Interview with Grace G. Coleman, September 12, 1986

Interview Summary

Raised in Jessamine County and descended from former slaves, Mrs. Coleman graduated from Kentucky State College in 1935 and entered the teaching profession in Georgia. She practiced social work in Lexington and became assistant to the Dean of Women at Paducah Junior College. She recalls the family stories about slavery, how her grandfather acquired his farm after the end of the Civil War, and her childhood growing up in a small, rural, African American community with its own church and school but limited in social and recreational activities. After the death of her mother, Mrs. Coleman was transferred from one family to another. She recalls the practice of children being "bound out" to work, the provisions made for orphans, and the general insensitivity shown by rural adults to children.

Mrs. Coleman discusses her social work experiences in Lexington and the discriminatory salary policies she encountered, the more liberal racial attitudes of the Fayette County Children's Bureau, and Lexington's class-conscious society. The changing employment opportunities for African Americans over time are delineated, and the differences between urban and rural communities are discussed. Mrs. Coleman differentiates between the beliefs of the Baptist and Presbyterian churches, bemoans the lack of African American businesses, and recounts the negative effects of integration upon the education of African American children.

Interview Keyword

African Americans African Americans in Lexington Lexington, Kentucky Race relations

Interview LC Subject

African American families African Americans--Civil rights--Kentucky African Americans--Education--Kentucky--Lexington African Americans--Kentucky--Lexington--Economic conditions African Americans--Race identity. African Americans--Religion African Americans. Coleman, Grace G. Coleman, Grace G.--Interviews

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Interview Usage

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