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Drake, Videll (audio interview #3 of 3)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This is the final interview with Videll Drake conducted, as usual, at a small table in the dining area of her one story home in South Central Los Angeles. Because of her health problems and a prolonged trip to Texas, this interview was conducted some six months after the first two. Despite this hiatus, Drake remained interested in the project and made copies of her personnel records for the project. 5/21/1981
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- 2021-08-23
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- *** File: rrrvdrake6.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-2:52)... Drake was laid off from North American on VJ day. She collected unemployment during the eight months she was out of work. She did not want to pursue permanent employment during that period because she believed North American was going to rehire her. She received a telephone call asking her to return to work. When she returned to the plant, she was assigned to the Structural Department. (2:52-5:20)... When she returned to North American after the war, the company treated employees with more prejudice than in the past. During lunch breaks, employees met with union representatives to discuss poor working conditions and discriminatory problems in the plant. (5:20-13:57)... Drake discusses cleaning and "processing" parts in an environment infected with asbestos and other chemicals. She began experiencing health problems while working in this department, particularly in her throat. She did not receive an "A" job classification while employed at North American even though she was more experienced and better at her job than other women who received this classification. (13:57-16:00)... Drake bought a house in 1960. At that time, there were no African Americans living in the neighborhood. She discusses her neighbors and some issues with her home. (16:00-28:23)... Drake married her first husband in Italy, Texas. She gave birth to two daughters during this marriage, which lasted about two years. She discusses her relationship with her first husband. She met her second husband, Booker T. Drake, in Tijuana. They married in 1948. He was in the Navy and shipped out for eight months after they married. Their marriage was short lived because he was "mean." She digresses regarding her work in the defense industry. (28:23-29:19)... Drake discusses her visits to Tijuana, the main purpose of which were to shop. End of tape. *** File: rrrvdrake7.mp3 (0:00-9:38)... Drake met her second husband during a visit to Tijuana. They dated for about six months before marrying in 1948. He was picky about who she socialized with and did not want to spend time with her friends. She and her husband were married in her home by a preacher. Her thirteen-year-old daughter was a witness to their marriage. When he was released from the Navy, he came to live with Drake at her apartment on 42nd and Central. There marriage ended a week later when they had an altercation. She believes he had a difficult time adjusting to civilian life. (9:38-18:53)... When Drake was transferred to the Downey plant in the late 1940s, she was classified as a "C" employee even though women classified as "B" employees were doing less skilled work. She eventually filed a grievance with the union and was reclassified as "B" employee. She describes her responsibilities. (18:53-22:49)... When she started working at North American in 1943, she rented an apartment on 42nd Street. She lived there for eighteen years until she saved enough money to buy a house. She married her third husband (Prince) in 1957 and moved into her new house in 1960. (22:49-28:35)... Drake did not want to have any more children when she married her third husband. The only form of birth control she used was a condom. If her husband did not want to use a condom, she would cleanse herself immediately after sex. She only had two children, a son and a daughter. Her mother raised her son in Dallas, Texas. He died in 1971 of diabetes. Her daughter visited Los Angeles every year when she was not in school. End of tape. *** File: rrrvdrake8.mp3 (0:00-4:43)... After working at the plant in Downey, Drake was transferred to the main plant and operated a crane in a processing tank located on Nash and Douglas. She was exposed to several different chemicals at this time and began to experience health problems. She was admitted into the hospital in 1976. When she got out of the hospital, she was transferred to the tool crib at the main plant. She digresses regarding her neighbors. (4:43-16:04)... Note: there is a long pause in this segment while Drake and the interviewer pause to listen to an argument occurring in the neighborhood. Drake and her third husband, Prince, made decisions about their finances together. After they paid the bills, they split the rest of the money among themselves. Her husband was a nice man but his extramarital affair eventually ended their marriage. She digresses regarding her daughter's marriage and career. (16:04-24:37)... When Drake and her husband were married, they shared household responsibilities. They had a happy life together until she found out that he was having an affair. She discusses their relationship and the circumstances that led to the end of their relationship. Her husband was also employed at North American; however, they worked at different plants while they were married. He also worked part-time for General Motors and then Baskin-Robbins as a custodian. (24:37-27:02)... Drake worked at several different plants while employed at North American. She describes her responsibilities working on the side panel of the airplane in hangar eight. She also worked on the floor of the airplane. End of tape. *** File: rrrvdrake9.mp3 (0:04-3:41)... Drake was assigned to bucking rivets when she was transferred to the Crenshaw plant in the early 1950s. Because of her short stature, she had to stand on a table. She had just returned to work after being on sick leave and complained to her supervisor that she was too weak to climb up on the table. He was not sympathetic to her condition told her to go back to work. She promptly informed him that she did not have to "do nothing but stay Black and die." She filed a grievance with the union and her supervisor was held accountable for his actions. (3:41-10:35)... Drake was employed in the cleaning room at the Crenshaw plant just before she was transferred to the main plant. Her work assignment involved soaking materials in tanks filled with chemicals. When she was transferred to the main plant in 1971, she went to school and was trained on crane operation. She did this type of work until she was transferred to the tool crib. She worked there until she retired in 1976. During the years she worked at North American, she attempted to persuade her family to visit the plant on family days so that they could see what she did; however, they were never able to make it. (10:35-19:02)... Drake retired in 1976 when she began having problems with her ankle. She had been injured in 1962 when a clamp from a dolly transport hit her ankle. She received whirlpool treatments at the