R-0346
R-0346
File Format: Link to Web File - url
Link to Interview
https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/record/uuid:5347b269-2688-41d2-bcdf-3de3f35a6d3e
Interview no.
R-0346
Title
Interview with Lemuel Delany , 15 July 2005
Restrictions
No restrictions. Open to research.
Project
R.23. Special Research Projects: Lemuel Delany, Jr.
Project description
This interview sketches the life of funeral director Lemuel Delany, Jr., and his reactions to the book Having Our Say, published by his aunts Sadie and Bessie Delany. In the interview, Delany talked about the achievements of his grandfather, the Reverend Henry Beard Delany, who led Saint Augustine's College in Raleigh, N.C., and became the first African-American Episcopal bishop despite having been born into slavery. Delany also discussed his frustration with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), based on his observation of its relationship to the black business community in Harlem, N.Y. This interview was scheduled on the recommendation of the Olivia Raney History Branch Library in Raleigh, N.C. That library and the Saint Augustine's College Library hold copies of the interview.
Date
15 July 2005
Interviewee
Delany, Lemuel, 1920-
Interviewee occupation
Undertakers
Interviewee DOB
1920
Interviewee ethnicity
African Americans
Interviewer
Hill, Kimberly (Kimberly DeJoie)
Abstract
Lemuel Delany Jr . was born in Raleigh , North Carolina , in 1920 into a prominent African American family . The son of a doctor and a speech teacher , Delany describes growing up in the "black world " of segregated Raleigh and his growing awareness of racial discrimination as he grew older . In discussing his formative years , Delany offers information about race relations in the segregated South , his family's history dating back to the colonial era , and his family's interactions with an African American "who's who . " After finishing high school , Delany stayed in Raleigh for a few years , working as a garbage man and as a lifeguard . Because of the lack of economic opportunities , Delany moved to New York in 1942 , where he lived in Harlem . Delany remained in New York for nearly sixty years before resettling in Raleigh . In New York , he worked briefly in a factory before establishing a career as a funeral director . Having spent considerable time in both the North and the South over the course of the twentieth century , Delany draws comparisons between the nature of segregation and race relations in both regions . In addition , he devotes considerable attention to a discussion of his reaction to Having Our Say : The Delany Sisters ' First 100 Years , a book written by his aunts Sarah Louise "Sadie " Delany and Annie Elizabeth "Bessie " Delany . Delaney argues that his aunts ' book obscured the accomplishments of the entire Delan family by focusing too narrowly on their own lives . As he sees it , the "real " story about his family is one of upward mobility , beginning with an enslaved ancestor who established a name for himself following his emancipation . Finally , Delany offers his thoughts on the civil rights movement , arguing that the negative consequences of desegregation as seen in the demise of black economic , educational , and social institutions far outweighed its benefits . He further maintains that the NAACP failed to support African American enterprise .
Subject Topical
United States--Race relations. African American men--North Carolina--Raleigh. African American families--North Carolina. African Americans--North Carolina--Raleigh. African Americans--New York (State)--New York. African Americans--Segregation--North Carolina--Raleigh. African Americans--Segregation--New York (State)--New York.
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