| Summary: | In this interview, Mitchell Jerald talks about surviving the Depression and about his personal mission to gain advancement for himself and all blacks at the tire plant where he worked. Jerald recounts how his family weathered the Depression relatively well, because his job at the A&P meant he had enough food to eat; there was sometimes even surplus to share with neighbors. In addition, they grew their own garden and he sold firewood. Jerald explains that even though he didn't have time to get Red Cross aid or work for the WPA, those were good programs. He says the WPA made people feel like they were helping provide for themselves. He describes how the WPA paid people in stamps that could be redeemed most anywhere for food. He says he feels like blacks dealt with the Depression better than whites because they could get help easier and were used to the poverty. Jerald describes his time as a preacher in country churches and discusses the differences between religious practices in the country and the city, as well as how they've changed over time. He says that country people seemed to be closer to God. Jerald recounts the story of how he helped pave the way for black workers to be promoted to better jobs at the tire plant where he worked. He complained to his boss about how black workers were training whites from outside the company in positions they were capable of filling. The boss asked him to quiet his complaints, but he also gave him the promotion in question, with the admonition that he couldn't go back down to his old job if he couldn't handle it. He excelled at the job and was promoted several more times, and each time a black worker was promoted to his old position. However, he wouldn't ultimately take a foreman position because he feared having white men working under him.The digitization of this collection was funded by a gift from EBSCO Industries.
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