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Hill, Fanny Christina (audio interview #1 of 4)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This is the first of four interviews with Tina Hill recorded in her home in central Los Angeles. Hill was an eager participant, determined to get the Black woman's story told. She basically directed the interviews and needed little coaxing, both giving details of her life experiences and also providing commentaries on them. 6/29/1980
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- *** File: rrrthill1.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-3:50)... Hill's great grandfather was a slave who worked as a carpenter on a plantation in Texas. He earned enough money to buy his and his wife's freedom. Her grandmother was nine years old when slavery was abolished. At that time, Hill's great grandfather purchased eighty acres of his former master's plantation. The master's wife gave Hill's grandmother house wares and flowers from the garden to help start their new home. These flowers are still blooming on the land. Hill reminiscences about the time she revisited the farm and took some these flowers home to plant in her own garden. (3:50-5:54)... Hill was raised on her grandparents' farm. She did not live a sharecroppers' life because her parents owned the land on which they lived and did not have to work hard to survive. Her father died when she was about five years old. Her mother re-married a man who worked at a land grant college founded by a white man who was opposed to slavery. After abolition, this man advocated Blacks getting an education, and he granted a part of his plantation for the construction of a school. Hill attended this school when she was young. (5:54-12:40)... Hill understands that her grandfather was a rebellious slave and often fled the plantation on which he worked in Louisiana. He ultimately ended up in Texas where he met Hill's grandmother, Fannie Crawford, and the two married. Hill's grandmother worked in the master's house, not in the fields. She also was a midwife and an herbalist for the slave community. Hill's father was born in 1875 to Fannie and Edward Williams. When he was a young boy, he contracted polio and his mother cared for him and cured him. There was not a Black doctor in town and Blacks had to seek medical care from a White doctor when necessary. (12:40-14:49)... The owners of the plantation where her mother lived were related to the owners of the plantation where her father lived. Hill's mother was a light-skinned woman and her father was dark-skinned. Hill was not conscious of racial discrimination when she was a child. She interacted with Whites on a regular basis and was never treated poorly because she was Black. (14:49-16:51)... Hill had a happy childhood. Her mother worked as a domestic servant for the plantation mistress. The mistress was fond of Hill's mother and treated Hill very well. She often bought Hill toys and took care of her when she stayed overnight in the "big house." (16:51-21:30)... Hill's mother was born in 1888. Her mother had a difficult young life because she lost her mother when she was about five years old. She was shuffled around to different relatives and was ultimately taken in by a woman in the neighborhood who did not have any children. When she was sixteen years old, she married Hill's father. Hill's father did not contribute to the family income in a substantial way. Her mother was the breadwinner in the family and worked very hard to support her five children. Hill does not view women's liberation as a new phenomenon because Black women have been working their entire lives to support their families. After Hill's father died, her mother re-married. When he died, her mother inherited the home that her stepfather owned. Hill's brother went to work for the Black college in 1926 and helped support the family during the Depression. (21:30-24:34)... Her family lived in a home that was separate from the large plantation house. Initially, her great-grandfather built a two-room house with a dirt floor, which is the house in which Hill was born. The family then built a larger house on the land that was inherited by her mother and father when her great-grandmother died. Hill's grandmother, Fannie, delivered her and she recounts the story she was told about her birth. She also describes some of the remedies and herbal medicines that were used by her family to cure common ailments. (24:34-27:18)... When her mother re-married, the family moved to another home approximately four miles from her grandparent's plantation. She did not spend too much time with them: her grandfather was already dead when she was born and her grandmother died when she was nine years old. When she was alive her grandmother taught Hill sewing and crocheting skills. Hill worked hard to keep this tradition alive within her family. Even though her grandmother was a slave, her master taught her how to read and write and she taught Hill's father these skills. (27:18-28:32)... Hill provides details on four siblings. She was born in 1918 and was named Fannie Christine after her grandmother, but she did not like the name Fannie and went by her middle name, which was eventually shortened to Tina. End of tape. *** File: rrrthill2.mp3 (0:00-1:23)... Hill wanted to pursue a career in home economics. She attended a vocational college and majored in home economics. Her sisters also went to this college, but only one sister actually received her degree and graduated. One of her other sisters dropped out of college when she married and got pregnant and Hill and another sister had to drop out of college after attending for two years because of economic hardship. Hill recalls that times were tough and her mother was not the kind to ask for help even when it was available. (1:23-6:44)... When Hill was approximately twenty-one years old, she sought employment in another town in hopes of earning better wages. She disliked the new town because it was backwards in comparison to the town in which she was raised. Unlike her hometown, there was no plumbing or electricity and the streets were unpaved and muddy. The only work available to Hill was domestic service. She discusses her experiences in this town and remembers meeting a young woman who inspired Hill to want better things for herself. While in this town, Hill met a Jewish woman who also made an impression on her. This woman's personal experiences influenced Hill's outlook regarding college and marriage. (6:44-10:23)... The school that Hill attended was segregated and encompassed all grade levels and a vocational college. She understood segregation but did not notice any stark differences in the quality of education she received as compared to Whites. There were usually only about thirty students attending the school at any given time and this allowed the teachers to provide the students individual attention. All of the educational materials were provided to the students free of charge, which included their books and writing materials. She does not remember ever lacking anything while attending this school. While other schools lacked funding for home economics courses, her school received an ample supply of food products for its students in these courses. (10:23-14:26)... Hill spent time with extended family when they gathered to mourn the death of a loved one. She spent time at the plantation house where her mother worked. Hill was raised with the plantation owners' nieces and nephews. Her mother nursed some of these children when they were babies. Hill discusses childhood activities. (14:26-16:08)... Some of her childhood activities included swimming and baseball. She liked to sew and knit and used fabric scraps she obtained from the plantation to sew clothing for her doll. She learned how to hunt for squirrel, possums, rabbits, and birds. (16:08-18:19)... Hill's chores included collecting and cutting wood for the home. She had to help her siblings haul water from a creek to their home so they could wash their clothes. Her mother earned money by washing clothes for teachers at the nearby vocational college. Hill earned .05 cents per load when she picked up and carried a teacher's laundry. She used .05 from her earnings to invest in an insurance policy each week. (18:19-19:21)... Hill's family lived in a remote area on a hill. This location limited her interaction with children living in the surrounding area. She worked for two years before returning to school. She had a difficult time maintaining her wardrobe and explains that this was the reason why she quit going to school. (19:21-22:10)... When Hill was between the ages of fifteen and eighteen, she earned money during the summer by washing and sewing clothes for students who attended the local college. She estimates that she earned between $15 and $20 during the six weeks that people attended courses at the college. Her mother also worked in this capacity and the family was able to support themselves with this income and the income earned by her brother. When Hill moved to Tyler, Texas she realized that washing and sewing was the only work she would be able to obtain. At that time, she decided she was going to move to either Dallas or California to pursue better opportunities. (22:10-23:36)... Hill's thoughts for the future revolved around marriage and family. She wanted to go to school and pursue a career in home economics. This occupation seemed natural because she was surrounded by examples of people tending to their homes. She learned how to sew with the prospect of earning money. (23:36-26:43)... Hill discusses her social interaction with the White children who were related to the plantation mistress. She did not experience any racial problems while she was playing with these children. They spent most of their time together during the summer. Their relationship trailed off when Hill was about thirteen years old. At that time, she joined 4H and spent most of her summers working on projects with this group. End of tape. *** File: rrrthill3.mp3 (0:00-1:41)... Hill learned about menstruation from her older sisters. She started her period when she was thirteen years old. She thought that whenever a woman had sex with a man the child would look exactly like the man, not the woman. As a result, she decided she was not going to have sex with an ugly man. (1:41-2:14)... Hill was raised in a rural community. The closest town to her was Tyler, Texas. She wanted to move to a city that provided better job opportunities and it was suggested that she move to Los Angeles, California. (2:14-4:48)... Hill entertained herself by going to the movies and dances. In the rural community where she lived, dances were held on Saturday nights and a picnic was organized once a year. She was involved with social clubs while attending college. In addition to home economics, she was interested in agriculture and farming. (4:48-7:51)... Hill decided to move to California in 1940 when she was twenty-one years old. Between the years of 1926-35, her family did not suffer economic hardships because of the Depression. Her brother helped support the family with his income of $50 a month. Her mother also earned about $4 a week washing laundry. Their cost of living was low and most of their food came from the garden and the farm animals. It was not until her brother moved to Dallas in 1935 that her family began to feel the impact of the Depression. (7:51-12:29)... Hill traveled to California on a Greyhound bus. When she arrived at the bus station on 6th and Los Angeles, she met her aunt for the first time. She moved into her aunt's one-room apartment located on Vernon Avenue in East Los Angeles. Her sister moved to Los Angeles approximately ten months later and they rented an apartment together. Hill decided to move back to Texas because she wanted to get married and did not like the men in California. She stayed in Texas for about eight months, during which time she married Joseph Hill. When her husband went into the service during the war, she moved back to California and went to work at North American. (12:29-15:34)... Hill was determined to buy a house when she moved to Los Angeles. Living an apartment and dealing with a landlord was an entirely new experience for her. She was not worried about supporting herself because she could always fall back on sewing. She was not raised as a religious person and did not attend church on Sundays. This gave her time to take in some of the sights in Los Angeles. (15:34-17:13)... Hill adjusted to life in a big city very well. She stayed informed about the Black community by reading newspapers such as The California Eagle and the Sentinel . While attending a Black college in Texas, she read Black literature and learned about Black history and culture. (17:13-22:48)... Hill was determined to succeed in Los Angeles . When she arrived, she had only $10 to her name. Her first job was as a live-in domestic for a family that lived in Westwood. Her pay was $35 a month. She had earned only $12 a month doing the same type of work in Texas. She was proud of her progress and was able to purchase Christmas presents for family and friends. She left that job after only three months and went to work for a different family that lived at the Ravenswood Hotel. After she left that employer, she went to work as a waitress at a cafe located on Central Avenue. She left this job after a short time because she did not like her Black employers. (22:48-26:09)... Hill lived with the family she worked for in Westwood. Her responsibilities included cooking, cleaning, washing, and ironing. The couple had four children and a nurse cared for the children. Hill did not like this job because she had very little time to herself. When she decided to quit, the employer became angry with her. She was not accustomed to confrontational behavior and told the employer that she did not want to work for a family that argued. She did not like staying the night in their home because it was an unstable environment and she liked the idea of going to her own home after work. End of tape. *** File: rrrthill4.mp3 (0:00-1:53)... Hill worked for the family in Westwood from August 1940 until Christmas 1940. She then went to work for the Ravenswood Hotel as a maid. The workload was easier at the Ravenswood Hotel and Hill received more time off. She was paid $10 a week. Her sister moved to California while she was working for this hotel. (1:53-7:31)... Hill does not remember her step-father very well because he died when she was about eight years old. Her mother made all of the decisions in the family. The teachers who taught at the Black college also influenced Hill. She goes into detail regarding the life of a woman who offered to employ Hill while she was in college. Hill observed these educated people and wanted to emulate them when she became an adult. (7:31-9:22)... When Hill decided to move to Los Angeles, she intended to spend the rest of her life there. She and her husband considered their chances in Los Angeles much better than life in Tyler, Texas. Although there was a large population of millionaires living in Tyler, the condition of the town and the wages paid to domestic servants were very poor. Domestics were paid about $6 a week, and had to steal food from their employers in order to survive. (9:22-12:32)... Hill lived in Los Angeles for two years before returning to Texas in 1942. During those two years in Los Angeles, she worked as a domestic and a waitress. She worked for a Jewish family in Beverly Hills for approximately one year just before she returned to Texas. When she came back to Los Angeles in 1943, she purchased a home with her sister. (12:32-15:28)... Hill decided to return to Texas to marry a man she had dated while living there. She did not like the men in California because they were egotistical. She did not intend on staying in Texas, but simply wanted to marry her husband and persuade him to move back to California with her. Her husband was employed as a clothes presser. After they married, she earned money by sewing, but was not employed on a permanent basis. Her husband was drafted into the service at the end of 1942 and was deployed in early 1943. At that time, she returned to California and applied for a position at North American. End of tape.
- 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 background and family history; slavery; race relations; childhood; plantation life; rural living; living conditions; folk medicine; and attitudes towards Black women and work;family history and family life; mother; childhood; domestic responsibilities; schooling; social activities; race relations and segregation; career expectations; education; life aspirations; role models; and work exsocial activities and interests; family history; life during the Depression; economic status; living arrangements; religion; work experiences and earnings; life and work in Los Angeles, California;family history; role models; mother; domestic service work and earnings; working conditions; husband; and marriage;
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