Interview with Henry Brown, Jr.

I know that when I was teaching school it was a segregated school and I taught as a teacher then became a principal. I taught about four years '35 to '39 in one-room schools had about 40 or 50 maybe 56 kids. That day kids sat two or three to a seat in a one-room school and then on the other hand when some of my students moved away in '39 the state Superintendent said we can't run this school the few children you have. I have a two-room school for you on the Eastern Shore; I turned it down. On the Eastern Shore in 1934 they were still lynching Negroes over there in '39 and I didn't want with my temperature at that time at 25 years of age. I don't think I needed to go in that area I turned it down which was unusual, teacher's doctors, lawyers, are all on the same part at that time. Financially we were embarrassed, we didn't make the kind of money they made but you were respected for the profession you were in, see, so I gave it up. So I got out of teaching. I love teaching. I could see children grow just like a plant growing and well I gave it up.

Where I finally wound up I was down at Ft. Detrick. Microbiologist course that was back in 1948, I had other jobs before that I been the foreman at Fairchild during the war. Even during the war it was segregated. Went up to Fairchild to be the foreman for three years I went to the Navy was out there at Great Lakes, Camp Roberts small all covered together, it was segregated then. So I been segregated all my life more or less. Till this Civil rights thing started passes during King's time I guess to get these laws passed but cause now I think the schools were desegregated before the Armed services were. Nearest I can recall cause Truman passed the Executive Order in 1948 and desegregated all Armed Services just like that. It'll never been done waiting on Congress to do it. He did it by Executive Order yeah that's how he got Armed Services. Even the services you in right now be segregated right now but that started in '48 because of Truman. If you want to call that part of Civil rights. I don't know. (Laughter) That might be a part of it. I don't know, cause a lot of people. Whites took part in the Civil Rights Movement too for the colored people. I'll put it that way. That day and time you didn't call 'em black. You called 'em colored people. We all different colors anyway. We all mixed up see. So that's why I call myself colored (laughs). If that makes any sense to you, of course now my family they dark, light all the whole spectrum. Some passed for white, some didn't. In my family some of 'em darker than you. But some of my father's brothers was darker than he was. So can't call 'em all African-Americans that's my philosophy cause they all don't look like African-Americans, Americans for now. But I say colored Americans as far as I'm concerned.
 

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I remember one time they had this negro league baseball we played the Black Sox out in Martinsburg at Blue Ridge League Ball Park. The guy went in there and came see us play. Say what brings these high school boys over here to play. Got through we gave 'em a good game. They beat us three nothing. Which show what good a team we had. The beat us three nothing. That was the same league Satchell Page and Josh Gibson all them colored guys played in. They'n beat us too bad they beat us three nothing I remembered that one. That was quite an experience.
 

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That's hard to believe isn't it. Yep. I tried so hard to get on down there in the government and be a messenger they were making $14.40. Of course teachers only working 9 or 10 months but that's what the white people were making. They were getting that kind of money. I used to make about $520 a year something like that compared to the $1440 per year that white educators made. $52 a month which you took off $5 retirement you got about $47 to work with. You had to pay your own lodging, your own food, your own transportation, buy your clothes, it's rough, it was rough. You had to be dedicated to help your own kids along. You didn't make that kind of money. Profession wise it was pathetic. Let's put it that way. You really had to be a teacher at heart to put up with those conditions.
 

I know one summer I went and bought myself a car. To go back and forth to school. I went down to the brickyard to get me some work over there. I worked at the Brickyard to pay for my car. Fortunately when I didn't go on the Eastern Shore to teach school, I left and went to Cumberland, Maryland, there and got married and my wife said where am I going and said off to the Brickyard and getting me a job and come on back. So I came back to get me a job. The war came on and he left the good old Navy yard. Told me to take over. I was the only colored man there and I was foreman of the kiln. Some of the white guys they were older than me. Here I'm a college grad, graduated, got my degree. Some guys finished only the third or fourth grade. Still they knew the job. They didn't want to listen to me. They were all right till they made me boss. They didn't want me to be their boss. One guy there, I taught decimals and fractions, he didn't know much but he was a good catch on. White guy, he left got good job, out there Frederick High School took a trade went down the road. I taught him right there in the kennel, they probably waiting for me to over. But guys said no you can't be my boss. (Laughter)

Well, April I don't know what worth it is. To tell you I ran my mouth up to this point. It might help you some you might want to edit some parts of it. I don't know if it's worth it.