Interviewer
Julie Wise
Project
Bracero Oral History Project
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee
Dolores Atkins was born in Parkin, Arkansas in 1948; her family were sharecroppers that would only get a small percent of their work; she began picking cotton at the age of 3.
Summary of Interview
She recalls that Parkin was a farm community and everyone worked in the fields; her parents encouraged her and her six siblings to get an education, but states that no one went to school during picking season; she explains that on Saturday families would take their children to pick cotton and would get to keep what they earned; she details the segregation in town, explaining how they ordered food from a service window marked blacks; she remembers that everyone stuck with their own race; consequently, Mexicans only came into town for liquor and food, then returned to their barracks; she remembers finding Spanish amusing to hear; she never worked alongside a Mexican worker because they kept them segregated.
Date of Interview
9-25-2008
Length of Interview
22 minutes
Listen to the Interview
Tape Number
No. 1599
Transcriber
Mayra L. Avila
Interview Number
No. 1599
Terms of Use
Unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Interview with Dolores Atkins by Julie Wise, 2008, "Interview no. 1599," Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso.