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Object Description
Interview no. | U-0903 |
Restrictions | No restrictions. Open to research. |
Project | U.19. Long Civil Rights Movement: Breaking New Ground |
Project description | Interviews, 2011-2012, conducted for the Breaking New Ground: A History of American Farm Owners Since the Civil War project. This project was funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and was coordinated by Adrienne Petty (of the City College of New York) and Mark Schultz (of Lewis University in Illinois) with assistance from Jacquelyn Hall. Interviews were conducted by two cohorts of research fellows and centered on African American farmers', landowners', and descendants' political, social, and economic experiences in the American South from the Civil War onward. |
Date | 25 May 2012 |
Interviewee | Postell, Walter Lewis. |
Interviewee occupation | Farmers |
Interviewee DOB | Unknown |
Interviewee ethnicity | African Americans |
Interviewer | Hand, Shane. |
Abstract | The interview with Mr. Walter Lewis Postell centered on three main themes: family; farming; and race relations. The session begins with Postell's family background on his mother's side. His grandparents originally purchased land that was passed on as an inheritance first to Postell's parents and then later to Postell and his brothers and sisters. The larger family currently farms 300 to 400 acres of land while Postell and his wife farm about forty acres. He knew little about his father's side of the family, and he continued on with his maternal grandparents and described their country store. He describes farming as a good life that he enjoys although it can be hard at times. The conversation turns to actual life on the farm: seasonal variation with workload and crops; purchasing seed; and, being one's own boss. Postell then names his three sons, their ages, and careers and education. Postell’s sons will inherit a portion of their father's land. Maintaining ownership of the land has proved difficult for many farmers who began moving away from the South to go either north or west. He says this trend actually began before he was born and occurred over a period of many years. Race relations among black and white farmers; good line of credit essential for maintaining a successful farm; black farmers lawsuit and Postell awarded $50,000. Conversation returned to family as Postell discussed his wife and his youngest sons James. He closes the interview with a brief word on the importance of the land to his family. |
Citation | Interview with Walter Lewis Postell by Shane Hand, 25 May 2012 U-0903, in the Southern Oral History Program Collection #4007, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. |
Description
Interview no. | U0903_Audio |