Boyd, Viola, 1911-2009

Pettus, Debra

Charlotte, North Carolina

J. Murrey Atkins Library Special Collections

2004-03-09

1 audio file (47:06) : digital, MP3 + 1 transcript (29 pages : PDF)

sound recording-nonmusical

spoken word

eng

Viola Boyd was a 93-year-old woman at the time of interview, which took place at her son's home in Matthews, North Carolina. She was born in Matthews in 1911. She was educated at Number 2 Murkland School and Madame Walker's beauty school, and was employed as a hairdresser.

Viola Boyd describes her life as an African American woman during segregation and the civil rights movement. Mrs. Boyd describes Matthews, North Carolina, and in particular the Crestdale neighborhood where she lived and grew up. She speaks frequently about her husband Sam Boyd, describing his various jobs and involvement in the community. Mrs. Boyd also describes how she became a beautician and talks about beauty parlor culture. Addressing the subject of civil rights, Mrs. Boyd recounts her memories of Ku Klux Klan activities in Matthews and Charlotte, and her son Harvey Boyd's involvement with protests in the area.

MP3 access copy created on ingest from WAV preservation master file. Interview originally recorded on analog audio cassette and digitized using Digidesign 003 rack.

Beauty operators

Boyd, Viola, 1911-2009
Boyd, Sam, 1907-1993
Boyd, Harvey, 1944-

Number 2 Murkland School (Matthews, N.C.)
Seaboard Air Line Railroad Company
Ku Klux Klan (1915- )

African Americans--Segregation
Racism
Beauty operators
Beauty shops
Railroads--Employees
Child labor

North Carolina--Matthews
North Carolina--Charlotte
North Carolina--Matthews--Crestdale

Interviews
Oral histories

1910-2010

Student project on the Charlotte African American community

Living Charlotte : the postwar development of a New South city

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Digitization made possible by funding from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources.

audio/mpeg

Viola Boyd oral history interview 2, March 26, 2004, J. Murrey Atkins Library Special Collections and University Archives, University of North Carolina at Charlotte (https://goldmine.uncc.edu/islandora/object/uncc%3A32); Harvey Boyd oral history interview, April 17, 2004, J. Murrey Atkins Library Special Collections and University Archives, University of North Carolina at Charlotte (https://goldmine.uncc.edu/islandora/object/uncc%3A130)

OH-BO0481