Abstract

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland discusses her experiences living in Shaker Heights and the Moreland neighborhood. In this interview, she discusses some of the difficulties living in Moreland as an African American, the importance of the Shaker school system, and the demographic of Moreland.

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Interviewee

Murphy-Kirkland, Jewel (interviewee)

Interviewer

Dawson, Virginia (interviewer)

Project

Moreland History Project

Date

2-25-2018

Document Type

Oral History

Duration

35 minutes

Transcript

Virginia Dawson [00:00:00] An interview with this is an interview with Jewel Kirkland. Could you spell your last name, please?

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:00:07] K-I-R-K-L-A-N-D.

Virginia Dawson [00:00:10] Okay. And the date is February 25, 2018. And you are going to be telling us about your time in Moreland, living there.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:00:23] Alright. I presently- My name is Jewel Kirkland and I moved to Cleveland from a small town in Illinois with my family, four children and me and my three brothers, Arlyn, Arthur and Burton. And my brother Burton was the first African American to move into the Moreland area as a professional person as well as owning his own dealership.

Virginia Dawson [00:00:50] What was his name?

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:00:51] His name was Burton Clemens and he’s well-known in the area and he’s recently deceased. And we moved to Moreland. My mother moved here because her sister owned a beauty salon. And so we loved living in Shaker, Moreland, because it is diverse and it had many other things that we liked. We had what’s called a front home, front-porch Shaker home, and they were doubles, many of which were built in the 1920s and are recognized by the porches on both stories. The Neighborhood Revitalization Department offers eligible residents financial and technical assistance for repairing front porches as well as for other home repairs and landscaping. The city awarded landscaping grants and 40 homeowners on Shelton and Pennington roads and expanded the program to other streets after that. Residents have been taking advantage of free home improvement workshops and one on one technical advice from the city housing rehabilitation specialists. In the spring and summer and fall, residents of these unusual homes decorate their porches with flowers and outside to chat with friends or enjoy the shady streetscape. Many of them have participated in the landscape program and invested in the front-porch Shaker homes. Jewel and Edward Kirkland, who are now retired, bought their two family home in 1977 and rented it out at that time. And they were out for a while working in other areas. And they converted their home into a single-family home to accommodate Jewel’s father who was ill at the time. We like Moreland as there are many benefits and amenities here. We like the closeness of the public library. We can walk to and fro to the stores of Shaker Town Center. We enjoy Chelton Park, the Junior League kids from all over Shaker where the kids can come and play and play soccer and watch them. Chelton Park hosts a baseball diamond and a new playground as well as benches and picnic tables. The Kirklands have made many improvements in their home, adding a third full bathroom and garage doors and other things updating the electrical wiring. And the couple appreciates their front porches as well as the leaded glass windows and beautiful brick masonry and have been meticulously about maintaining the original architecture. We were delighted to be accepted in the landscaping program and my husband likes to work in the garden every day. The Kirklands have been the recipients of the 50–50 senior grant, another city program, and we’re doing the driveway and sidewalks. The Kirklands love their home and the friendly feel of the area. We enjoy the close knit neighborhood and we’re both active members of the Moreland on the Move Community Association where Ed has been a treasure. Jules says our grandchildren grew up in the Shaker in the Moreland community area and done very well. We like everything around us.

Virginia Dawson [00:04:07] Great. Okay.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:04:09] I got some more.

Virginia Dawson [00:04:10] Alright. Okay.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:04:12] Again. Jewel is the mother of eight children. Patricia, Stanley, Joyce, Mary, Phyllis, Stanley, Gabriel.

Virginia Dawson [00:04:27] Want me stopping?

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:04:28] Yeah, stop. Okay. I am the mother, as I mentioned, of eight children, Stanley, Pat, Joyce, Phyllis, Nina, John, Jimmy and Mary, who have all been active in the Shaker area and have grown up to support Moreland on the move.

Virginia Dawson [00:04:47] Did they graduate from Shaker High School?

