“When I came to Little Rock, I came in a very dull season.  There wasn’t even a house to be rented.  It was in the winter.  I had to rent a room at “Jones” hall on Ninth and Gaines streets and paid one dollar a day for it.  I stayed there about a month.  Finally there was a vacant house over on Nineteenth street and Common and I moved there.  Then I commenced to look for work and I walked the town over daily.  No results whatever.  Finally I struck a little job with the contractor here digging ditches, grubbing stumps, grading streets and so forth.  I worked with him for three years and finally I got a job with the street car company, as laborer in the Parks.  I worked at that job two years.  Finally I got a job as track laborer.  I worked there a year.  Then I was promoted to track foreman.  I held that seven years.

“I quit that then and went to the railroads.  I helped to build the Choctaw Oklahoma and Gulf Railway.  When the road was completed, I made the first trip over it as Porter.  I remained there till August 9, 1928.  During that time I was operated on for prostatitis and doctors rendered me unfit for work, totally disabled; so that is my condition today.

“I think the future looks bright.  I think conditions will get better.  I believe that all that is necessary for betterment is cooperation.

“I believe the younger generation—­the way it looks—­is pretty bad.  I think we haven’t done anything like as much as we could do in teaching the youngsters.  We need to give them an idea of things.  They don’t know.  Our future depends on our children If their minds aren’t trained, the future will not be bright.  Our leaders should lecture to these young people and teach them.  We have young people who dodge voting because of the poll tax.  That is not the right attitude.  I don’t know what will become of us if our children are not better instructed.  The white people are doing more of this than we are.

“There was a time when children didn’t know but what the foot was all there was of a chicken.  The foot was all they had ever seen.  But young folks nowaday should be taught everything.”

Interviewer:  Miss Irene Robertson
Person interviewed:  Diana Alexander, Brinkley, Arkansas
Age:  74

“I was born in Mississippi close to Bihalia.  Our owner was Myers(?) Bogan.  He had a wife and children.  Mama was a field woman.  Her name was Sarah Bogan and papa’s name was Hubberd Bogan.

“I heard them talk about setting the pot at the doors and having singing and prayer services.  They all sung and prayed around the room.  I forgot all the things they talked about.  My parents lived on the same place after freedom a long time.  They said he was good to them.

“Dr. Bogan in Forrest City, Arkansas always said I was his brother’s child.  He was dead years ago, so I didn’t have no other way of knowing.