1. What is your name? Maiden and Marriage (if applicable)
a. Celest Talbert (Maiden)
b. Celest Parker (Marriage)
2. Where were you born?
a. Lucedale, MS
3. Where did you grow up?
a. Lucedale, MS
4. What were your parents names and occupations?
a. Father- Clarence
i. Brick Mason
b. Mother-Myrtis
i. Librarian
5. Do you have any siblings?
a. Yes. 1 sister
6. What was your life like growing up as a black girl in Lucedale?
a. I had a very good childhood.
7. Did you ever encounter racism? Explain?
a. Very Little. One time I saw the KKK handed out pamphlets to all the white people and excluding us.
8. What privileges or setbacks do you feel that you experienced growing up a black female in the North/South?
a. Really no privledges, the only setback was that I didn’t receive the proper ranking in my high school class. They gave it to the white kid.
9. What, if anything, do you remember your parents telling you about race?
a. Pray and go on!
b. They don’t know any better (referring to the white race)
c. They talked about their experiences as youngsters.
10. What did your parents tell you or instill in you regarding being a woman, specifically a black woman?
a. Be proud, and that women and men are equal.
11. Did you attend school? Yes or No, why or why not?
a. Yes, I graduated from high school
b. I also attended college
12. Talk a little bit about those days...
a. School days were really good. I had mainly all white friends throughout school, and my mom worked at the school so no one messed with me.
13. What was it like in school for you as a black female?
a. Very good, I was in all the excel classes (only black girl). I was popular with both races and had a lot of friends.
14. Did you graduate and attend college? [Ask questions here to get more info regarding education ect.]
a. Yes.
b. Alcorn State University (Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration)
15. Did you get married? To who? When? [Ask about the circumstances]
a. Yes, I married Jonathan Parker in 1987 after college.
16. Did you have any children? Yes or No? How many? Why? Was this a choice or just happened? If no children, you could ask them why they chose not to or was it medical reasons.
a. Yes, they were planned. I have 2 children.
17. Where did they work as an adult
a. My daughter is still in high school
b. My son is in college and works part time at Ajax restaurant.
18. Ask them about their adult life and what it was like living as a black woman?
a. In Lucedale it was pretty good.
b. When I moved to Oxford racism was more noticeable and white people’s attitudes are different here in this town.
19. Ask them if there are any specific stories that they would like to share regarding their adulthood life and being a black woman
a. Not directly related to me but as I grew older I can tell racism is prevalent. My husband experienced a lot of racism when he started working at Ole Miss. Opportunity for minorities are limited.
20. What were their relationships like with other women? Specifically ask about white and black women.
a. Depends on the person.
b. 1st boss in 1990 was a very racist white women.
c. I get along with both races pretty equally.
21. Would they consider themselves friends with white women? Or do they have friends that are of another race?
a. I have acquaintances in all races.
22. What type of relationship do you have with black men?
a. Depends on the person again.
b. Some are flirtatious, ignorant, intelligent, the same with white men.
23. What do you think is the role of both black men and women in relationships and inside of the home should be? [Here, you can ask specific questions regarding marriage and the roles of both men and women inside of marriage]
a. Man is the head of the household. But we split decisions and we both work. We both provide and take care of my family financially, spiritually and physically.
24. What do you think about people dating outside of their race? Black men marrying white women and black women marrying white men?
a. When its true love I see no issue with it, but if only to spite people, then yes it pisses me off.
25. What issues do you think most affect black Americans today?
a. Poverty
b. Ignorance
c. Don’t love or know themselves
d. Striving to be another race
e. Black men in prison
f. Women and single families
g. Drugs and alcohol
h. Healthcare issues
CRITIQUE:
When I did this interview I was much more comfortable then with the previous one. I interviewed my boss of 3 years. Therefore a lot of this information I already knew. I did learn more about her than I knew at first though. She didn’t really experience that much racism in general. Her mother working at her school probably had a lot to do with the lack of childhood racism and her excelling and attending college. I enjoyed this interview a lot more than the first one and learned a lot about my boss.
Great Interview!!!! Great job!!! I am glad that you were more comfortable during this interview!!!!
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