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:04:50] Some of the children and my grandchildren graduated from Shaker High School. Some went to other schools. But I have been a resident homeowner for nearly 40 years and have received again neighborhood grants, attended block clubs and recently - block clubs - and recently held a play by Thornton, Thornton Wilder and Leon Bibb called Our Town and he has won Emmy awards and he’s on news anchor News Channel 5. And we have worked together to continue bringing neighbors together to inspire the community as well as Chelton Park soccer fields to encourage our youth, particularly in building, particularly participating in architectural buildings which are now in Moreland. On the move. There’s a firm called RDL K-N-E-Z firm building new homes starting in 2018, new senior apartments and townhouses over vacant building and housing called Moreland Rising for potential buyers and families. The dealership architectural firm which is called Shaker Heights Landmark Commission Moreland Neighborhood first phase for Moreland Neighbors Chelton Road by Paul M-A-R-K-I-W-I-Z [Markiewicz] which is the fifth annual photo contest submitted 30 photographers from around the country. And my home on Shelton was one of those highlighted. SHDC, which is Shaker Heights Development Corporation, continues to define and bolster revitalization in this area of Shaker and Lee District Murphy Kirkland. My background I received an RN degree from Dickens Hospital School of Nursing. I received my nurse practitioner certificate in family Planning at the University of Buffalo and my Bachelor of Science degree with a major in nursing at Buffalo, New York. Also I worked at Millard Fillmore Hospital in Cleveland in the Family Care Center and then Meyer Memorial Hospital as assistant head nurse in Buffalo. Also, I began work at Mount Sinai Cleveland Clinic Hospital while serving as a clinical instructor to RN students at Cuyahoga Community College. Also worked with the Women’s General Hospital as a clinical preceptor for fourth year medical students from the School of Medicine from Santo Domingo who desire to come to Cleveland.

Virginia Dawson [00:07:30] I think we did this before, so we already have that-

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:07:32] We can leave that out. Okay.

Virginia Dawson [00:07:34] Yeah.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:07:34] Okay. Now, about the volunteer. Do I need that?

Virginia Dawson [00:07:36] No, you don’t need that.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:07:37] I need that. Okay, I think that’s all. And then the proclamation for the mayor. Do I need that?

Virginia Dawson [00:07:41] Oh, yeah, please. Yeah.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:07:42] Okay. Jewel Murphy-Kirkland celebrated her birthday and her husband, Edward Kirkland, beloved family and friends. Whereas Jewel Murphy-Kirkland lived in Shaker Heights for 40 years. As she raised eight children. She received numerous. She received numerous. Numerous. What do you say? She demonstrated inner strength and character while raising her eight children when she was voted valedictorian of her registered nursing graduating class, and she continued her education again at the Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Whereas Jewel Murphy-Kirkland is a vibrant and generous woman, serving as mentor in Shaker Heights MAX Scholars Program, participating in various civic organizations including Charis, the Negro businesswomen organization, as a member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority, as well as Moreland on the Move Community Association. Also, she’s known for her encouraging work, enduring faith, and a long standing member of the East View United Church of Christ in Shaker Heights. Therefore, City Council and Earl Lykin, the Mayor of Shaker Heights, by virtue of the authority vested in me as Mayor of the city, do hereby congratulate Jewel Murphy and celebrate with her husband and family and friends. I have hereby set my hand and call the seal of the City of Shaker for Jewel Murphy-Kirkland. Earl M. Leikin, Mayor.

Virginia Dawson [00:09:15] Great. Perfect. Put this on. I wanted to ask you about the house that you owned on Shaker on Van Aken Boulevard.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:09:23] Van Aken Boulevard.

Virginia Dawson [00:09:25] Did you ever live there?

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:09:26] Yes, yes, I bought that home and I sold it.

Virginia Dawson [00:09:30] When did you buy it?

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:09:31] I bought it in 1978 or ’79, somewhere along there. I have to go back and look at the city.

Virginia Dawson [00:09:40] So did you move from Moreland to that house or did you move from that house to Moreland?

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:09:45] Well, I bought this house first the. About six months a year before. But I bought it for assets, actually to help me to afford the more expensive home. And this home was more expensive, and it was one of the house Made by those Quaker people that came here, remember? And they were one of the houses listed as. What did they call those homes?

Virginia Dawson [00:10:05] Model- Model homes?

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:10:06] Model homes. And there was another name for them, the Quakers. And it’s older than this house.

Virginia Dawson [00:10:12] Oh, yeah.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:10:13] And like I said, much more expensive. And I moved in there. And so when I did-

Virginia Dawson [00:10:17] Can you give me the address? Do you have the address?

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:10:19] Yes. 3178 Van Aken Boulevard. 31- Because I’ve been out of- For about 20 years.

