Interview with Aurelia Scott, February 23, 2023

Partial Transcript: Today is February the 23rd 2023

Segment Synopsis: Scott is introduced and thanked for the interview. She details the day of her birth and highlights some significant moments in her life.

Keywords: Linden', New Jersey; Morris College; Sumter, South Carolina

Partial Transcript: I want you to remember the day you were born

Segment Synopsis: Scott talks about attending elementary school and the teachers that she had. She recalls the time a boy called her a racial slur and explains how she handled the situation. Scott emphasizes that she was the only Black girl in her class until fourth grade and one of the few in the entire school. She also describes how being called a slur made her feel and shares that she later became friends with that boy.

Keywords: Ellis Island; Immigration; Integration; Linden, New Jersy; School No. 6; Segregation; Staten Island

Partial Transcript: Ok, now let's go to third and fourth grade.

Segment Synopsis: Scott describes a few of her teachers and her experiences with them. She talks about a specific male teacher who was well-liked by everyone and was fair to all students. Scott mentions becoming friends with the only other Black girl in her class and recalls going to her house to find that the girl's grandmother had killed her grandfather. She also talks about transitioning to middle school and her interactions with different wards.

Keywords: Death; Joseph E. Soehl Middle School; Linden Junior High; Racism

Partial Transcript: What type of games did you play?

Segment Synopsis: Scott lists and describes some of the games she played as a child. She details some of her responsibilities as the oldest daughter and defines what being a latch door kid was. Scott recalls that all the children knew what they were supposed to do and explains that the adults did not have to watch them closely. She also talks about living with nine other siblings and how her parents would take in child relatives.

Keywords: Family

Partial Transcript: Now would you consider yourself during that time- and I've interviewed a lot of people who said, " I didn't know I was poor until I was thirty."

Segment Synopsis: Scott claims that she never felt poor as a child and recalls eating food from her grandmother's kitchen whenever they were hungry. She explains that her household was rich in love and nourishment for her and her extended family members. Scott also recalls her mother forcing her to attend college against her wishes, highlighting the fact that her mother and her family all pushed each other to do better.

Keywords: College; Evan's Rule Company; Morris College; Poverty

Partial Transcript: I had no plans to go to college whatsoever

Segment Synopsis: Scott talks about attending college and her realization that she was more academically prepared for college than she previously thought. She details her education path and describes how she felt when she met her husband for the first time. Scott also explains her decision to move to the South and shares that during the seasons when she did not teach, she would return to New Jersey and work at Woolworth where she was the first Black female employee.

Keywords: Bobby Scott; F. W. Woolworth Company; Georgetown, South Carolina; Lincolnton, Georgia; Marriage; Rahway, New Jersy; Union County

Partial Transcript: This has to do with civil rights and my thinking and that kind of thing during that time. Because I did march, I did stay in jail for six days

Segment Synopsis: Scott details defying her parents to march in Civil Rights protests because of the injustices Black people were facing at the time. She recalls some of those injustices that occurred near Morris College and details the informational meetings and marches that she attended. Scott reflects on her time in jail and questions how people could treat others so horribly.

Keywords: Civil Rights Movement; Congress of Racial Equality (CORE); Discrimination; Kress Store; Racism; Segregation; Sharecropping; Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

Partial Transcript: I got out of school in '62. We got married as soon as I got out of

Segment Synopsis: Scott talks about working in education during the Civil Rights Movement. She recalls the abuse that her and her husband faced while in Lincolnton. Scott describes how complicated it was to teach young students and maintain professionalism while being an active part in the Civil Rights Movement and seeing the injustices that Black people were experiencing.

Keywords: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; Hosea Williams; Ku Klux Klan; Madison, Georgia; Marriage; Morgan County; Racism

Partial Transcript: Let's talk about your UGA experiences

Segment Synopsis: Scott talks about her decision to major in in reading education and the advisors she had while attending UGA. She reflects on the time when her professor refused to believe that she had finished her project, highlighting the racist implications of this event. Scott later explains that after confirming that she had indeed finished the project, the professor grew to like her. The incident, however, still bothers her today.

Keywords: Dr. Ira Edward Aaron; Motherhood

Partial Transcript: ..but if you look in there ad you saw a 10 year old, a 14 year old, and a 20 year old Aurelia Scott ,and there saying what should we do to prepare for the future.

Segment Synopsis: Scott reflects on her life at 20 years old and her involvement in the Civil Rights movement during that time. She states that she would advise her younger self to go with her gut and to make the best decisions for themselves.