Interview with Susie E. White, June 16, 1987

Interview Summary

The daughter of self-sufficient sharecroppers, Mrs. White recalls staying with her grandmother to be closer to the schoolhouse; leaving school in 1922 after her mother's death to help raise her younger siblings; her father's employment at Hillenmeyer's Nursery; and skills learned for survival. She talks about her dreams of becoming a beautician; her first beauty course in Chicago; and returning home during the Great Depression. Mrs. White discusses her marriage; her first beautician's job; attending beauty school in Lexington; and raising her nieces, daughter and stepdaughter. She remembers her career; training apprentices; and managing her money and her business. She reminisces about Consolidated Baptist Church; talks about differences in ministerial education, roles and leadership; and recalls her involvement in church-related activities and fundraisers. Mrs. Smith examines the evolution of the African American community over her lifetime: changing behavior of the younger generations, less emphasis on moral values and teachings, loss of faith, the increasing influence of television, and higher crime rates. She talks about the importance of education to the African American community and the lack of quality of education since integration; the impact and effects of the civil rights movement, citing both the advantages and disadvantages; and discusses how Lexington has changed while noting what has stayed the same.

Interview Keyword

African American churches--Kentucky African American farmers. African American neighborhoods African Americans--Education. African Americans--Employment. African Americans--Housing. African Americans--Social conditions. Beauty culture. Beauty shops Canning and preserving Hairdressing.

Interview LC Subject

African American business enterprises African American families Danville (Ky.) Lexington (Ky.)--Race relations. White, Susie E. White, Susie E.--Interviews

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Interview Usage

Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.