Virginia Dawson [00:10:26] 3178. That’s helpful.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:10:28] I think that’s the address.

Virginia Dawson [00:10:31] Okay. Okay.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:10:32] But I can tell you for sure. 31- Where’s my.

Virginia Dawson [00:10:36] Oh, that’s alright.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:10:36] It’s okay.

Virginia Dawson [00:10:37] It’s not a big deal.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:10:37] But it’s Van Aken Boulevard.

Virginia Dawson [00:10:39] Right.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:10:39] And what happened, I sold it to my daughter. [crosstalk]

Virginia Dawson [00:10:43] How long did you live there, so you think?

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:10:45] I lived there for what? Let’s see. How long did I own that home? Well, I owned it for- Let’s see. I owned it until 19, 19- Wait a minute. 19- Wait a minute. Let me think for a minute. 2001. Thinking of when my dad died. Because I moved over here to take care of my dad. And that was 2006, I think it was. Wait a minute. Give me a minute again. When my dad died, that’s when I- 1978, 1990, 1996, 1996, 1997. 1997. That’s when I moved in this house and got rid of the tenants.

Virginia Dawson [00:11:43] Okay. Okay.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:11:45] So 1997 is when- I moved here to take care of my dad when he got sick.

Virginia Dawson [00:11:49] Got it.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:11:49] But I was back and forth, and my daughter lived in the house with me. And so I’d have to say 30 years at least. Probably 30 years I owned that house.

Virginia Dawson [00:12:01] Right, right. But you didn’t live there that long.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:12:03] But I was back and forth.

Virginia Dawson [00:12:04] I get.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:12:04] But I owned the house. I lived in it. But I was back. It was my primary residence. And so with my daughter, I had kids that lived in Shaker. And so while I was out nursing, going different places where they sent me out of the country because I was instructor for these different hospitals for about four or five hospitals. And they sent me to these other countries. Countries. About five different countries, from Russia and Italy and all these different places because these children wanted to come into the United States, and they had to do 18 months of work here in the United States.

Virginia Dawson [00:12:35] Remember you talked about that before?

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:12:36] Right. And so the school had signed up dealerships, dealers with these different countries, and some of them were like Jewish doctors. They wanted their sons to get in. It was very difficult to get into school because it was the long list of getting in. So they would send their kids out of the country.

Virginia Dawson [00:12:57] Right, right.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:12:58] And they would do their 18 months.

Virginia Dawson [00:13:00] I get it.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:13:01] And they have to come back here. And then they could work with their father. They could work in the United States. And that was a separate thing they had going. And they would use me to go to these different colleges in other countries while I lived here in Cleveland. And I would go there and talk to the professors at these colleges.

Virginia Dawson [00:13:17] Yeah, I remember you had that on your other. So I don’t think we need to talk about it.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:13:22] We don’t need to talk about it. But that’s just what I wanted to tell you.

Virginia Dawson [00:13:25] I would like to know more about East View Church.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:13:27] East View Church. I could have brought you the book.

Virginia Dawson [00:13:32] Yeah, I got a book. I got that book.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:13:35] I became a member of East View Church in 2000. Let’s see, 1990. 19- I’ve been a member- They give me a plaque for that. I’ve been a member because I was one of the, what they call the people that- I’m sorry, I’m getting old. Chaplain. I was a chaplain there at the church. And they rotate. And my husband was a deacon there, but it was 19, let me tell you. 1990, 1996 and 2007. I think I became a member in 2007. That would have been 2007. 2007. This is 2018. 71 is 8. 1. 19 years. No, 20 years.

Virginia Dawson [00:14:34] Boy.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:14:34] 71 is 8. Let’s see, 2008. 2000. I’m not- I’d say 20 years. I’d say 20 years a member of East View Church. Because Jewel Murphy, they said at the bottom of one of the sheets, the member of East View Church. One of the-

Virginia Dawson [00:14:57] Yeah, well, that’s alright.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:14:58] Yeah. 20 years. A member for 20 years. A member of East View for 20 years.

Virginia Dawson [00:15:01] And then you said you were part of Moreland on the Move. Did you ever get involved in the one that came after? There’s one now.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:15:07] Yes, yes, I’m still a member. [crosstalk] Well, they just- Now, they don’t call it- They don’t call it- They may change it.

