Oral History: Samir Smith

Transcript

SS- What was it like for you during the sixties? Like what did you experience?

GP-I didn’t particularly have any difficulties as a youngster at that age, but I could see some of the struggles that my mother was experiencing but I think having 5 or should I say 4 other siblings at that time, you know I think it was pretty much carefree because there were no responsibilities or obligations that we had to really attend to being that young but I think we were pretty safe and happy being that young where our parents pretty much took on the strife of everyday living.

SS-Ok so like was there any racial tension or anything while you were growing up?

GP- I think that the racial tension for me being a youngster as I started getting older, say around 6,7,8, and 9 that 4 year span became more of a racially aware environment, especially hearing it from people, other African Americans in regards to the caucasian race at that point, hearing the disappointment and the exclusions and things of that nature and how we were so exempted from going in certain areas even in Philadelphia, I think that there was a border line of racism as I got even a little older around maybe 7 or 8 dealing with the Hispanic community living around 5th and lehigh at that particular time but racism I think was something that was becoming a very real and apparent part of my life between the ages of 7 and 9 so the experiences that I did have with racism as mainly of that hearing all of the ill treatment and difficulties that my parents and you know family and friends that were much older around my mothers age or you know in that age category of concern so that was pretty much the experience of racism during that time and at that time now you’re still talking about 67 to 69.

SS- So like Were you subject to any racial slurs?

GP- You know at that age if I was I probably wouldn’t have even known but being called things like, like the N word and things of that nature I think that it would only come from experiences with my hispanic friends when they got mad at me hahaha and if it came out it came out in that context and I think it made me angry you know at that particular point dealing with those who were my age and probably didn’t really have a sense of the intensity of what it was that they were trying to express either they heard things from racially charged individuals maybe family or friends of theirs or maybe heard it from other areas you know but as far as it affecting me to a great extent no.

SS- Did you see or experience any violence because of race?

GP- I never had an opportunity to really experience violence because of race at that earlier age during the 60’s it was still pretty much something that I think I might have been shielded from to a certain degree.

SS- So you felt safe?

GP- Pretty much yes I think I did my mother and my family did a pretty good job of keeping me safe from it.

SS- So when you were younger How did you feel about the civil rights movement?

GP- At the age of I guess maybe 9, 10, and 11 I didn’t really have a great sense of it but I do remember like maybe around the age of, I can’t remember how old I was i’m thinking I must have been somewhere between 10 and 12, I remember sitting in the living room of my mothers house and there was a big bang on the door and my mother came down hysterically because she had never heard anyone bang on her door with such urgence so she went to the door and asked who was it and it was my uncle, her brother Eddie and when she opened the door he was very distraught he had tears coming from his eyes he rushed in the house looked at my mother and said “they killed Dr. King”. My mother was very upset she put her hands on her face and immediately began to cry and she ran upstairs and my uncle he was distraught with anger and frustration seeing that and experiencing that coming from my uncle and mother I had a sense of what it felt like to be angry behind someone being assassinated especially at that caliber at that young age I knew that there was something that I was feeling that I couldn’t connect with the idea of rage being that young, 11 or 12 or more like 10 or 11 I might have been 9 if he got assassinated in 68 or 69 because every year I turn a year older but needless to say you know as you can hear there is a slight fogginess for racism for such a young mind between the ages of 8 and 11. So that was one of the first times I actually experienced frustration and anger and hostility at a young age so I would say racism introduced me to those extreme human characterisitics which I think are not the dominant human features but they have their place.

SS- So did you know who Dr. King was

GP- I did not know who he was to the extent that my mother and uncle did but in school his name was always mentioned and what he tried to do. And my teachers were very happy that someone like him had taken such a great stand so I felt hope that I knew i could identify at a young age, so knowing him to the degree that they knew and understand him no but I did have what I would say was a beautiful byproduct of what they had for him and what he was doing.

SS- Ok did the behavior and actions of certain people(Blacks or Whites) surprise you?

GP- Can you repeat the question?

SS- Oh did the behavior and actions of certain people(Blacks or Whites) surprise you?

GP- I think that at the age again that I was any strange behavior that wasn’t pure was was surprising that those who were adult could display such radical and inhumane behavior I think gave me an idea that there was something more that I had to look forward to in terms of dealing with people on different level so yes it was very surprising that kind of behavior coming from anybody of any particular race or color so yes.

SS- Did you have any white friends during the sixties?

GP- I can remember having absolutely not one single caucasian as a friend in my youth.

SS- Wow.

GP- The closest thing I came to having a caucasian as a friend were Hispanics who were of course I would say a close hue to that of a caucasian but Their behavior and interaction was nothing remotely close to anything I had heard to that of a Caucasian at that time.

SS- Well Grandpa thank you for your time this concludes our interview.

GP- Well thank you for having me and giving me this opportunity to express my viewpoint and history and to hopefully have implanted some idea and understanding and connection to what it was like having lived or being a child living in that era so thank you.

SS- Thank you too.