interview 1 was my Aunt Meisha and she is 35 years old

1.What is your name? Maiden and Marriage (if applicable)

Lameisha Wright

2. Where were you born?

Batesville MS

3. Where did you grow up?

Batesville, MS

4. What were your parents names and occupations?

Willie and Lena Townsend

5. Do you have any siblings? Yes or No, names? Yes, Donnel, Terry, Prescilla, Deshae, Chris

6. What was your life like growing up as a black girl in ____Batesville, MS_____? My life was not bad. My parents never acknowledged that we were poor that was one thing I can remember. My father had three jobs: he taught at the Training School and South Panola High when they integrated, he was a bus driver and he worked on the damn and my mother worked at Panola Mills and later had her on daycare after the factory closed.They always had breakfast lunch and dinner on the table and they believed God was going to make way out of no way.

7. Did you ever encounter racism? Explain? NO I didn’t encounter racism but I remember my dad talking about how he hated when a white man would call him a boy. He would be furious and ready to fight but eventually cooled down.

8. What privileges or setbacks do you feel that you experienced growing up a black female in the North/South? None

9. What, if anything, do you remember your parents telling you about race? My mother would tell my brothers not to bring a white girl home especially Terry and Deshae when he to the army and to Alabama for school

10. What did your parents tell you or instill in you regarding being a woman, specifically a black woman? My mother instilled in me that I need to look my best when you stepped out the house and that’s probably why I have such a large amount of clothing and shoes in my closet. They would make sure me and my sister’s hair was done so we would go to the beauty shop every two weeks or so.

11. Did you attend school? Yes or No, why or why not? Yes because my dad said you going to school or get a job it was no choice
13. What was it like in school for you as a black female? I experienced to racism because South Panola was already integrated and it was a all black school or anything

14. Did you graduate and attend college? [Ask questions here to get more info regarding education ect.]no

15. Did you get married?  To who?  When?  [Ask about the circumstances] yes, but we are seperated

16. Did you have any children? Yes or No? How many?  Why?  Was this a choice or just happend?  If no children, you could ask them why they chose not to or was it medical reasons. Yes 5 and It just happen

17. Where did they work as an adult

18. Ask them about their adult life and what it was like living as a black woman? 

19.  Ask them if there are any specific stories that they would like to share regarding their adulthood life and being a black woman

20.  What were their relationships like with other women?  Specifically ask about white and black women. I work and hang out with black and white women and I don’t have a biased on my friends however I do have a biased on who I date and bring my kids around.

21.  Would they consider themselves friends with white women?  Or do they have friends that are of another race?

22.  What type of relationship do you have with black men? I love black men and I don’t feel like I would be attracted to a white man, maybe a mixed man but not a white man.

23.  What do you think is the role of both black men and women in relationships and inside of the home should be? [Here, you can ask specific questions regarding marriage and the roles of both men and women inside of marriage]

24.  What do you think about people dating outside of their race?  Black men marrying white women and black women marrying white men?

25.  What issues do you think most affect black Americans today?

I feel that Black women specifically have a problem with submitting totally to their husbands or significant other in fear of something horrible event like leave them is going to occur

I feel that black women have to much hatred for no reason due to their grandmother’s, mother’s experience

They need to realize that affects your life and how you treat others and sometimes you don’t even realize it.