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Hill, Fanny Christina (audio interview #4 of 4)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This is the final interview with Tina Hill conducted in her central Los Angeles home. This interview, which focused on her marital relationship and raising her daughter and granddaughter, was added at Hill's request. At the completion of the third interview, she had lamented that she had not had the chance to talk about these topics. 2/24/1981
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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 - daughter's childhood; aspirations for daughter; parenting; daughter's pregnancy and single motherhood; raising granddaughter; and childcare;raising granddaughter; reflections on life; health; menopause; abortion; social values; racial discrimination; union grievance; and retirement;husband and marital relationship; racism; travels; social activities; friendships; family history; and Black culture and family values;household management; friendships; self-improvement; husband and marital relationship; pregnancy; and childbirth;
- *** File: rrrthill13.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-1:22)... Hill's daughter, Beverly, was born in June 1945. Hill's mother moved to California to care for her while Hill was at work. In September 1945, Hill went to work for a sewing factory. She returned to North American when her daughter was a year old. Hill and her mother agreed on matters related to the care of her daughter. (1:22-8:48)... She made most of her daughter's clothing. Beverly wore dresses and dainty articles of clothing because Hill wanted her to look "girly." She played with a lot of educational toys and dolls. She liked to entertain neighbors by performing on a stage at their home. They nicked name her "star" because of her talents. Beverly danced as a go-go dancer in her early twenties and left home for a short time to perform in the circus. She received several offers to work in the entertainment business but turned them down because she did not want to leave Los Angeles. (8:48-13:22)... She discusses the life she envisioned for Beverly while she was growing up. Hill saved enough money to send Beverly to college; however, she was never motivated to attend college when she was young. Beverly thought she would get married and become a housewife. However, she did not want the responsibility involved in homemaking. She eventually went back to college when she realized she needed to learn certain skills to support herself. (13:22-16:20)... Beverly's attempts to obtain a college education were unsuccessful. When she finally left college, she found work as a seamstress. While working on a woman's costume, she decided she wanted to pursue opportunities in the entertainment industry. She danced for various clubs and the joined the circus. She then decided to pursue a secretarial career and enrolled in a clerical school. However, her secretarial career did not amount to much. (16:20-20:17)... Hill suggested that Beverly have a baby so that she would settle down and have some responsibility. Hill assumed that Beverly would raise the baby as a single mother. Beverly approached several men about her interest in having a baby; however, they declined her offer because they did not want to relinquish their obligation to the child. After several months of trying to conceive a child with three different men, she eventually became pregnant. The father of the child was of Middle Eastern descent and offered to marry Beverly. Two other men offered to marry her knowing that she was pregnant with another man's child. However, Beverly did not want to marry because she did not think it was the right thing to do. (20:17-25:35)... Beverly went to a maternity clinic at the UCLA Medical Center; and Hill went with her to Lamaze classes. Hill discusses her experiences during Beverly's labor and delivery. (25:35-26:43)... Hill's friends supported her daughter's decision to have a child without marrying. They were happy for Hill because she was going to be a grandmother. Hill believes that her daughter's situation was special because Hill planned on assisting her daughter support the child. She thought that bringing a baby into the family was a good idea because she did not want Beverly to be alone after she died. (26:43-29:05)... The father of Hill's granddaughter (Vanessa) did not attempt to gain any formal custody rights. He was angry over the fact that he could not spend time with Vanessa alone or take her places outside the supervision of Beverly and Hill. He believed that Beverly used him and he occasionally threatened to take Vanessa to Iran and leave her with the Ayatollah. However, he did not provide any monetary support for the child and Hill and Beverly did not believe he had a right to make decisions about Vanessa's life. End of tape. *** File: rrrthill14.mp3 (1:23-6:39)... Hill's granddaughter started going to the Big Sisters League Nursery School when she was six weeks old. The facility was originally established to house pregnant women who wanted to give their children up for adoption. A nursery school was built many years later to provide childcare for working mothers. Vanessa left the nursery school when she was two years old. (6:39-9:01)... She discusses Vanessa's personality and how it differs from Beverly's. (9:01-9:54)... If given the chance to experience youth again, Hill would use that time to attend college and obtain a degree in home economics. (9:54-12:05)... Hill discusses her health. She did not have any problems when she went through menopause. After Beverly was born, Hill got pregnant again but the fetus was in her fallopian tubes and she either miscarried or aborted the baby. (12:05-13:20)... Hill supports abortion. She wishes there were better methods of abortion; however, she believes that other remedies do not exist because society wants women to encounter difficulties during the process. She does