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Hill, Fanny Christina (audio interview #3 of 4)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This is the third of four interviews with Tina Hill conducted with Tina Hill in her central Los Angeles home. Hill basically directed the interviews and needed little coaxing, both giving details of her life experiences and also providing commentaries on them. When the interview was completed, Hill lamented that she had not had the chance to talk about her granddaughter, a story that rightfully needed to be told, and so a fourth interview was planned. 7/13/1980
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- SUBJECT BIO - Like many African American women, Tina Hill, as she liked to be called, had been working as a domestic before getting a job at North American Aviation in 1943. In fact, she often quoted the refrain that "Hitler was the one that got" Black women out of the white folks' kitchen, a quote that she initially attributed to her sister. Hill, the last of five children, was born in Texas in the house that her grandfather built when he came out of slavery. Although the family was poor, they had their own garden and raised chickens and were never without food. After her mother remarried, when she was six years old, the family moved to land adjacent to the Negro Vocational College in Prairie View. She attended classes there from the primary grades through the first two years of college until she was forced to drop out when she was twenty. After that, for the next five years she worked as a domestic, first in Texas and then in 1940, in California. She returned to Texas to marry and by the time she came back to Los Angeles, jobs were opening for Black women in the defense industry. At the time of the massive layoffs at war's end, she was on maternity leave, but returned to North American in 1946 and remained there until her retirement in 1980. The interviews were conducted in the living room of her rather large home in central Los Angeles, where her quilting frame was set up. Every time that Fischer visited, Hill showed her something about her life and culture, including the flowers grown from seeds harvested from Hill's grandmother's garden. Hill knew her story was an important one and she wanted to be sure that the Black women's experience was told. Candid and oftentimes humorous, she nevertheless took the interview very seriously. She was in the process of retiring when the interviews were begun and by the time the process was over, she realized that it also helped her to figure out what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. She remained eager to tell her story and whenever the media contacted Sherna Gluck - usually around various wartime anniversaries - Hill was always ready willing to talk with them, often reciting the quote about Hitler which she no longer attributed to her sister. She maintained contact with Gluck over the years and they spoke over the phone periodically until a few years before her death. TOPICS - family history; Black culture and customs; mother; folk medicine; birth control; medical care; midwifery; race relations; childhood; living conditions; segregation; and city life in Tyler, Texas;race relations; rural life; social activities and nightclubs during WWII; Black community in Los Angeles; Negro Victory Committee; racial discrimination and prejudices; Black women and work; and Los Angeles area neLos Angeles neighborhoods; childbirth; living arrangements; layoffs at North American; social values; working conditions; job opportunities; work experiences outside defense; family history; child care; racial disjob responsibilities; unionism; husband and marital relationship; childcare; childcare centers; hobbies and social activities; retirement; reflections on life; daughter's pregnancy and attitude towards single mothe
- *** File: rrrthill9.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-11:09)... Hill talks about a woman who taught her mother home remedies. This woman was sold by her mistress during slavery and vowed not to have any children for fear they would be sold in similar fashion. She ingested a "remedy" and never conceived any children while she was married. She became a midwife and took care of people who were ill in the community using home remedies. Hill did not have to seek medical attention from a doctor until she stopped using these "witchcraft" remedies. Hill describes some of the cultural customs that were passed down through the generations. (11:09-16:20)... Hill's paternal grandmother was also an "old medicine woman." The doctors in the community refused to follow home remedies and the usage eventually waned. By the time Hill left Texas, male medical doctors were visiting patients in their homes and replacing "grannies" (midwives) in the delivery of babies. Hill recalls that when babies were breach, midwives used methods to turn the baby. Doctors, however, refused to learn these techniques from midwives and eventually opted for caesarian births. (16:20-22:05)... The town in which Hill lived in Texas was "slightly segregated." Generally, Blacks lived on one side of the street and Whites on the other side. However, Blacks and Whites interacted amicably and she does not recall experiencing any racial tensions in the community. (22:05-25:02)... Hill's grandmother delivered the babies of poor Whites residing in the community. She was paid with money, food, or livestock. When White doctors realized that her grandmother was profiting from her trade, they argued that a license and medical training was required to deliver babies, thereby forcing her out of the trade. Hill does not recall any women dying in childbirth under her grandmother's care. (25:02-29:16)... While living in the country, Hill was exposed to people from various areas who had moved there to attend the vocational college. When she moved to the city she was already accustomed to meeting new people. Her life in Tyler, Texas changed because she