Oral history interview with Jessie Streater, November 10, 2001
Subtitle: interview R-0165, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007)
Contributors: Copeland, Barbara Anne, interviewer; Southern Oral History Program; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Documenting the American South (Project); University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library
Edition: Electronic ed.
Publisher: University Library, UNC-Chapel Hill
Published: 2008
Place of publication: [Chapel Hill, N.C.]
Language: eng
Subjects: Interviews; Mormon women; African American women; African American Mormons; Religious life; Mormon Church; Customs and practices; Race relations; Religious aspects
Other titles: Interview R-0165, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007); Interview with Jessie Streater, November 10, 2001; Oral histories of the American South.
Description: Jessie R. Streater, an African-American mother of three, converted to Mormonism in 1979, just one year after the church relaxed its ban on African Americans holding the priesthood, a position in the church that conveys certain privileges and responsibilities. Streater had been a seeker, visiting churches of various denominations before finding Mormonism, a religion that offered her the religious community that she desired despite its relatively recent embrace of full membership for African American men. In this interview, Streater shares some observations about the growing African American population in the church, as well some descriptions of Mormon practices and church organization. African Americans' greatest disadvantage is their relatively small number within the church, meaning that they often have to look outside Mormonism to find spouses. But overall, Streater has found only spiritual succor, and not discrimination, in her more than two decades with the church. Interviewers interested in race and religion, as well as some of the details of Mormon belief and practice, will find this interview useful.
Notes: Title from menu page (viewed on Nov. 19, 2008).

Interview participants: Jessie Streater, interviewee; Barbara Copeland, interviewer.

Duration: 01:14:10.

This electronic edition is part of the UNC-Chapel Hill digital library, Documenting the American South.  It is a part of the collection Oral histories of the American South.

Text encoded by Jennifer Joyner.  Sound recordings digitized by Aaron Smithers.

Text (HTML and XML/TEI source file) and audio (MP3); 2 files: ca. 118.3 kilobytes, 135 megabytes.

Original version: Southern Oral History Program Collection, (#4007), Series R, Special research projects, interview R-0165, Manuscripts Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Transcribed by L. Altizer. Original transcript: 23 p.

Funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services supported the electronic publication of this interview.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

System requirements:  Web browser with Javascript enabled and multimedia player.