Interview with John Barrow, August 25, 2023

Partial Transcript: Today is August the 25th, 2023, and I am on the phone with Mr. John Barrow.

Segment Synopsis: Mr. Barrow briefly describes his retirement before discussing his family, upbringing, and early education at Mattie Eberhart's nursery school. He recalls the wood-burning stove that heated the schoolhouse, and later getting his first job lighting the fire in the schoolhouse stove.

Keywords: Home births / Midwives; Mattie Eberhart; Nursery school / Daycare; Segregated schools; Wood-burning stoves; Waddell Street

Partial Transcript: I started elementary school at West Broad. At that time it was just the main building. Heated by steam.

Segment Synopsis: Barrow discusses his experiences at West Broad Elementary School. He describes the discipline of the students, and the use of corporal punishment to maintain it. He also talks about recess and the various outdoor activities children would engage and emphasizes that his free time was spent entirely outdoors.

Keywords: Childhood games; Corporal punishment; Outdoor activities; Recess; School lunch programs; Television; West Broad Elementary School

Partial Transcript: All the grown-ups in that area watched the kids. If they see you doing something wrong they will tell you. Tell your parents.

Segment Synopsis: Barrow talks about the Waddell Street neighborhood. He describes some of the people and families who lived there, and the sense of community among them.

Keywords: Black communities; Easter egg hunts; Elevator operators; Families; Waddell Street; James "Pete" Fair

Partial Transcript: Can you name some of the teachers that may have had an impact on you?

Segment Synopsis: Barrow talks about his most memorable teachers at West Broad Elementary and recalls not needing his lunch money because of a teacher's generosity. He then discusses the quality of education he received and remembers what he was taught in his history classes.

Keywords: Black History education; Education; Elementary school teachers; Sandy Freeman; School lunch; School segregation; Skip Payne; Vera Jones

Partial Transcript: Well tell me about those middle school days.

Segment Synopsis: Barrow reflects on his time in middle school. He talks about becoming interested in music, and Walter Allen Sr. allowing him to play alto saxophone with the AHIS band while still in middle school. He also discusses Walter Allen's impact among students.

Keywords: Athens High and Industrial School; Christmas parades; Football / Football games; Fort Valley State University; High school bands; Lyons Middle School; Walter Allen Sr.

Partial Transcript: Ok, now let's go to high school. Hold up, let's go back. 7th grade, you were out by the airport, right?

Segment Synopsis: Barrow recalls the bus ride from West Broad Elementary to Lyons Middle School before discussing his entry into high school, and his participation in civil rights protests. He describes being arrested for lying on the floor of The Varsity, and being removed by two Black police officers.

Keywords: Civil Rights songs; Ebenezer Baptist Church West; Segregation; The Varsity; School buses

Partial Transcript: The second arrest, we had planned a big march downtown, and we were gonna have--I think--probably about a hundred people march.

Segment Synopsis: Barrow describes his second time being arrested for protesting and having to spend a night in jail. He talks about how his night in jail was a positive experience overall, his parents' enthusiasm for the cause of integration, and the reasons that other Black people may or may not have supported integration.

Keywords: Ebenezer Baptist Church West; School integration; Segregation; Water fountains; Civil Rights Movement / Civil rights demonstration

Partial Transcript: Being a band member, we had to report to college, I think about two weeks before all the other students

Segment Synopsis: Barrow discusses being in the marching band at Alabama State. He recalls the racial tension in Montgomery and a bus boycott in 1965.

Keywords: Civil Rights Movement; HBCUs; Marching 100; Marching bands; Universities; Alabama State College / Alabama State University

Partial Transcript: So, high school graduation. Did you have to do the high school graduation speech?

Segment Synopsis: Barrow discusses the Alabama State marching band in greater detail and talks about his decision to change from a major in music to one in business administration. He emphasizes that his college experience was a positive one.

Keywords: Career opportunities; Greek life; HBCUs; Marching bands; Music education; Alabama State College / Alabama State University

Partial Transcript: Did you have any idea when you came back to Georgia it was gonna be difficult to find a job?

Segment Synopsis: Barrow talks about the difficulty in finding a job that used his education, which he attributes to the fact that those jobs went only to white people. He discusses how this lead him to start his own business, Barrow Stone and Masonry. He then shares how he has instilled in his children the importance of education and comments of the disappearance of factory jobs.

Keywords: Athens, GA; Barrow Stone and Masonry; College education; Employment discrimination; Factories; General Time

Partial Transcript: I listen to you talk about your travel, and then I've also taken kids on trips, and I saw what effect it had. So, what are your thoughts about that?

Segment Synopsis: Barrow comments on the importance of travel and relates that to his children and grandchildren's participation in athletics. He discusses their lives and achievements and the need for Black accomplishments to be recognized in media.

Keywords: Black press; Families; High school athletics / Collegiate athletics; Robert Harrison; Walter Allen Jr.; Zebra Magazine; Travel

Partial Transcript: So, tell us some of the things that Alpha Phi Alpha stands for.

Segment Synopsis: Barrow discusses the tenets of his fraternity, Alpha Kappa Alpha, and its position of prestige at Alabama State while he was in school there. He then mentions his efforts to persuade his children to attend HBCUs, and his belief that they would have had a better experience in Black colleges.

Keywords: Alabama State College / Alabama State University; Black fraternities; Education; HBCUs; Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity

Partial Transcript: I'm at a stage in my life now where my memory is fading. And I'm seventy-six years old now.

Segment Synopsis: Barrow discusses how technology has impacted his life. He recalls getting his first cellphone in 1987, and being the 106th person to get one in the state of Georgia. He then gives advice to the younger generation, emphasizing the importance of family.

Keywords: Education; Family; Technology / Technological advancements; Cellphones