Virginia Dawson [00:15:12] They call it Moreland Rising or something.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:15:14] Moreland Rising. Yes, I was a member of that. Nancy Moore was. She was a mayor. Mayor was the first woman she attended. She was a part of it. She was associated with us also. There was another young lady, her husband was in attorney. They were involved in it. We had a lot of Shaker people involved in the Moreland on the Move. And they were actually. In fact, Nancy Moore called me last week and told me about a meeting she wanted me to attend because some people were coming in from downtown and she wanted some of the older Shaker people to be there at this meeting, which was last Wednesday. I think it was last Wednesday. And so we still keep in touch. The older people that used to be there.

Virginia Dawson [00:16:00] Good.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:16:01] Again, Mrs. Trying to think of some of the people that now have died and no longer participating in it any longer. The older Shaker people in Moreland. And I can get you a list of the names of the roster.

Virginia Dawson [00:16:14] Oh, I think they probably got it.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:16:16] They have it already.

Virginia Dawson [00:16:17] Yeah.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:16:17] Well, they will see my name there. And my husband was a. He has the list. Absolutely. Absolutely. I forgot about.

Virginia Dawson [00:16:24] He’s been really.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:16:25] He’s extremely helpful. Absolutely. And other people, too.

Virginia Dawson [00:16:29] Yeah, yeah. I mean, this is great.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:16:31] Yeah. So those people are involved, some of the members.

Virginia Dawson [00:16:36] Well, I wanted to ask you one thing, and that is when, when you moved here, was it difficult, you know, to be accepted by the white.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:16:45] Yes. Yes. Because they came from Kinsman and they changed the- They changed the street, they changed the address because Chelton, not Chelton, Chagrin went down a little further on Kinsman. I think it was 100. And what was this dividing line? And then Shaker changed it to 154 to divide it from Kinsman to Shaker, Shaker area. It was difficult. But the people that came in from Kinsman were 95% professional people, doctors, lawyers, teachers. And so those are the people that were in position to afford to buy the homes. And they were.

Virginia Dawson [00:17:34] This is in Moreland.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:17:35] In Moreland. They were limited to Moreland at the time. That’s what happened. And so all of these people. But they, they had a great background. And so their children went to Shaker School and became members of Shaker school. And Shaker was a great, great, great school. It’s known all over the country. And most of the people that had their roots in this school have gone on. And if you look up their history, even in California, some of the actors and movie stars and everything went to Shaker school. You’ll be surprised today to know the people that. That graduated from Shaker school. They went to New York, they went other places in the country. They hold great positions in the world today. And you would be proud to know what Shaker has given in the world in the United States of America. And some of them have come back home because they want their children. They don’t want their children growing up in New York City, where they have in the little home and limited to. They want a community type with a backyard and things like that. And so their kids come back here and go to school and graduate. And then when they graduate, then they go out and then the grandkids come back to recognize Shaker, and then they go out and do what they got to do. But they get great roots here. There is no school. I’m very biased. There’s no school like Shaker Heights. Even today they say things, but it’s not true. Shaker has great roots in the world today.

Virginia Dawson [00:19:03] Well, I’m wondering about the community that was here before African Americans moved in.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:19:10] Okay.

Virginia Dawson [00:19:11] Did they resist at all that you’re coming in?

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:19:13] You know what? They may have tried to, but they were mostly working people. They were not professional people.

Virginia Dawson [00:19:19] So the Blacks who came in were the professionals [crosstalk] and the other people were not.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:19:25] They were not. They were not. And they lived in the inexpensive homes. So that’s why. What actually happened. So they live with us and with them. And because they could not afford the [illegible], although the homes were built by great classic architects and decorators. I mean, the greatest in the world. I mean, that could build. That build homes. And the homes are well built, even though the less expensive homes were well built. But once the kids went to Shaker school and the diversity and they started mingling together, together, and it became great. And they were able to get past that.

Virginia Dawson [00:20:03] So in other words, some of the people did stay here. I mean, some of them were Jewish.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:20:09] Yes. Oh, yeah. Jewish and Caucasian, but predominantly Jewish community in Moreland. Predominantly Jewish. And because they didn’t. And some of them were Russian Jews and German Jews and things like that. But this is what they could afford. And they are great professional people, the Jewish people. I have great respect for them because of what they have to offer. And they also realized that they had been slaves and they had suffered and the Holocaust and the things that they had. So they were more understanding what the slaves had gone through.

Virginia Dawson [00:20:46] I see.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:20:47] So that made them say, you know what? Let us stand back and let us welcome them. And so. And then we could teach them some things too, as well. Because we were doctors in the hospitals here. We were lawyers, attorneys here. The top of the line Blacks that moved, that were able to move from Kinsman into Cleveland in the first place, yeah, because there was an area in Cleveland that it was called- What was that? The top of the line.

Virginia Dawson [00:21:19] Well, there was Harvard-Lee.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:21:20] It was Harvard-Lee.

Virginia Dawson [00:21:21] And then there was Kinsman-Lee, I think.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:21:23] But there was one here on Chagrin that was called- What was that area called? But it was the top of the line Blacks. That was the group that moved here. What was that area called? They had the schools here.

Virginia Dawson [00:21:40] You don’t mean Ludlow?

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:21:42] No, you think of the Lomond, but they moved in. But there was a name of an area that moved from Chagrin Boulevard. It begins with an M. And I can’t think of it. I’ll think of it when I get out the door. You’ve heard it. You’ve heard the name before. But anyway, that’s the group. Those were the hierarchy, as you want to call, of the Blacks. And that was the group that moved here, that had the money, was able to move in and felt sure of themselves and who they were and everything, even though they allowed. They put up with whatever they had to put up with, and they made a decision to stay in the area and they were able to do it. And they had what they call redlining, I think it was the name that they used were the real estate. People would interview them and use them. Yeah.

Virginia Dawson [00:22:31] Did you have trouble getting a mortgage, for example?

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:22:34] I did not simply because one of the friends that I knew, a personal friend of mine, sold real estate, but she was from another country and she married a Black man and she sold real estate. And so she worked for a White firm, I believe it was a White firm. And she sold me the house that I bought.

Virginia Dawson [00:22:56] Okay. Okay.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:22:57] And she was from what country was that? She had five children by her husband. I can’t think of her name as well.

Virginia Dawson [00:23:05] But she died.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:23:06] Yeah, but that’s what happened.

Virginia Dawson [00:23:07] But what I mean-

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:23:09] And so she was able to help me to move in.

Virginia Dawson [00:23:12] And she helped you to get financing.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:23:14] And I told her what I was looking for. I told her with this house, I wanted two-family for a real estate, to help me with the other house. And so she was able to help me to get it financed. And another thing, what they tried to do in Shaker, the people that rented was Black. And what they moved out of the house they rented. And some of the wWites had moved out, rented to some Blacks, but they had to have their own status of who they would let in. And so the lady that moved out of the house had some violations. And this is interesting, I remember this. They had some violations on the house. And so Shaker had a thing that to buy a house in Shaker, they tried to keep you from buying too many houses so they wouldn’t overload it because a lot of Blacks wanted to move in the area. So they. You had to go to the housing department and all the violations had to be up to date. So when she left, there were some violations. So Shaker said, said to me by way of buying that the violations had to be completed before I could move into the house. But my girlfriend, being smart enough and working in real estate, she made me sign a form which they could not reject, saying that I would be responsible for all the violations that were left in the house, in this house here. So they could not keep me out. So I was able, we were able to get around it. So I was able to move in by taking, by taking the violation and paying for the violations in the house when I bought the house.

Virginia Dawson [00:24:49] Huh. So basically they did give you a hard time then?

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:24:53] Well, I would say so, because, well, they said, well, she left the violation, she left the house. And that was the way they put it. That was the way they put it. So that was their way of putting it. But underneath, you really know.

Virginia Dawson [00:25:04] Right, right.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:25:05] You know, you know, and so there was limited. So many people. You couldn’t put signs in front of the house as well. You couldn’t put “For Sale” signs because if a person, it was against the law. If you put up a sale sign up and somebody came to buy it, you got to have a reason for not selling it to them if they met the qualification of the money and could afford the house. So they wouldn’t put up signs. So you had to go through White or Jewish realtor to get in the house. And so they’re the ones that kept you out. See? They’re the ones that kept you out so that they would.

Virginia Dawson [00:25:44] When you say they’re the ones, you mean-

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:25:45] Well, they would only allow so many Blacks on the street, [crosstalk] Well, the real estate person, for the owner of the house, because when the owners moved out, when the owners moved out, Jewish owners, their neighbors that didn’t move out made them a plaque. That’s a promise quietly, on their own, not to sell to Blacks because my Jewish friends don’t want a Black next door. So they kept it so that there wouldn’t be too many Blacks, because so many Blacks would flood the area. They wanted these homes and they could afford them and they deserved them. But they kept, well, if we do this, there won’t be too many there. [crosstalk] Three or four on the street.

