Oral History Interview with William Hamlin, May 29, 1998. Interview K-0169. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007).
Audio with Transcript
Listen Online with Text Transcript
(Requires QuickTime and JavaScript)
Transcript Only (34 p.)
HTML file
XML/TEI source file
Download Complete Audio File (MP3 format / ca. 172 MB, 01:34:12)
MP3
Abstract
William Hamlin, who attended West Charlotte High School before integration and who observed the integration process from a distance, offers his thoughts on the effects of integration on West Charlotte and Charlotte itself. Like many former West Charlotte students, Hamlin describes the school's magnetism and its glowing reputation. But he tells a darker story, too, about a violent integration process that he believes will never be completed. Hamlin feels conflicted about integration and its legacy. While he thinks that the process was largely successful, he does not think it can eliminate racism or break down the barriers between African Americans and success in America. Over time, Hamlin confesses, he has come to believe in the wisdom of a degree of cultural separatism, in part because he worries that total integration might spur the erosion of cultural traditions.
Excerpts
Civil rights activism brings threats
Looking forward to attending West Charlotte
Promise of integration goes unrealized
Teachers and parents heal wounds of integration
Legacy of integration does not extend past school walls
Integration's failure to affect mindset, threat of eroding identity
Need for cultural and racial diversity at West Charlotte
West Charlotte as a historical symbol
Learn More
Finding aid to the Southern Oral History Program Collection
Database of all Southern Oral History Program Collection interviews
Resources for Educators
Race in Charlotte Schools Learning Object
Subjects
School integration--North Carolina--Charlotte
West Charlotte High School (N.C.)
Charlotte (N.C.)--Race relations
Hamlin, William
The Southern Oral History Program transcripts presented here on
Documenting the American South undergo an editorial process to remove
transcription errors. Texts may differ from the original transcripts
held by the Southern Historical Collection.
Funding from the Institute for Museum and Library Services supported the electronic publication of this title.