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Dotson, Alma (audio interview #1 of 3)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This is the first of three interviews with Alma Dotson conducted on the couch in her living room. Although Dotson was pleased to be interviewed, it took a while for her to become more relaxed. Also, as a result of several strokes, her memory was not always sharp. 10/13/1980
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- 2021-03-22
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- SUBJECT BIO - Alma Dotson began her long career at North American in 1943 almost accidentally. A full-time homemaker for the previous ten years, she simply joined some friends who were on their way to apply for war jobs. Born in South Carolina, the third of four children, Dotson came to Los Angles in 1924 at the urging of an aunt living here. A year later she married and she and her husband worked as live in help at a Beverly Hills home until 1922, when her third child was born. After a one year layoff at war's end, during which time she worked as a monogrammer, she was recalled to North American, where she continued to work until retirement in 1965. Referred to the Rosie the Riveter project by Tina Hill, a co-worker at North American, Dotson was pleased to be interviewed. The interviews were conducted seated by side side on the couch in her living room, a room decorated with African memorabilia acquired during her trips there. Although she was often rather formal and stiff at the start of each interview, she relaxed after a while. Dotson had suffered from several stroke and these seemed to have impaired her memory to some extent, as well as her ability to concentrate. As a result, her thoughts often wandered and the the interviews are not strictly chronological. TOPICS - family background and family history; childhood; housing and living conditions; religion; social activities; attitudes towards sex; puberty and menstruation; household chores; schooling; and education;racial discrimination and segregation; schooling and education; family life and family history; dating; early work experiences and earnings; marriage; husband; living arrangements; birth control; and children;work; earnings; marital relationship; and husband; Note: this tape is only a little over two minutes long
- *** File: rrradotson1.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-3:58)... Dotson's mother and father died when she was a young girl. Her maternal grandmother came to Birmingham, Alabama and took Dotson and her brother back to South Carolina. Her grandmother owned a farm in a rural area near Columbia, South Carolina, where she raised cotton, corn, and a large vegetable garden. (3:58-7:13)... Both of Dotson's parents were born and raised in South Carolina. Her mother was a graduate of Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina. Dotson's grandparents were wealthy and sent all eight of their children to college. After graduating from college, Dotson's mother taught school. Dotson's knowledge of her father's life and family history is limited because he died when she was a young girl. However, she does recall that he worked as a chef for the railroad and cooked for the president of the Southern Railway. Dotson and her family moved to Tennessee and then to Birmingham, Alabama when her father was transferred to those locations because of his job. (7:13-9:40)... Dotson was the second oldest of four children. When she was about four years old, her father died. She vaguely remembers him. When he died, she remembers seeing him in a casket but did was not present when he was buried in South Carolina. Her mother became ill and died approximately four years after her father died. Dotson was about eight years old at that time. (9:40-13:34)... When her mother died, Dotson's grandmother came to Alabama and they rode a train back to South Carolina. Moving to the country was a change for Dotson compared to her life in the city. However, she was happy to go and live with her grandmother and they became very close over the years. Her grandmother lived in a large, white house shaped like an "L." Dotson's Uncle Willie helped cultivate the farm. (13:34-15:37)... The homes in the community where Dotson lived were spread out. Most of her interaction with friends and neighbors occurred on Sundays when they attended a Baptist church. The church held picnics and other types of activities so that the people in the community could socialize Dotson played the typical childhood games of hopscotch, ring around the rosies, and hide n' seek. They went to church in a horse and buggy, or a neighbor took them in his wagon. (15:37-17:06)... Dotson's sister married when she was eighteen years old and moved to the North. Her husband was killed in WWI. When Dotson turned eighteen years old, she moved to New Jersey to live with her sister. She lived in New Jersey in the early 1920s and had moved to California by the time the Depression hit. (17:06-21:09)... Men were protective of girls when she was growing up. Men were usually the ones who played outdoor sports liked baseball. When she reached the age of fifteen, her grandmother separated the girls from the boys. She was a devout Christian and did not want the girls and boys playing together. She talked to Dotson and her sister about menstruation, sex, and reproduction. The only preventive method was abstention. Her grandmother simply told them, "don't do it!" Dotson passed this advice down to her children because it was the only way she knew how to prevent pregnancy. (21:09-23:40)... The household responsibilities were divided between Dotson, her sister, and her cousin. They disliked working in the fields. Her sister promised she would move to