Virginia Dawson [00:26:24] Yeah. So basically what that did, it slowed it down.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:26:29] It slowed it down. It slowed it down. Eventually everybody had to move. Because what happened, the children would- When they graduated from Shaker, Caucasian Jewish children, they would leave and go to other places. They were offered jobs, fantastic jobs. They were in California where everything was going on, they thought, where the models and everybody did great things and had great jobs, and these kids wanted these jobs and they paid great money and the parents wanted them to have them. So these kids would leave Shaker. And so the parents died, and the kids didn’t come back into the two-families in these homes. They would maybe in Beachwood and some of the Pepper Pike and some of those areas - the children would. But the children, once they got out and started making a lot of money, because some of these kids were poor and the parents worked for their homes like we were, of course - and so they started moving out. And so somebody had to buy the home. They wanted to sell the house. They didn’t want to give it away or they were going into foreclosure, so they had no choice but to sell them.

Virginia Dawson [00:27:31] Okay, okay.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:27:32] So that’s actually what happened.

Virginia Dawson [00:27:34] Yeah. But did the makeup change from professional to less professional Blacks?

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:27:41] Maybe in about 10, 15 years or longer, but it took a long time because they couldn’t afford them. They couldn’t afford the homes because the homes were- The prices were jacked up. They put them up higher than what they were really worth. See, that’s what they did. And these people couldn’t afford them. See, so that’s what they did. And the people, those that could, would pay for them.

Virginia Dawson [00:28:07] So in other words, a Black family, if they wanted a home enough, even if they jacked up the price, they would buy it.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:28:16] They would buy it, because they could afford it.

Virginia Dawson [00:28:17] Yeah, yeah. Okay.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:28:18] And they wanted their children to go to a nice school.

Virginia Dawson [00:28:21] Right, right. So that really was a criteria. The schools.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:28:25] It was a criteria. The schools. The schools they wanted the kids to go to better schools.

Virginia Dawson [00:28:29] Yeah, yeah, that makes sense.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:28:31] It does make sense. I mean, they were these- Some of these people came from other. other cities and even countries in other places. And they moved to Ohio like my family moved, because they wanted to upgrade themselves from the South, where they felt that Ohio was diverse enough where they could use their talents and their gifts from the black colleges, because they were before Martin Luther King. You had to go to Black schools because the schools were segregated. And so the Blacks only could go to certain colleges, like Howard University, which were actually excellent schools and instructions, but they were limited to keep them down. And so they would come, like my parents came here because they heard that if they move up north near Canada and Buffalo, New York, and those areas Blacks could - which was true - and Ohio was one of those cities. But they still had underground segregation until Martin Luther King. And when Martin Luther King came and began to- Which was a great thing that he did, he was the one that caused integration in the schools. He was the one that went out. And then they had a lot of Catholic people that said, this is wrong. God’s going to hold us- And then some Jewish people that had been killed and put in the furnace and everything that had been done to them by other people that didn’t like Jews. A lot of people don’t like Jews, you know, the Germans, Hitler, Hitler. What they had done to them. And they wanted to pay them back as well, which I understand that some of their children were destroyed. And it breaks your heart to think of what they did, how they burned them alive and all the terrible things they did to them. And so they had an issue within themselves. And then the Catholic priests felt like this was wrong, so they joined up with soul searching with Martin Luther King. So it expanded, not only from Atlanta, Georgia, it expanded everywhere. And then our president that died, what was our president?

Virginia Dawson [00:30:36] Kennedy.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:30:37] Kennedy was Catholic. And Kennedy said, you know what, with soul searching, we’re going to work with Martin Luther King. And so the government decided for the United States of America that we were going to. We were going to have school for everyone. If you qualify, if you pass the test, we could not hold it against you. And so it became a great thing all over the United States of America. And it didn’t look good abroad either. And so the United States. And so Martin Luther King headed that. And as you could. But it was done by not adults so much as it was done by the college kids that were educated in the Black colleges. So the college kids is the ones that was with Martin Luther King and with J.F. Kennedy. And so they’re the ones out on the street, not the parents. And so. Because they would get fired because they’re the ones that worked in the kitchens and did the law. So they would have been fired so that the children in the colleges did it.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:31:35] And so what they did, they beat the kids.

