rimes Were Hard Across The State
The Chronicle, Saturday, Febrnary 24, 1979- Page 15
enthe Depression hit
Carolina, blacks as
whites suffered
,l,e crash. Many
lost their jobs, their
and their homes dur-
istinie.
i„g the Depression
bjsinesses closed, or
jankrupt. Thousands
,le walked the streets
, for jobs, and those
ad jobs found their
sand wages slashed,
could not afford to
eir taxes and many
. and other services
state were not main-
Blacks were also
d because they were
, the first to be fired.
^0 early thirties agri-
, was still the princi-
npation of blacks in
:arolina and many of
ack farm laborers
were finding themselves
out of work.
Many white farmers
could not payjheir taxes or
mortgages on their proper
ty which resulted in them
losing their farms, and
blacks losing one of their
chief forms of employment.
Industrial workers were
also in a plight with their
wages steadily declining.
Most blacks were the last
one hired and their wages
were already low to begin
with, that a cut in pay made
their salaries almost non
existent.
Black women didn’t find
times as hard as black men.
During the 1930-40s many
black women found jobs as
domestic servants and were
able to help support their
families.
As the country and this
state began to recover from
the depression during the
middle thirties, blacks
found the opportunity to
make educational as well as
economical gains.
Different educational
programs were begun dur
ing the late 30’s to early
40’s in North Carolina for
blacks. Programs enacted
during this time were eij'
richment curriculum, tfie
adoption of fi:ee text books,
the adoption of the retire
ment system, teacher ten
ure, the 12 year program,
the lessoning of salary dif
ferences and the adoption
of equal salaries for equal
qualifications. There was
also the improvement of
training, the expansion of
vocational education, the
growth of high schools'for
blacks and the improve
ment of the status of the
higher black institutions.
During the depression
the salaries for white teach
ers were reduced 34 per
cent and the salary for
black teachers were re
duced 26 per cent. There
was, however, one program
that grew out of the depres
sion, that was very benefi
cial to blacks, that was the
Adult Education Enrich
ment program.
The Adult Education pro
gram helped to reduce the
illiteracy rates among
blacks, it helped to improve
home and school coopera
tion, home management,
health education of the deaf
and the development of
home crafts.
In 1937 a distributive
education program was
started. This program in
volved the training of regu
lar employees in distribu
tive occupations and high
schools seniors in fields
that they hoped to pursue.
The status of black teach
ers also improved during
this time. During the early
30s most black teachers
were holding college de
grees. Black teachers were
also attending summer
schools in large numbers
and many went to northern
schools to acquire graduate
degrees.
Economically blacks
were beginning to find jobs
during this time. Many
blacks found jobs through
governmently assisted pro
grams. Many blacks
worked on gardening pro
jects, which were started
over the state on county
owned properties. Some
blacks worked on canning
projects and some blacks
worked in sewing rooms, to
make garments for needy
families.
Other blacks found jobs
doing road work, resurfac
ing and tarring roads and
streets. Black performers in
the state found work in all
black symphonies and
choruses, which went
around the state perform
ing plantation and jubilee
songs.
Blacks also made econo
mic gains by founding
banks and insurance com
panies. In the late 30s black
insurance company in
North Carolina was North
Carolina Mutual Life Insur
ance Company of Durham
which was founded in 1898
and 1941 had about 300,000
policy holders.
— Yvette McCullough
Roots of Progress
As the black members of Western
Electric’s employee force in Winston
-Salem have contributed appreciably
to the progress of this company and
the telecommunications industry, so
has the black community of Winston-
Salem played important roles in the
progress of this city. We applaud the
Winston-Salem Chronicle’s current se
ries on “The Roots of Black Winston-
Salem.”
Western Electric
Eqnal Opportonity Employer
In The Beginning
Students enjoy time in the reading room of the East Winston Library. From this humble
beginning has grown the present library .
FEBRUARY
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