogan: Question 19 Do you involve yourself in the decisions of the local
school board when your children are directly affected?
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Caddle: I involve myself in the decisions of the local school board, both
public and parochial. My son never attended a public school before he was
affected. I am proud to say I never had any trouble with my son in school.
I had been on the school board for six years. I still am on the board,
attend meetings 2 to 3 times a month, Am involved very actively right now.
Uh, 2 to 3 meetings a week in the educational medical schools. That is a
big public problem that everyone knows about for the public schools. My son
is out of the school system and in college at 20, he has three years of
college finished.
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Caddle: So I have been involved and he has never been affected. That was
not my reason for being involved in education. I think that education is
the main background and the most thing we as Black people must get. And we
have to start with our very young in preschool. We can no longer wait until
they get to the fourth, fifth or sixth grade because we are turning them
out all over the city of Pittsburgh below par. So I've been involved a long
time in the educational system and in the process and trying to do
something better to get a better education so that when our boys and girls
leave the 12th grade, they become college material. They are leaving it now
and can't even get in college because we didn't give them the background
that they needed.
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Grogan: Question 20 And what ways do you curb your spending in the white
Anglo-Saxon Protestant business world?
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Caddle: Well, I'd have to spend my money in the white Anglo-Saxon
Protestant business world because it seems to be the only place where we
can get the things that are needed. There's only a very few Black
businesses that carry things that the mother or the household wife might
need. I have to watch my spending, and especially in these last 18 months
very seriously now because of a financial shortage. But I buy just what is
needed and never overspend or less free at all.
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Grogan: Okay. Do you try to cater to Black businesses?
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Caddle: I try, wherever possible to cater in the instances of having my
automobile fixed at Black garages. I have run into some very bad situations
by trying to do this and had to finally wind up taking it to the white man.
But it was one of those things. I tried to have as many Black doctors as I
can. I find out for the doctors I need orthopedics again. We do not have
them in the city of Pittsburgh. I need a chest specialist for my asthma and
bronchitis. We do not have a Black chest specialist in the city of
Pittsburgh.
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Caddle: So in a number of things, I am forced to keep returning to the
white man because the Black man or woman does not. Um. Hold on a minute.
Uh, the Black man or woman does not proceed along the lines of major things
that are Black peoples needs, such as doctors, dentists. Uh, business
accountants, uh, tax representatives, and things that we need in the
business world. Real estate people, uh, mortgage holders. So I find myself
trying to find the Black people to handle these things in this particular
profession. But I constantly find myself almost suddenly returning back to
the white man.
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Grogan: Question 21 Do you remember any joint business ventures by any
Black organizations, clubs, sororities? Were they successful and who
supported them?
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Caddle: And the growing business Efference by any Black audiences? Yes, At
the present time, we have the New World Bank and it is successful and it's
being supported by Blacks. Um, we have some doctors, very few that are
successful, and they are being supported by Black clientele. We have some
dentists in the same position. We have some attorneys, joint business who
are Black. And even though there's 2 to 3 of them in an office, they are
successful and being supported by Blacks. Grogan: Okay.