Virginia Dawson [00:31:41] Well, we’re getting off the subject. Okay, you-

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:31:43] Well, I’m just telling you.

Virginia Dawson [00:31:44] But I know it. I know that.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:31:45] Okay, let’s go back to the other question.

Virginia Dawson [00:31:47] Well, I-

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:31:48] And he was assassinated for doing it. And so was JFK was assassinated for helping him.

Virginia Dawson [00:31:52] Right. Okay, I agree with that.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:31:56] And so was Bobby Kennedy killed as well.

Virginia Dawson [00:31:59] I know. Terrible. Anyway, I’m trying to think of-

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:32:05] Everything you think of something at home.

Virginia Dawson [00:32:06] Yeah, yeah. Okay. Because, I mean, basically the story is that you bought the Moreland house as an investment.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:32:15] As an investment property. Absolutely.

Virginia Dawson [00:32:17] And you rented it to other Black people.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:32:20] Yes.

Virginia Dawson [00:32:21] Okay. And they were good tenants. They were people who wanted to send their kids to Shaker schools.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:32:26] Yes, I rented to them.

Virginia Dawson [00:32:28] And then you kept the other house until you really wanted to move back over here because your husband-

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:32:35] I had retired.

Virginia Dawson [00:32:36] Yeah.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:32:36] Both of us had retired. That was the only reason why we moved. And then my dad got sick, and I wanted to take care of him, so I put him upstairs.

Virginia Dawson [00:32:42] Right.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:32:42] And the tenants moved out.

Virginia Dawson [00:32:44] Yeah. Okay.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:32:45] And I- And I rented. I had probably about 6, 7, 8, 10. Oh, I had a lot of tenants. And I had a lot of property as well.

Virginia Dawson [00:32:50] Yeah.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:32:51] Because I invested in property. I owned other property, not only here, but in East Cleveland. Other place I had property.

Virginia Dawson [00:32:56] Okay, okay.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:32:57] So. But this was the one that I wanted my kids to go to school. And my daughter that works now at the mayor’s office, she’s the executive secretary for Jeri.

Virginia Dawson [00:33:06] Jerry Chaikin.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:33:08] Yeah, Chaikin, my daughter as well. Executive secretary for her. She graduated from Shaker Heights High School as well. She’s there now. She’s been there about 16 or 17 years.

Virginia Dawson [00:33:16] Fabulous.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:33:16] And she lives on Scottsdale. She owns a house on Scottsdale.

Virginia Dawson [00:33:19] Okay. Okay.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:33:20] And then a couple other kids. One of the- One of them that graduated from Shaker is now a first lieutenant in the military. And she was brought up in Shaker, and she’s been all over the world. And she. She’ll be. She’s 35, 34. 35. And she will soon, three or four years, have her 20 years in the military.

Virginia Dawson [00:33:43] That’s fabulous. Then she’ll retire right now, go on to something else.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:33:47] And so they’ve done well in Shaker. And Shaker’s a great school. There’s no way I can put it down.

Virginia Dawson [00:33:52] Yeah. Oh, none of us can.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:33:54] And all the hospitals. I worked in several hospitals here, all the Jewish doctors. I mostly worked for them because we had the same kind of moral workout things because I was brought up so strictly, and they were. And so we. And they would send me as a woman. They would be less hard on me as a woman. And then by me raising eight children and then I looked younger at that age, and I could go out as a nurse practitioner. I was the first nurse practitioner. And so because I was the only one in the hospital, because they were outlawed women, and so I was with the doctors. I was their private duty. I was their private nurse in the hospital. So I was the one that worked between them and the countries that came in and out. So that was. I was the goal between. I had my own office and secretary and everything.

Virginia Dawson [00:34:39] Oh, that’s excellent. Wow.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:34:40] So I was.

Virginia Dawson [00:34:41] What a great story.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:34:44] And a poor girl that me and never had anything.

Virginia Dawson [00:34:46] Wow.

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:34:47] Come from a poor family.

Virginia Dawson [00:34:49] Yes. See how this goes there?

Jewel Murphy-Kirkland [00:34:51] So you can delete stuff that don’t need to be in and however you want to do it and pick out the important things. At the time, as you know, we had Pick ‘n’ Pay and we had a- [recording ends abruptly]

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