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Excerpt from Oral History Interview with George Miller, January 19, 1991. Interview M-0015. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) See Entire Interview >>

Miller blames the impediments to black professional advancement on the lack of interracial social development

Miller explains how his race intersected with his profession. He argues that whites socially failed to learn about blacks, which prevented full integration. As a result, Miller felt he reached his pinnacle of professional advancement.

Citing this Excerpt

Oral History Interview with George Miller, January 19, 1991. Interview M-0015. 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

GOLDIE F. WELLS:
What do you consider the major problem of your principalship?
GEORGE MILLER:
Being Black.
GOLDIE F. WELLS:
How would that apply?
GEORGE MILLER:
It kept me from advancement. That was the only problem. It slowed down my advancement.
GOLDIE F. WELLS:
Do you think you would have been a superintendent had you not been Black?
GEORGE MILLER:
Oh, I got it for Assistant Superintendent. I think if I had not been Black at the time, sure I would have been a superintendent. I would have been in one big school in a large system somewhere. In other words what I meant by that is this. You could give an idea at a meeting, principal or superintendent's meeting and the idea would be rejected and somebody else would come along thirty minutes later with the same idea that is White and they would accept it. I was stupid enough to say I told you all that thirty minutes ago. They respect you but they'll work with you even where you are now. But you all don't integrate. You don't go to one another's homes and have parties. They don't know what kind of culture you have, what we listen to. They don't know if you like the Georgia Open Shoe or what. Understand? They just don't know. They don't know your religious background. They don't know any of those things. They don't know what kind of wine you drink or if you drink wine. Your social habits--I'd bring all of my faculty here and we'de party right here.