was much poorer and had to rent a room for the first time in her life. She describes her living conditions while living in the city. Even though the town was segregated, Blacks shared similarities with the poor Whites living in the city, though they were not exposed to the upper class because they did not work in their homes. While working for the wealthy residents of Tyler, Hill learned about their lives and developed ways to survive in the city. She was glad to leave Tyler because it was a backwards city with a prejudicial mentality. End of tape. *** File: rrrthill10.mp3 (0:00-9:53)... Hill describes a few incidents of violence that occurred while she was growing up in Texas. These incidents taught her to take care of her business and keep her mouth shut if she had any problems with White people because Blacks were used as scapegoats. While she was working for a family in Tyler, Texas, her employer's son attempted to solicit her for sexual favors. The second time this occurred, she brandished a shotgun and threatened to shoot him. She did not experience any overt sexual advances by men while working at North American. Men asked women out on dates, which would eventually lead to sexual encounters. (9:53-11:46)... There were nightclubs located in south Los Angeles that were frequented by Black clientele. She also went to shows at the Orpheum Theater, where both Blacks and Whites performed. There was usually at least one White woman who came to their clubs with a Black man. Hill believes that it was, and still is, much more difficult for White men to advertise their relationship with a Black woman. (11:46-20:15)... Hill was familiar with the efforts of the Negro Victory Committee to get jobs for Blacks in defense plants. The committee was responsible for creating a training facility so that Blacks could train for work in the defense industry. The first Black men hired in defense plants worked as janitors. The battle then focused on getting better jobs for Blacks. The women's liberation movement was more applicable to White women because Black women were the first to leave home and work alongside men. She believes that when Black women showed that women were capable of succeeding in the labor force, White women went to work and took some of the best jobs from Black women. Hill digresses regarding her daughter's membership in 4H and how they were treated "shabby" because of their color. Hill was not involved in community activism during the war because she was focused on making a living. (20:15-25:11)... Hill recalls that there were rooming houses in Tyler, Texas that Blacks frequented when they wanted to spend time alone with their significant other. During the war, people in Los Angeles made a good living renting rooms. Although one of her friends moved to Little Tokyo after the Japanese residents were evacuated, Hill was economically stable enough to avoid living in those conditions. She describes Little Tokyo as a downtown slum area that was overcrowded with recent migrants to the Los Angeles area. (25:11-29:37)... Black residents mainly resided in the neighborhood where Hill and her sister purchased their first home on Compton Avenue. Hill purchased another home in 1948 on 58th Street and Slauson. She was one of only three Black residents living within a two block radius. Shortly after she moved in, a White woman living two doors away antagonistically informed Hill that she was selling her home and to make sure Hill let all her friends know. Hill and her family gained respect in the neighborhood when her husband shot a snake in the neighbor's yard. A friend advised her that whenever she moved into a White neighborhood to make it obvious that she owned a shotgun so that the neighbors would not bother her. End of tape. *** File: rrrthill11.mp3 (0:00-1:20)... Hill continues the discussion regarding her friend's advice about letting her neighbors see that she owned guns upon moving into a new neighborhood. (1:20-6:42)... Hill's husband moved to California in 1944 when he was discharged from the army. They continued to live in the rear house on her property on Compton Avenue. She left North American in March 1945 and gave birth to a daughter in the hospital in June 1945. She returned to North American in August 1945, at which time she was laid off from the plant. Hill heard about the layoffs occurring at North American in the newspaper and on the radio while she was on maternity leave. When the war ended, production slowed but picked up again in 1946 when contracts were received to produce civilian aircraft. She was called back to North American in 1946. She worked on civilian aircraft for about a year and then the plant began to procure other contracts. (6:42-9:52)... Hill was happy that the war was over and was not concerned that she did not have a job because her husband was making a good living pressing clothes. During the war, she never believed her job would last. She was able to save money while employed at North American with the hopes of purchasing a home, a car, and some household items. (9:52-12:02)... When Hill returned to North American in August 1945, she was told that she was no longer needed at the plant. While she was there, a man was hired which signaled to her that the plant was not "dead." She was called back to North American in July 1946, approximately ten months after she was laid off. (12:02-15:51)... While Hill was out of work from March 1945 to July 1945, she cared for her newborn daughter. After that, her mother moved to California to care for Hill's daughter. Hill's mother wanted to be paid for the child care she was providing even though Hill was providing her with room and board. Hill suggested that her mother earn money by baby sitting other children. They placed an advertisement in the newspaper for child care services. Hill's mother was paid $10 a week per child. Hill did "day work" for a short time and then went to work for a factory weaving clothes. She worked there until North American called