Interview of Margaret Witherspoon; a one-time event with a Davidson College employee.
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Interview of Margaret Witherspoon; a one-time event with a Davidson College employee.
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On October 24, 2012, Gladys McLean, Class of 2015, interviewed Margaret Witherspoon about her experiences with issues of racism and racial tensions while working at Davidson College. This interview was part of EDU 340 - Education in African American Society seminar.
Margaret Witherspoon was born and raised in Wingate, North Carolina. She grew up with both of her biological parents who had attained an eighth-grade education level. Her father served in WWII. Her parents encouraged her and her siblings to pursue an education growing up. The reality of life in the Jim Crow South, however, made it difficult for her to get employment outside of cotton production or pursue an education. Witherspoon attended Gulledge School, a segregated grade school, where she felt comfortable being around those who looked like her and was not aware that white students were receiving better conditions.
Despite the negative implications of segregated schools, she fondly remembers her experiences. After taking care of her ill grandmother and husband, she became a CNA at the Brian’s Center in Charlotte and worked a variety of jobs before finding employment at Davidson College in 2005. She initially worked as a laundress and then moved into building services. She recalled clear racial tensions between staff and management, specifically regarding higher pay for white staff than Black staff. While acknowledging the unfair treatment, she noted how faith and a “color-blind” mentality enabled her to endure this and other issues experienced at Davidson College.
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McLean, Gladys
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October 24, 2012
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Interview with Margaret Witherspoon, 2012 October 24, Archives and Special Collections, Davidson College, Davidson, NC
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October 24, 2012
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