Reese Cassette 2 Side 1
Media
Part of Interview: Reese, Bessie
Title
Reese Cassette 2 Side 1
Source
Bessie Reese Interview
Date
1989-12-13
Description
Cassette 2
Side 1
00:00--Mrs. Reese is discussing a lynching incident mid-sentence. She shares what little she knew of an incident that occurred in Walhalla, SC. In addition, she briefly touches on aspects of how law enforcement treated blacks when she was younger.
3:37--Black marriage relationships were not unlike those of any other local community; some were good, some were bad. She points out that women didn't take up for themselves in those days. Mrs. Reese herself gives the impression that she was always a strong willed woman who never put up with disrespect from men. She notes that both her husbands were good men.
5:45--Mrs. Reese recalls the story of how she met her first husband Mr. Gantt. Both their families worked on the same farm. They didn't have a wedding; rather the preacher just came to the house to perform the ceremony.
10:52--Mrs. Reese discuses black/white relationships, and how things have changed over the years. Even though the two races have reconciled many differences and now generally strive to work together, she doesn't agree with whites and blacks getting married and having families. She has seen too many situations in which neither community accepted mulatto children. There is old friction between the black and mulatto communities, because many mulattos "acted white," and strove to attain a higher social status than what blacks were allowed. Her family does have partial Native American ancestry, through her great-grandfather "Free" Joe.
17:57--Mrs. Reese never went to Anderson or Greenville when she was younger.
21:30--Celebrations such as Christmas and July 4th are recalled. Birthdays and anniversaries were not celebrated.
24:05--She really admired her father because her mother died very young and left him to care for the family.
26:43--She wishes that opportunity and advancement had been given to blacks sooner, when she would have been young enough to take advantage of them.
29:30--In her estimation the Civil Rights Act has been extremely helpful, but fears that the younger generation may fail to take full advantage of the opportunities afforded them. She admits that it took many blacks a considerable amount of time to have faith in many of the progressive movements of white politicians on account of the fear of disappointment, which had occurred so many times before.
31:51--Audio ends.
Side 1
00:00--Mrs. Reese is discussing a lynching incident mid-sentence. She shares what little she knew of an incident that occurred in Walhalla, SC. In addition, she briefly touches on aspects of how law enforcement treated blacks when she was younger.
3:37--Black marriage relationships were not unlike those of any other local community; some were good, some were bad. She points out that women didn't take up for themselves in those days. Mrs. Reese herself gives the impression that she was always a strong willed woman who never put up with disrespect from men. She notes that both her husbands were good men.
5:45--Mrs. Reese recalls the story of how she met her first husband Mr. Gantt. Both their families worked on the same farm. They didn't have a wedding; rather the preacher just came to the house to perform the ceremony.
10:52--Mrs. Reese discuses black/white relationships, and how things have changed over the years. Even though the two races have reconciled many differences and now generally strive to work together, she doesn't agree with whites and blacks getting married and having families. She has seen too many situations in which neither community accepted mulatto children. There is old friction between the black and mulatto communities, because many mulattos "acted white," and strove to attain a higher social status than what blacks were allowed. Her family does have partial Native American ancestry, through her great-grandfather "Free" Joe.
17:57--Mrs. Reese never went to Anderson or Greenville when she was younger.
21:30--Celebrations such as Christmas and July 4th are recalled. Birthdays and anniversaries were not celebrated.
24:05--She really admired her father because her mother died very young and left him to care for the family.
26:43--She wishes that opportunity and advancement had been given to blacks sooner, when she would have been young enough to take advantage of them.
29:30--In her estimation the Civil Rights Act has been extremely helpful, but fears that the younger generation may fail to take full advantage of the opportunities afforded them. She admits that it took many blacks a considerable amount of time to have faith in many of the progressive movements of white politicians on account of the fear of disappointment, which had occurred so many times before.
31:51--Audio ends.
Rights
Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Clemson University Libraries Special Collections and Archives. All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the Clemson University Libraries Special Collections and Archives.