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Excerpt from Oral History Interview with Robert Yost, November 22, 2000. Interview K-0487. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) See Entire Interview >>

Changing racial composition at West Charlotte

Yost says he does not think much about the racial character of his chess team, but he does note that the team is majority black and that "we're becoming blacker at West Charlotte."

Citing this Excerpt

Oral History Interview with Robert Yost, November 22, 2000. Interview K-0487. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) in the Southern Oral History Program Collection, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Full Text of the Excerpt

PAMELA GRUNDY:
In terms of, do you see any, I guess, both racial or interracial components to the chess club, that are meaningful to you? Do you think chess, is it at all related to it being chess they're playing? Or if you don't, if that's-.
ROBERT YOST:
I don't know that I see a racial component here. A few years back, this is going back a few years. I actually called chess club international club, because we had a token white person on the team. We called him our token white. We had several black. [END OF TAPE 1, SIDE A] [TAPE 1, SIDE B] [START OF TAPE 1, SIDE B]
PAMELA GRUNDY:
Okay, you said two Hispanic [unclear]
ROBERT YOST:
Two Hispanics. I'll tell you the truth. We were such a melting pot, we were really a microcosm of society as a whole. We were just predominantly minority. However, and then other years, let's see, my first team, we had two Caucasians, one African American, one Indian, on the team. I really don't know that, I mean, that that has really been a factor. I mean, we have just been a composite of what the school is. We've always been integrated. But the exact composition, I guess I just don't really look at it that much. I'm so used to, you know, my wife is black, and I don't even think of her, I mean, I just don't think in those terms, whether you're black or white. Because I just look at them as human beings. So that has not really been a factor. I think that's what I really would like to say. That we don't even look as race as a factor. Somebody brought this up in one of the classes the other day. "Mr. Yost, there are only two whites in this room." We were talking about being minority. "There are only two whites in here, him and you." Oh, my gosh. You're right. I mean, I didn't even think about it. It hadn't even dawned on me. And I have classes in which I have all black students. Years ago, it wouldn't have been that way. I think we're becoming blacker in West Charlotte.