Interview with Janice Roundtree, June 1, 2023

Partial Transcript: Today is June the 1st, 2023, and I am here with Mrs. Janice Roundtree.

Segment Synopsis: Mrs. Roundtree briefly describes her family and then talks about her time at Timothy Road Elementary.

Keywords: Education; One-room schoolhouses; School segregation; Timothy Elementary School; Primer grade

Partial Transcript: From Timothy Road School, where did you go next?

Segment Synopsis: Roundtree talks about the difference between Athens High and Industrial and Union Baptist Institute. She then recalls the needlessly long bus ride Black students had to take, and how disciplinary practices have changed since she was in school.

Keywords: County schools; Lyons Elementary School; School buses; School segregation; Union Baptist Institute / Jeruel Academy

Partial Transcript: You grew up in the Timothy community, right?

Segment Synopsis: Roundtree describes the various families living in the Timothy Road community when she was growing up there. She also shares fond memories of her great-grandmother, Savannah Bowles.

Keywords: Berry picking; Bowles Drive; Cooking / Baking; Reverend John Bowles; Timothy Road

Partial Transcript: The kids now don't realize what kind of fun they could be having.

Segment Synopsis: Roundtree talks about the many games she would play as a child. She also discusses the standard of dress, and how it has changed over time.

Keywords: Clothes; Hide and Go Seek; Jacks; Respect; Sally Go Round the Sun

Partial Transcript: Ok, so, we didn't have middle school for us back then.

Segment Synopsis: Roundtree discusses her time at Athens High and Industrial School, and her relationships with teachers. She then recalls having to perform a speech in order to graduate.

Keywords: Clara Gaye; Junior high school; Senior speeches; Athens High and Industrial School / Union Baptist Institute

Partial Transcript: I was not in any plays but I was in the school chorus.

Segment Synopsis: Roundtree talks about being in the AHIS chorus, and the trips they would take to go to competitions. She then elaborates on her love of travel, and discusses several places she has visited.

Keywords: Center for Active Living; Martha Swinton; Travel; Washington D. C.; Reverend W. A. Billups

Partial Transcript: Once you go in that Lorraine Motel, and you start your tour through the hotel...

Segment Synopsis: Roundtree talks about an emotional visit to the Lorraine Motel, and recalls the day that she learned of the assassination of MLK. She then discusses her graduation from AHIS and her graduating class.

Keywords: Civil Rights Movement; High school graduation; Martin Luther King Jr.; Memphis, TN

Partial Transcript: So now you have gotten that diploma, you've strutted across the stage with anticipation for your life beyond high school. Talk to me about that.

Segment Synopsis: Roundtree talks about the limited job opportunities available to Black high school graduates and the effect segregation had on her ability to attend technical school. She then elaborates on the variations in career choices between genders.

Keywords: Gender roles; Segregation; Technical schools; Work opportunities; discrimination; The Poultry

Partial Transcript: I got married in 1966, and my first child was born in 1967.

Segment Synopsis: Roundtree talks about her husband and two children, and their respective lives and careers. She also reflects on the feeling of being able to send her kids to integrated schools.

Keywords: Clarke Central High School; Desegregation; Integration; Raymond Roundtree; University of Georgia; Family

Partial Transcript: Alright, well let's talk about those working years.

Segment Synopsis: Roundtree discusses the various jobs she has held, and her relationship with the church. Then she describes her retirement and the church programs she has participated in.

Keywords: Center for Active Living; Clarke County School District Board Office; Lyons Middle School; The Baptist Young People's Union; Bellgrade Manufacturing Company

Partial Transcript: One last question--well two. Is there anything we haven't covered that you think we need to?

Segment Synopsis: Roundtree briefly talks about her eight siblings, and then her grandson. The interview concludes with her giving advice to her younger self.

Keywords: Respect; Siblings; Family