Series: Charles Simmons
Scope and Content Note: Family background in Kentucky; move to Beloit before Mississippi migration; work at Fairbanks-Morse; John McCord and Walter Ingram as recruiters; race relations while living in Louisville; Zach White; Leon Peterson; J.D. Stephenson's influence; Kennedy Lodge; Emmanuel Baptist Church location; Chicago riot of 1919; fair-skinned color situation; Ku Klux Klan; CS's membership in the Kiwanis; health care problems for blacks.

Session I, 1976 March 31 and April 9
Alternate Format

Audio recording of interview with Charles Simmons, March 31, 1976 available online.

Audio recording of interview with Charles Simmons, April 9, 1976 available online.

Introduction

Family background in Kentucky--grandfather as a carpenter in Louisville--family came to Beloit before the Mississippi migration

Charles Simmons work as a guide at Fairbanks-Morse--recollection of John McCord as a recruiter in Mississippi for F-M--problems at F-M holding work force--Walter Ingram as a recruiter--poor whites followed black migrants from Mississippi

Further comments on John McCord-the “Potato,” Mississippi story--Cliff White and the exhaust fan

John McCord's job responsibilities--problems at F-M with workers from Chicago--McCord and Eugene Burlingame, F-M personnel manager

McCord's recruiting tactics--potential workers told about additional freedoms in Beloit--McCord recruited for a brief time because of fear, quit because of danger

Walter Ingram as a recruiter--better at “maneuvering” than McCord

Reaction to terms, “black” as a fighting word

Further comments on Walter Ingram--Ingram family--Walter currently a minister in Racine--migrants to Beloit as less established in Mississippi

Most of their contemporaries as moved away or dead--comments on Zach White

Recording break

Further comments on life in Louisville--living near the Ohio River--race relations in Louisville--story about grandmother's white half-brother

Grandparents coming to Beloit--Charles Simmons' first impressions of Beloit--interim in St. Louis, “too congested”--little recreation in Beloit, played with white children--problem in court

Comments on Leon Petersib

Introduction

Robert Mayo, Charles' stepfather, as a 20th Century Club member at Fairbanks-Morse--Robert Mayo's religious background--fair treatment at F-M

Mr. Taylor and safety at F-M--Charles Simmons' work at F-M--at the Foremen's Club as a young office worker--reaction against foundry work--absence of discrimination in work experience--pay scale

Charles Simmons attitude toward younger generation

Recollections of first migrants from Mississippi--language differences between Charles Simmons and the migrants from Mississippi

Different customs of the Mississippi migrants--migrants prejudiced against light-complected Negroes

Mrs. Simmons from Indianola, Mississippi--relatives wanted to return to Mississippi, but not Charles Simmons--negative reaction to Mississippi from earlier trip--reaction against blacks in Mississippi using “nigger” in conversation

Further comments on customs, F-M story

Reactions of white people to migrants--sweaty workers on the streetcar

J.D. Stephenson's influence, also Reverend Brown and Leon --“money” as a cause of black migrants “going overboard”--problem of getting used to factory work--movement to other cities

Session II, 1976 April 21
Alternate Format: Audio recording of interview with Charles Simmons, April 21, 1976 available online.

Introduction

Beloit black people and the post-World War I recession--movement of black people out of Beloit at that time

Leaders of Beloit's black community--J.D. Stephenson--Alva Curtis, engineer at Fairbanks-Morse

The organization of the W.B. Kennedy lodge of the Masonic order--acceptance of segregated lodges--“separate families” analogy

Charles Simmons' reasons for joining the Kennedy lodge--the importance of brotherly love and charity--the lodge as a male organization--examples of charitable aid

More on black community leaders--Alva Curtis--Reverend W.E.W. Brown

Original location of Emmanuel Baptist Church, move to present location--Rev. Brown and the athletic club

W.S. Williams and politics at the barber shop--black people and the railroad tracks--barber shop as a center of political discussion

Recollection of the Chicago Riot of 1919--opposition to violence

Migration from Mississippi--blacks and the Daily News--prefers racial separation

More recollections of the migrants from Mississippi--using the interurban

Introduction

Charles Simmons and the church--change from Baptist to Methodist--influence of older sister, Emma Thomas from Cleveland--differences between churches in Louisville and Beloit--the church and the black community

Ku Klux Klan cross burning at the Mayo home--reaction of Mrs. Mayo--NAACP protest to Governor Blaine and the resulting proclamation

Membership in the Kiwanis for Charles Simmons

Charles Simmons and fear--snakes--police and jail

Awareness of dark vs. fair skin--related incident involving baseball team at Harvard, Ill.--incident on street crew

More on street crew incident

Health care problems for blacks in Beloit--role of schools in health care--black hospital in Louisville, not in Beloit--black doctors and dentist in Beloit--flu epidemic of 1918--black doctors and Beloit's hospital

Problem of young black people leaving Beloit--conclusion