Title: Oral history interview with Viola Turner, April 17, 1979
Description: This is the second part of an extensive two-part interview with Viola Turner, former treasurer of North Carolina Mutual in Durham and first woman to serve on its executive board. Turner continues her vividly detailed discussion of early twentieth-century race relations from the first interview, beginning with several anecdotes about her experiences with racial discrimination while traveling by train in both the North and the South. She describes an itinerant musician she encountered in a Jim Crow train car while en route to Memphis, an experience she uses as a segue for discussing the Mississippi Blues as an especially unique form of regional African American popular culture. Although Turner argues that Mississippi Blues was not pervasive in Durham (where she had settled in 1924), she explains that it did have a thriving African American culture. After describing elaborate social gatherings for dancing and music within the African American community (particularly for the black middle class), Turner describes how community leaders worked to bring in prominent African American performers. According to Turner, the intricate social network of African Americans in Durham was integral in supporting African American professionals who traveled through the South. Turner also devotes considerable attention to describing the role of African American community leaders, including Dr. James E. Shepherd of North Carolina Central University and C. C. Spaulding of North Carolina Mutual. As an employee of North Carolina Mutual, Turner had a unique relationship with Spaulding. She describes him as a paternal figure (she and other employees called him "Poppa") and offers numerous anecdotes about how he looked out for his employees. She recounts, for instance, how Spaulding ensured that his employees had the opportunity to vote by personally accompanying them through the registration process. Turner provides insight into the inner operations of North Carolina Mutual as a landmark African American business in Durham, and stresses its central role within the community. In addition, she discusses her perception of nascent civil rights efforts, such as the formation of the Durham Committee on Negro Affairs; the effort of the NAACP on behalf of Thomas Hocutt to integrate the law school of the University of North Carolina; and lingering racial tensions in Durham. Finally, Turner offers commentary on gender dynamics, sharing her thoughts on instances of sex discrimination at North Carolina Mutual, expectations of single women workers within the community, and relationships: she describes her two short-term marriages in the 1920s, and concludes the interview with a lengthy discussion of her third husband and his support of her work and in the home.
Subjects: Interviews, African American women executives, African Americans, Social life and customs, Race relations, Employees, African American women in the professions, Civil rights, North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company
Places: North Carolina, Durham, Durham (N.C.)
People: Viola G. Turner (1900-1988), C. C. Spaulding (1874-1952)