Oral History Interview with Josephine Turner, June 7, 1976. Interview H-0235-2. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007).
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Abstract
Josephine Turner was born in Durham, North Carolina, in 1927. At an early age, she experienced the sacrifices forced upon the poor, exemplified in her mother, who sought to impress upon Turner the value of education though she herself never made it past the third grade. She succeeded, but Turner followed in her mother's footsteps when her father died, leaving school and inheriting her father's job as a chauffeur at age fourteen. Turner's ambition placed her in unique positions: a black female chauffeur, a businesswoman, a political aspirant. However, her willingness to experiment with different jobs, her devout religious faith, and her determination to succeed earned her more respect than wealth. In this interview she reflects on the fruits of her ambition, her background, her children, her working life, and her hopes for the future. This interview is more of a personal portrait than a window into labor, but it will be useful for researchers interested in life and work in North Carolina.
Excerpts
Hard work during childhood
Child rearing practices, including corporal punishment
Father's stern parenting style instilled respect for elders
Free time and church attendance
The value of education
A strong woman adapts to domestic life
Depression brings alcoholism, then religious conversion
Goals for herself and her community
Trying for a seat on the Durham city council
Threats against a city council candidate
Obstacles to political success
Determination to improve her community
Abortion, pregnancy, and stigma
Remembering hunger and poverty
Increasing residential segregation
Democrat believes Republican leadership creates poverty
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