not agree with women who rely on state assistance to support their children. In this instance, the state should limit child births. (13:20-15:48)... Hill and Beverly have not encountered any difficulties raising Vanessa. Their friends support them and are available to care for Vanessa whenever it is necessary. Hill believes that it is possible for women to have children on their own as long as they have some services available to them. Often times, a man is a burden for a mother because she had to care for him and her children. Hill believes that single motherhood is a growing trend that is accepted by society. (15:48-16:55)... Hill enjoys retirement, but misses getting up in the morning and going to work. She occasionally visits her friends at the plant. Spending time with her granddaughter makes her feel like she is wanted and needed. (16:55-18:44)... Her granddaughter attends a public child care center and will continue there until she begins school. Now that Hill is retired, she spends most of her time doing things around the house. (18:44-21:32)... From 1946-49, very few African Americans were hired at North American. If Black men were hired at the plant, they were placed in janitorial positions. Many times, educated Blacks were told they were overqualified for positions at North American. (21:32-24:04)... In the 1960s, Hill filed a grievance with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (as identified earlier) because she was denied access to a better position. When representatives investigated her claim, the company had no explanation why she did not receive the promotion. When the grievance was resolved, she received a check for $100 and was given a better position a couple of months later. She was not treated any better or worse after she filed a grievance; the company just stopped bothering her altogether. (24:04-26:50)... Hill's husband suffered a heart attack while he was working at North American. He died a few hours later. When he died, she stopped doing many of the activities they did together. However, she often thinks that he died so that she could live. He would not have approved of Beverly's decision to have a child so his death was a blessing in that sense. She also liked the fact that she did not have to answer to anyone and was able to make all of the decisions on her own. (26:50-27:52)... While she is retired, she plans to pursue her hobbies of sewing and quilting. She earns some money by selling her quilts. End of tape. *** File: rrrthill15.mp3 (0:00-6:18)... Hill and her husband were "sweethearts" for about six years when she was a young woman. When she moved back to Texas from California, they married and lived there for less than a year before he went into the service. She describes how they met and discusses the attitudes his family had towards her because she was dark-skinned. He decided to marry her because she was "progressive" and had found a way to support herself in California. (6:18-13:27)... Hill describes her husband's personality. He was very helpful around the house and they shared household and childcare responsibilities while they were married. She discusses the activities they enjoyed together and the areas where they vacationed. (13:27-20:45)... Hill's immediate family was relatively small. Most of her sisters did not have any children, nor did her brother, who married late in life. All of her family members lived in Texas except for one sister, who moved to California in 1942. She believes that African Americans are inherently family-oriented because of their culture. In addition to sharing child care responsibilities, Black families care for their elderly relatives instead of sending them to convalescent homes. (20:45-25:45)... Hill cultivated many friendships while she worked at North American. She also maintained friendships with people who lived in Texas. She remembers that one of her friends ended their friendship because Hill was too Black. Most discussions with her friends revolved around their backgrounds and household management. End of tape. *** File: rrrthill16.mp3 (0:00-6:45)... Hill continues her discussion on acquiring certain household items at the behest of her friend Alma Dotson. Hill attended a self-improvement course with Dotson that focused on etiquette, personal hygiene, fashion, and manners. (6:45-11:34)... Hill describes herself as a "pusher," indicating that her role in the family was much more aggressive than her husband's. She made decisions about family matters. Her husband was not the "head" of the household and agreed with the decisions that Hill made. They disagreed on his decision to quit college. He went to college for a short time and studied tailoring, but left when he realized that finding a job in that trade would be difficult. Hill's incessant nagging eventually persuaded him to go to work at North American. Prior that he worked as a clothes presser. Several months before he died, Hill's husband admitted that if he had a chance to live his life over he would attend college and study law. (11:34-12:51)... While employed at North American, Hill thought about returning to college. Whenever this subject came up her husband convinced her that she was earning a good living and did not need to go back to college. Hill believes that he was insecure about his ability to support the family on one income. (12:51-22:59)... Although Hill did not plan her pregnancy, she wanted to have a child and was happy when she got pregnant. She had planned to go back to work after she had her daughter. She worked at North American until her fourth month of pregnancy. She contracted chicken pox at that time and took a leave of absence. She did not have any complications during her pregnancy but was in labor for close to three days. She felt prepared for childbirth and motherhood because of her experiences caring for other children. She also read literature on baby care and motherhood. End of tape.
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