Not all Okies are white : the lives of Black cotton pickers in Arizona PDF
Preview Not all Okies are white : the lives of Black cotton pickers in Arizona
Page iii Not All Okies Are White The Lives of Black Cotton Pickers in Arizona Geta LeSeur Page iv Some images in the original version of this book are not available for inclusion in the netLibrary eBook. Copyright © 2000 by The Curators of the University of Missouri University of Missouri Press, Columbia, Missouri 65201 Printed and bound in the United States of America All rights reserved 5 4 3 2 1 04 03 02 01 00 Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data LeSeur, Geta J. Not all Okies are white: the lives of Black cotton pickers in Arizona / Geta LeSeur. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0826212719 (alk. paper) 1. Cotton farmers—Arizona—Interviews. 2. Cotton farmers—Arizona—Biography. 3. AfroAmerican agricultural laborers—Arizona—Interviews. 4. AfroAmerican agricultural laborers—Arizona—Biography. I. Title. HD8039.C662 U65 2000 331.6'9960730791'09041—dc21 99057338 This paper meets the requirements of the American National Standard for Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, Z39.48, 1984. Designer: Stephanie Foley Typesetter: BookComp, Inc. Printer and binder: ThomsonShore, Inc. Typefaces: Franklin Gothic and Minion Page v for those who have worked "in the cotton"— who gave so much and got so little. with respect and love Page vii Midway I've come this far to freedom and I won't turn back. I'm climbing to the highway from my old dirt track. I'm coming and I'm going And I'm stretching and I'm growing And I'll reap what I've been sowing or my skin's not black. I've prayed and slaved and waited and I've sung my song. You've bled me and you've starved me but I've still grown strong. You've lashed me and you've treed me And you've everything but freed me, But in time you'll know you need me and it won't be long. I've seen the daylight breaking high above the bough. I've found my destination and I've made my vow, So whether you abhor me Or deride me or ignore me, Mighty mountains loom before me and I won't stop now. Naomi Long Madgett Page ix CONTENTS A Note about Rememberin', Tellin', and Writin' xi by Lynn C. Lewis Acknowledgments xiii Prologue 1 I. Introduction "There Are Pioneer Souls That Blaze a Path": Dreamin' the West 13 II. "Men That Press On with the Ardor of Hope" Migrant Places and Randolph, Arizona 25 Sarah Lucille Smith 41 Manuel and Eva Acuna 55 Myrtle Jordan 72 Jeff Jordan 86 III. "Next to You, We Love Cotton Best!" The Fabric of Black Life 97 Obed C. Fields 112 Nick White 117 Metris White 132 Ron and Pearl Jordan 140 Page x IV. "We Are Sojourner's Daughters" The Casa Grande Valley Cotton Women 149 Parlee Bradley 154 Georgia Rupe 166 Fannie Reece 171 Mamie Selmon 176 Beulah Moore and Christine Moore Fields 179 V. "Turn Not Away from Their Smiles and Their Tears" Educating Black Migrant Children 187 Matthew and Elgie Batteau 198 Ron Jordan 214 Epilogue 229 Notes 233 Bibliography 237 Index 243 Page xi A NOTE ABOUT REMEMBERIN', TELLIN', AND WRITIN' BY LYNN C. LEWIS This book by Geta LeSeur is the first to present the oral narratives of several members of a small Arizona community named Randolph that formed in the decades between 1930 and 1960. Through these individual narratives, a clear picture is painted of the realities of life for the working people who were the essential component of agricultural production as this section of the western United States developed, expanded, and contracted with technological change. There is history in these narratives, a history inadequately documented in traditional textbooks. In one sense, this book is an extension of the study of the experiences of southern blacks as workers in the production of the staple crops that generated so much wealth for the American nation and the white landowners, and so little compensation to the workers themselves. Focusing on particular families and individuals in one community allows this collection to provide vivid personal stories that resonate with multigenerational presences and influences. As these narrators recount their work experiences, an important witness is finally given voice—that of the workers in cotton fields and tobacco fields; of those harvesting corn, rice, fruit, vegetables, with feet or knees touching the soil, doing the handtostalk labor that brought all this bounty to fruition. Seen in this way, these narratives reflect a relationship to land that is akin to the old southern pattern of life tied to location and defined by geographic place. In another sense, this book connects with another kind of experience, the relocation of human groups migrating to find subsistence and substance. In this sense, these accounts afford a new glimpse into the western expansion of the United States in the first half of the twentieth century. Migrant communities developed creative strategies for adapting to new realities and for interacting with diverse types of people and demands. The contracting of their labor is Page xii one of many interesting means utilized by black people to coordinate their efforts and to negotiate economic transactions with landowners. Yet, in another sense, these oral narratives and LeSeur's contextualizing essays comprise an innovative blending of history telling and literary analysis. The narratives are oral histories, and the essays and headnotes are introductory ethnographies that offer a window on the time and place being documented. As such, Not All Okies Are White gives evidence of the resilience and adaptability of these migrant people and communities. People of African and European ancestry, Mexican Americans, and Native Americans from many groups, primarily the Pima, Papago, and Navajo, worked in close proximity yet lived—in the era before integration—separate lives, except for the occasional intermarrying that creates truly multicultural families. Although irrevocable losses, such as the loss of Native American languages and other traditions, occurred along the way, these narratives preserve the personal and collective memory of all of these groups, as exemplified in the lives of the eighteen individuals speaking here. Additionally, there is a nineteenth voice in this communal text, one entrusted by the Arizona narrators to carry and interpret their stories. This voice is as interesting and memorable as the others because of its perspective on and passion for this subject. LeSeur writes about her subject with tenderness, and it becomes clear why these valley folks felt they could share their life histories with her. Because she questioned so many and listened so much, we should be compelled to listen to this text, to listen closely. Listen for the intricate interactions among groups; listen to the sense of humor; hear what hunger can cause an infant to do; notice how economic and technological forces impact women and families, while affecting differently the African, Native/Indian, and Mexican people. Listen to the history in this text. If this book were a song, I believe you would enjoy both the words and the music. Page xiii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I owe much gratitude to many different people. The Arizona Daily Star, which in 1980 did a story on Randolph, Arizona, made me aware of the existence of a black town in the state and a special population of migrants who, like the white Okies, ended up as pickers of cotton and other crops. Earl Epps, a former administrator in the Coolidge school system with whom I worked on a black studies project in the Tucson School District, shared many stories, anecdotes, and key information about black life in Coolidge and Randolph. I thank him for the family and individual names he provided to begin the personal contacts for the interviews that came later. Katie Montaño, a federal agent at the McFarlane State Park in Florence, also suggested persons in the Casa Grande Valley to speak with as well as sources to consult. I also thank my husband, Ed, for finding Ms. Montaño for me in the early stages. Additionally, he meticulously sought out other persons, dates, and places on maps throughout the research. I thank the University of Missouri for a 1991 Development Grant that enabled me to begin my many trips to Arizona and to search for and purchase archival materials. A 1992 an American Council of Learned Societies GrantinAid provided funding for research and visits to the National Archives to locate materials and persons knowledgeable about the cotton industry. A 1994 Arizona Humanities Council Study Grant helped tremendously in the process of amassing the interviews and taping and transcribing the words of the individuals whose voices are heard in this book. I am grateful also for the council's inclusion of my project among the talks offered via its Speakers Bureau. That opportunity enabled me to present a work in progress and educate a new audience about black migrant life in Arizona. The Missouri Humanities Council Speakers Bureau also provided similar opportunities to share my materials. I thank it for that support, too.
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