her back in 1946. (15:51-18:20)... In 1946, Hill received a telegram from North American offering her a position at the plant. She was re-assigned to do bench work earning $1 an hour, which was .40 cents more than her starting wage in 1942. When she returned to the plant, she recognized a few people that she had worked with during the war. (18:20-20:57)... Responding to a question about women's post war opportunities, Hill noted that people were given jobs that they did not want. Some people were simply afraid to work on certain machinery and some of the work was too difficult for women to perform. While some leadmen helped women with tough assignments, other leadmen purposely gave women difficult jobs. (20:57-26:36)... Hill believes that out of a group of about fifty employees hired at North American after the war, there were less than five Black men. Generally, Black men were restricted to janitorial positions at the plant. She does not recall any Black women being hired during the postwar period and only a few White women. North American had to be "pushed" in order to hire more Blacks at the plant into production positions. Some Blacks left the plant because the poor treatment they received. She explains the circumstances that led to her organizing a small group of women and filing a complaint with the Equal Opportunity Office. (26:36-29:51)... Hill's starting wage at North American was .60 cents an hour and when she retired she was making $9.44 an hour. She received cost-of-living and reclassification raises. The White employees were placed in better positions that garnered a higher wage, while Blacks received pay raises at incremental stages in accordance with company policy. Several of her leadmen treated her well and helped her advance; however, supervisors frowned on Whites and Blacks cooperating with each other. Whenever a leadman got too friendly with her, he was transferred to another department. End of tape. *** File: rrrthill12.mp3 (0:00-1:38)... Except for a short period when she worked in the stock room, Hill has always worked in production at North American. She believes she was transferred out of the stock room because it was too "good" of a job. Before Hill retired, she was working on the window area of the plane. (1:38-3:48)... During the early 1950s, North American hired many people, both men and women. She believes that women were more likely to stay on the job longer than the male employees. (3:48-4:37)... The union was beneficial in assisting employees with certain work-related issues. However, Hill contends that while the union helped fight discrimination, it also was discriminatory. (4:37-8:30)... Hill discusses her husband and their marriage. When he was discharged from the army, he moved to California and went to work cleaning and pressing clothes. He attended college on the G.I. Bill and studied to be tailor, but found there were few opportunities and, instead, went to work for North American in 1951-2. He stayed there for nineteen years until his death in 1972. Although he may have mentioned something to Hill about his desire that she stay home while he worked, she did not "hear" him. She thought it was best for her to work to help support the family. (8:30-15:43)... Hill's mother lived with her for about a year and provided child care. When her mother returned to Texas, Hill hired a baby sitter to care for her daughter. Then, when her daughter was two and a half years old, Hill placed her in a Day Care Center at a public school on 36th Street. The fee was based on her income. She feels that it was better for her daughter to be there rather than in a private home. When her daughter was old enough to attend elementary school, she went to the school attached to the Day Care Center and when the school day ended, she was sent back to the Day Care Center until Hill picked her up in the late afternoon. (15:43-20:03)... Note: there is an interruption during this segment. Outside of work, Hill spent most of her time working on her hobbies of crocheting and sewing. She also was active in 4H when her daughter was a member while in high school. Hill discusses some of the improvements she made to the county fair during her one-year tenure as leader of the 4H club. (20:03-20:48)... Hill and her husband occasionally were invited to social club meetings and dances. For the most part, however, Hill participated in activities that involved her daughter. They often went fishing and camping, and her daughter was usually involved in different types of programs and clubs. (20:48-22:08)... Hill's health was not affected by her work at North American. When she retires, she wants to keep herself busy by joining social clubs and doing charitable work. She also thinks about returning to college. [Note: Hill retired shortly afterwards, in 1980] (22:08-24:13)... Looking back on her life, Hill regrets not returning to college. In terms of her work in the defense industry, she explains that she enjoyed her work at North American. She was able to make a good living while employed at the plant. If she had the chance to do it over, she would have fought harder to improve her position at the plant. (24:13-27:26)... Hill discusses her daughter's pregnancy and how they were able to raise her granddaughter. She believes that a lot of women want to have a child without being married, but it is not that difficult if the woman has help. She decided that it would be best for her daughter to have a baby so that her daughter would not be alone. When her daughter decided to have a child, she looked for a man to impregnate her but she did not marry him. Hill believes that it is often a mistake for people to get married just because they are expecting a child. (27:26-29:05)... Hill reflects on her life and wishes that she continued to pursue a college education. She has taken classes periodically in different fields of study, such as sewing, photography, cosmetology, and nursing. End of tape.
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