a city where people "had never even heard of cotton." Her sister eventually moved to New Jersey and Dotson followed a short time later. They decided to settle in New Jersey because they had an aunt living in the city. (23:40-27:19)... Dotson's grandmother deeded a piece of her land so that a school could be built for children living in the country. However, Dotson and her siblings attended a "colored" school located in the City of Columbia, which was located approximately sixteen miles from their farm. Dotson lived with a cousin during the school term and went back to the farm when the school closed. The school was approximately eighteen blocks from her cousin's home and they walked to school everyday. The school educated children up to the twelfth grade. She believes that the standards of education were far higher when she was educated than they are today. While in school, she did not learn anything about Black culture or history. End of tape. *** File: rrradotson2.mp3 (0:00-4:43)... While living in the city during the school term, Dotson attended plays and the Philharmonic. She was not aware of segregation until she moved to the city. While living in the country, Blacks were not segregated and the white residents in the community were very friendly with her grandmother. The first time she was personally affected by discrimination occurred while she was living in California when she was told to drink her beverage standing up instead of sitting down at a table. She also discusses an incident when she and her husband were refused service at a restaurant in Texas. (4:43-5:24)... Her grandmother did not provide home remedies to the children when they were ill. They were always cared for by a white medical doctor. (5:24-10:49)... When her sister moved to Red Bank, New Jersey she met and married a man who died of influenza during WWI. Shortly after marrying, she got pregnant. However, her husband died before he could see his son. He was covered by an insurance policy and she received a $10,000.00 indemnity for his death. She returned to South Carolina so that she could take Dotson back to New Jersey. Before that, Dotson was sent to live with an uncle in Green Cove Springs, Florida where she attended high school. The people in Green Cove Springs were mainly tourists from the North. She remembers that the people in Florida were different because they treated each other like human beings. She did well in high school and enjoyed all of her subjects. She thought about becoming a seamstress because her mother was a first-class dressmaker. Her grandmother encouraged her to sew and they owned a sewing machine. (10:49-11:46)... Dotson's grandmother was very strict. The only opportunity Dotson had to meet boys was while at church. The boys could call on her but they had to leave before it got dark. (11:46-16:19)... Dotson enjoyed living in Red Bank, New Jersey. They were the only colored family living in the city at that time. Her aunt owned a home and Dotson had her own room. Her sister worked as a domestic servant. Dotson earned ten dollars a week taking care of a blind woman. Dotson was very inexperienced and "didn't even know how to boil water." She decided to move to California because she had been corresponding with an aunt who invited her to come to California. Her aunt sent her train fare to California. (16:19-20:20)... Dotson moved to Glendale, California in 1924. The city was very undeveloped at that time. She moved in with her aunt and then lived with her aunt's mother-in-law for a short period. Dotson met her future husband, Bill Billops, at a dance. They dated for about three months before marrying. She gave birth to her first child ten months after marrying her husband. When they married, he was working for the railroad. He then worked for North American, after which he enlisted in the Merchant Marines and worked as a seaman for several years. She did not work when they first married because his income adequately supported the family. Their marriage ended after twenty-three years when he died. (20:20-22:28)... Dotson and her husband rented and moved around a lot. They finally purchased a home around 1948. A short time later, her husband became ill and was admitted into the hospital. He was diagnosed with cancer and died three days after he entered the hospital. (22:28-24:54)... There was a seven-year time span between her first two children. Although they had decided to have only one child, but they stopped using birth control (condoms) she got pregnant again. Prior to getting pregnant with her second child, Dotson and her husband worked and lived with a family in Beverly Hills. She did housework and was the "nurse" for her employers' children. (24:54-26:01)... Dotson's daughter was educated at schools in Los Angeles. She lived with Dotson's aunt for a short time while she attended school. Dotson explains that her daughter was the only "colored" child born in Glendale. The race on her daughter's birth certificate reads "Ethiopian." End of tape. *** File: rrradotson3.mp3 (0:00-1:16)... Dotson and her husband earned $200 a month working for a family in Beverly Hills. They had certain days off and were able to purchase a car with their earnings. She and her husband shared responsibility for making decisions related to their family and their finances. (1:16-2:17)... Dotson enjoyed a good marriage with her husband. However, over time she learned that he was an alcoholic and it eventually led to his illness. He was responsible and never drank while he was working. (2:17-2:39)... The people that Dotson and her husband worked for in Beverly Hills were millionaires. They got along very well and treated each other like family. End of tape.
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