plant for approximately two weeks. She lived with the injury for several years without pain until 1976 when she got up one day to get ready for work and could not walk. She went to the hospital to receive treatment and when the doctor requested her medical records from North American, representatives claimed that her file no longer existed because she was so close to retirement. Drake feels that the company was negligent in discarding her file considering she was still employed at the plant, but she never filed a grievance over the issue. (19:02-21:32)... Drake discusses her retirement expectations. Rather than feeling euphoric, she felt exhausted. She cannot explain why she began experiencing problems with her ankle after so many years following her injury at North American. She cannot recall doing anything that caused her to re-injure her ankle. She went on disability after she was hospitalized and received disability payments from North American for a year. (21:32-22:36)... During her years at North American, Drake worked the day shift. Once, for a few days, she worked a double shift at the Crenshaw plant. (22:36-26:42)... In addition to volunteering at a senior citizen home, Drake also travels with her union. Her favorite pastime is going to Las Vegas and gambling. She discusses her gambling strategies. (26:42-28:49)... Her relationship with her daughter grew close after her daughter moved to California. She spends a lot of time at her daughter's home visiting with family and enjoying home- cooked meals. Drake usually only bakes now because she is always eating at her daughter's home. She enjoys giving cakes as gifts to people in the union. End of tape. *** File: rrrvdrake10.mp3 (0:00-5:38)... Drake discusses her daughter's life and career. Drake's daughter quit working when she married and her husband asked her to stay home and raise their children. Drake does not like the idea of a man telling a woman to stay home because the woman does not have any skills that will enable her to support herself if they divorce. (5:38-11:40)... Drake believes that abortion is equivalent to murder. She discusses her attitudes towards the ERA. Even though she did the same work as men while employed at North American, she received less pay. In addition, women who worked in positions that required little skill were paid more than Drake. She discusses her working conditions and issues with the union and North American regarding her grievances over these issues. (11:40-13:32)... Drake discusses her opinion on the status of women in society. She believes that people are not motivated as they once were and have fewer opportunities to do well. (13:32-17:50)... Upon reflection, Drake thinks that she would not have done so many different types of work while employed at North American if she had the chance to live her life over again. However, she is better off in retirement because of her work in the defense industry. She believes that had she pursued work while living in Dallas, Texas, she would have little means to live on in her retirement. (17:50-20:03)... Drake asks the interviewer about information on asbestos testing. She believes that her exposure to asbestos while working at North American may lead to future health problems. She has been advised to seek legal representation and get further medical tests to determine her exposure levels. (20:03-22:20)... Note: there is an interruption in the interview during this segment while Drake answers the telephone. Drake discusses her plans for the future, which include working on her home, traveling, and exercising. (22:20-30:15)... Drake discusses the health problems her friends experienced due to the stress and toil involved in working at North American. Drake and her friend Tina Hill had a difficult time obtaining promotions and higher job classifications because they were Black. Drake went many years without complaining about her status at the plant until she got tired of seeing less experienced and less skilled women obtain higher job classifications. Blacks were paid less than whites simply because Blacks were not put in jobs that garnered higher pay. It was several years until a Black male was promoted into a supervisory position. In many respects, Drake was surprised at the level of prejudice that existed in California when compared to the bigotry in her home state of Texas. End of tape. *** File: rrrvdrake11.mp3 (0:00-1:19)... Drake is bothered by the fact that she was underpaid while at North American, particularly since less qualified women were promoted into higher job classifications. End of tape.
- SUBJECT BIO - Videll Drake, had been working as a live-in domestic in Los Angeles when jobs at North American opened up for Black women. Born in Dallas, Texas, Drake began picking cotton when she was only ten years old. She married in 1928, when she was only sixteen, and became the mother of two before she was eighteen. After the birth of her second child, she went to work as a domestic in Dallas. When she came to Los Angeles in 1942 seeking better opportunities, she left her children with her family in Texas. After a one year layoff from North American, Drake returned to work there in 1946 and remained until her retirement in 1979. The job at North American had ill effects on her health, however. Exposed to an assortment of dangerous chemicals and injuries on the job, she suffered from several health problem, leading her to emphasize the unsafe working conditions. The interviews with Drake were conducted at a small table in the dining area of her one story home in South Central Los Angeles. Because of ill health, she tired easily, but remained quite fiery during the course of the interviews. She tended to jump from one time period to another - a common pattern among the women who returned to a long work history in aircraft production. Because of health problems and her prolonged visit to Texas, the interviews stretched out over a period of several months. She remained engaged and interested in the project, however, even though it was a physical strain for her. She speaks in what she referred to as a "Texified" way and, indeed, it is difficult to understand her dialect at times. TOPICS - postwar layoffs; job responsibilities; working conditions and hazardous materials; unionism; job-related health problems; housing and living conditions; and husbands and marital relationships;husband and marital relationship; working conditions; job responsibilities; housing and living conditions; birth control; and children;job responsibilities; working conditions and hazardous materials; work-related health problems; marital relationship and husband; children; family history;job responsibilities at Crenshaw plant; job discrimination; working conditions grievance; training and operation crane at main plant; working in tool crib at main plant; work injury; hours; attitude towards retiremdaughter; attitudes towards abortion and equal pay; working conditions and hazardous materials; job-related health problems; racial discrimination; wage discrimination; retirement; life reflections; future plans;wage discrimination; racial discrimination; and working conditions; Note: this tape is only two minutes in length;
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