Interview #2

1. What is your name? Maiden and Marriage (if applicable)

Nelly Yarbrough

2. Where were you born?

Louisville, MS

3. Where did you grow up?

Mount Calvary

4. What were your parents names and occupations?

Rosie Yarbrough and Perry Yarbrough/Farmer.

5. Do you have any siblings? Yes or No, names? yes. (brianna can name them)

Dennis, Walterine, and Junior

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

Growing up as a black girl, life was very hard. At an early age, I had to work. I never got to enjoy my childhood because I had to grow up so fast to help provide for the family. I wasn’t able to attend school.

7. Did you ever encounter racism? Explain?

            Yes, I encountered racism several times. White people were always picking on me because I was mixed. I didn’t look black neither did I look white, so I was an outsider. I never said anything back to them because I would put in jail and probably beaten to death.

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

            We didn’t have the same privileges as white kids. We weren’t able to go to school to get an education. Most of the things we learned we were taught at home. White kids were able to have a normal life. While we spent our time slaving in fields and picking cotton just so that we could have something to eat at night.

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

 Don’t look at white person the wrong way or they will have your ass thrown in jail

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

Never let with people say to you get you down. Always keep your head up and stay focused no matter what because somebody we will rise above this.

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

No much at all, I spent most of my days working in the fields.

12. Talk a little bit about those days...

Back then it was hard to make. We didn’t have all these factors and food places that they have today. We had to grow up the old country way. Everything we ate we planted or we killed it. We had to plant and harvest gardens, water the hogs, feed chicks, and we had to work from sun to sun down.

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

It was very rough. You never knew what to expect going to school. You may get beat up or jumped on or you may just have a nice, calm day. I guess how you was treated at school, depended on what side of the bed others woke up on. The most of woke up on the wrong side every day because blacks were a constant target every day.

14. Did you graduate and attend college? [Ask questions here to get more info regarding education ect.]

 No, as stated earlier, I was the one that had to provide for my family, so I couldn’t go to school much.

15. Did you get married? To who? When? [Ask about the circumstances]

Yes, I married Emmitt Vaughn. We are still married today, but we live in two separate states. Emmitt ran off from me some years after we got married. He was supposed to go get a chicken for me to cook for the kids, but he never came back and we never got any chicken that night. He moved to Rock Island, Illinois. Sad to say that he just came back to Mississippi maybe a year ago when he got down sick.

16. Did you have any children? Yes or No? How many? Why? Was this a choice or just happened? If no children, you could ask them why they chose not to or was it medical reasons.  

Yes, I had 6 kids. I was always a caregiver because I spent so much time taking care of others and helping everybody else, so I thought I would be a great mother. I raised all my kids as a single parent because my husband left us. I stayed home and cared for them. When they got sick, we came up with remedies because we couldn’t afford medication.

17. Where did they work as an adult?

I worked in the white folks home. I cleaned and cooked for them just like I did at home.

18. Ask them about their adult life and what it was like living as a black woman?

I managed to get through life and survived. As you can see I’m still around her now. We made it out despite the rough circumstances and conditions we were under. All these youth today talk about they got it hard. They don’t know what hard is until they have to go through the things we had to go through. If we could make it through those times, then anybody can make it in the world.

19. Ask them if there are any specific stories that they would like to share regarding their adulthood life and being a black woman.

I don’t have any stories that I would like to share. The doctor says I’m coming down with Alzheimer's, so sometimes I can’t recall certain things

20. What were their relationships like with other women? Specifically ask about white and black women.

I got along great with white and black women. I tried to stay on the good side of white folks because I didn’t want to be put in jail or beaten to death. I showed no fear around white women though.

21. Would they consider themselves friends with white women? Or do they have friends that are of another race?

I had some white friends. I got real close with the women that I was working for.

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

Plain and simple: I LOVE BLACK MEN!!!

23. What do you think is the role of both black men and women in relationships and inside of the home should be? [Here, you can ask specific questions regarding marriage and the roles of both men and women inside of marriage]

The black man should be the head of the house hold. He should work and provide for his family. The woman should be his supporter, his backbone. She should be a stay home wife or mother.

24. What do you think about people dating outside of their race? Black men marrying white women and black women marrying white men?

This is nothing new to me. Ever since I was a little girl, white men had been having sex with black women and having all kinds of mixed kids. Black men have always found white women attractive in my opinion, but just like the white man they never let it be known. Now, black men and white men are not afraid to go after the opposite sex or to let the public know it. Things have not changed much when it comes to dating and it probably will never change

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

Blacks have a hard time finding jobs because some want even go to school to get a degree. Getting a high school diploma used to be all you needed to work, but now you got to have a degree. Black have to work 10 times as hard to make it in the world, but they can do if they look to the man above, have faith, and set their mind to it.