Code,915018
Subject,Charlene Higgenbotham
Date,6/27/2012
Interviewer,?
Abstract,"Charlene Higgenbotham, a Shaker Heights resident, recounts her childhood and the formative influence her parents had on her and her sister. She had a lot of jobs over the years and moved around. She is active in the United Church of Christ. She was also active in her daughter, Joy's, education and is happy with her success. Charlene loves her grandkids, who are a source of constant entertainment. Charlene is happy to live in Shaker Heights because it is integrated and multicultural. Charlene was not very aware of race when she was younger and so she recounts the how she became aware of issues of race and the effect it had on her life."
Special Notes,
minutes:,
0,Charlene Higgenbotham was born in Arkansas in 1943. The family moved to Cleveland in 1945 and she grew up off 75th and Kinsman.
1,Then they moved to E 115th and Kinsman. She went to Nathan Hale High School and then John Adams.
2,Higgenbotham had both white and black elementary school teachers in the 1950s. She had a garden every year and her third grade teacher visited it every year. Higgenbotham's mother canned her green beans for her.
3,She won a ribbon from the Cleveland Gardens which became the Botanical Gardens. Her sister was in the gifted program. She and another girl were the first African American students recommened to attend East Blvd School.
4,Her dad always encouraged her to do well in school.
5,Her father was very commited to education. Her sister felt the pressure. HEr father had some college education then was drafted into WWII.
6,He worked at the VA hospital. Then he opened a repair business with a white friend.
7,Then he owned a construction business. He often knew more then the men he worked for.
8,this frustrrated her father because he wouldn't be promoted because of his race.
9,her father drank on the weekends but was very prompt during the week.
10,He was in denial about his alcoholism. Higgenbotham describes redlining
11,her middle school was predominantly black.
12,her sister had a few Polish friends . the neighborhood was integrated during the 1950s but it bagan to change. Her mother cleaned houses.
13,She remembers busing and trying to alocate resources.
14,Higgenbotham first experienced racism when she graduated and applied for jobs.
15,She remembers the violence and the Hough Riots. She remebers how segregated the South was.
16,Her sister was rebellious and tried to stand in the white line and complained.
17,Higgenbotham wasn't as aware of Civil Rights Mov't as she is now.
18,"Also, the media didn't cover the news as much and the Higgenbotham's didn't have a TV. The only TV she watched was Howdy Doody and the neighbor's."
19,"Her father read the paper but didn't talk about current events or race. Her family didn't talk about these issues. Later, Charlene and her sister did research."
20,Charlene is planning a family reunion.
21,Charlene wanted to be a nurse and went to night in Calif. where her father lived. Charlene's parents divorced and her dad moved to Calif.
22,she came back to Cleveland after a year. Her mother paid for her to go to nursing school which was a year long program.
23,She did her practical nursing courses at Metro Health. She had to get down there at 7 am.
24,"She graduated from nursing school, got married, and turned 21 in 1964. She and her husband moved to Longwood. He worked at A&P grocery store."
25,She worked at St. Alexis Hospital in the recovery room. Her husband joined the Air Force to avoid Vietnam.
26,She feels sympahtetic to military families. He was sent to Vietnam for one year. Luckily he was a desk worker.
27,"After Vietnam, he wanted to move to NYC. He was very adventurous and she wasn't. She stayed in Shaker while he went to NYC."
28,Higgenbotham got a job in in reservations for United Airlines. She worked nights. It was hard to get babysitters. Then she worked for a few travel agencies.
29,"The church next to the Cleveland Clinic, Euclid Avenue Congregational Church, where she worked in the travel agency, opened a daycare so she could visit throughout the day. Charlene eventually joined the church."
30,The church was struck by lightning and burned down in 2010.
31,Charlene moved to Shaker Heights after her daughter was born so she could grow up in a multicultural commuity.
32,Shaker scools were better than Cleveland's but had their own problems.
33,Charlene had won a city lot from the Ludlow Association.
34,She went to the United Church of Christ which was interracial.
35,"Charlene's daughter, Joy, is a clinical pyschologist with her own practice. She is very proud of her daughter."
36,Her daughter went to Hildeberg College .
37,She was very involved in the college as a student.
38,Then she went to Wright State for her doctorate. Charlene lived in Cleveland while her daugther was in high school and college before moving back to Shaker Hts.
39,Charlene worked for the United Church of Christ helping them move their headquarters from NY to Cleveland which led to full time job.She retired in 2002. Then she worked for Eastview United Church of Christ.
40,the neightborhood has changed but the community of Shaker is intact.
41,Joy was amazed by how integrated the high shcool is now.
42,A lot of people are moving away. the demographics are different.
43,The commercial district is different. a lot of empty stores.
44,Charlene has a lot of memories of raising her daughter in Shake Heights.
45,there used to be more restaurants and shops.
46,
47,There was people with money living Shaker Heights. A lot of business people. Her daughter wanted to dress like the rich kids in school.
48,Her daughter wanted to dress like the rich kids in school.
49,Charlene was clear that Joy was there to learn not fashion. There are still problems with education.
50,Joy makes sure her kids read books. They are 12 and 14.
51,
52,"Charlene thinks reading is essential. Her daughter's family live is Westchester and her kids are the only black kids at their school. The kids came home one day and asked if they were black, but everyone's friends."
53,The grandkids are becoming more concsious of race.
54,Charlene and her daughter Joy think issues of race are a source of humor rather than division.
55,Charlene and her church is attempting to stay multiracial and multicultural. they are keeping this in mind while they are moving to a new location.
56,Charlene would like to develop a story telling ministry. She loves stories so she is very happy to give an oral history.
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