Federal Writers' Project – Life Histories/2021/Fall/Section017/Odessa Polk

Overview

Born in Riverton, North Carolina, Odessa Polk was an African-American woman living in the early 1900s. She lived during a period known as the Great Depression in which America faced an intense period of economic decline. While the recession impacted people of all social classes, it impacted the African-American community most. They had already "occupied a fragile position in the economy," and the recession worsened these conditions. Odessa Polk was one of the individuals who experienced this time period, and it is through her that racism in all sectors of life can be observed.

Biography

Early Life

As a child, Polk lived with her grandmother and biological siblings. Polk’s mother married twice. After splitting from her father, Polk’s mother married another man who despised Polk and her siblings. Her mean stepfather was the reason Polk and her siblings had to live with their grandmother. Her mother abandoned them, providing no love or support for them. It was up to her grandmother to take care of them, but she could not even work. Therefore, Polk’s sister had to get a job to provide for the family, as Polk’s older brother left for Philadelphia and never returned. She ultimately quit school at the ripe age of 9 to work and support the family despite her small wage. She made 25 cents per week washing dishes for a white woman.

Polk and her siblings did not go to Sunday school much, as they did not have proper clothing. However, a missionary for the Baptist church dressed them sometimes, so they could go. This is partly why she became an active member of the church as she grew older. Religion played a huge role in Polk’s life, and as an adult she spent her days off in the church.

Later Life

Living with her grandmother made it difficult for Polk to have a true parental figure to teach and guide her. Thus, Polk fell into a cascade of issues that did not help her existing low social status. Polk recklessly had unprotected sex, as she became dependent on male attention. This resulted in her having 3 children out of wedlock. Polk already struggled to provide for herself, so having children at this time was not in her best interest. After her first child, Josephine, Polk completely lost control of herself. It was hard to take care of these children and make a living, so there were periods where she was out of work. Her second child, Snookie, was always sick, leading to an abundance of doctor bills that Polk simply could not afford. Like their mother, Polk’s children never finished school. Making money to provide for the family became the primary goal. They, too, had numerous children out of wedlock. Polk’s situation made it difficult to make a better life for her girls, and they ultimately fell into the same hole. Altogether, they made $23 a week, barely making it by. It was societal conditions that primarily contributed to Polk and her family’s disparities. With the Great Depression and existing racism, life for African-Americans was significantly different than life for whites. Their access to education, jobs, and other life necessities was remarkably limited compared to that of whites. Polk exemplified this disparity and how it affected future African-American generations.

Social Issues

The Great Depression's Impact on Black Americans

The Great Depression had a significant impact on African-American women. As the economy declined and white families were unable to afford maids or nannies, African-American women lost their position in white homes. Therefore, these women were forced to search for work elsewhere. African-American households depended on income from both parents, so with women losing their jobs, these families faced even greater poverty struggles. In trying to find new jobs, black women faced increased discrimination, but their desperate need for income necessitated taking any job they could find. These jobs paid little, and black women faced an even greater degree of struggle than before.

The Great Depression revealed the occurrence of racism in government decisions. Policies were passed through the New Deal that allowed the continuation of discrimination. The Jim Crow Era lasted well into the 1960s, maintaining the legalization of lynchings, race riots, and segregation. This intense period of segregation is thought to be many years ago, but around just 80 years ago during the Great Depression, a period of black activism took charge in which African-Americans of the day combatted segregation, discrimination, and inequalities in the labor force, school, and residential areas. African-Americans were significantly "disadvantaged in terms of education, labor market success, and home ownership." Economic decline peaked the necessity of equality.

Education

African-Americans were exploited as cheap laborers, working in unskilled, labor-concentrated jobs. This was due to the fact that most African-Americans during this period never finished schooling, often quitting before they even reached middle school. This education disparity among the black population placed them in jobs that required no skill or degree, making them the primary source for cheap labor. The poverty that these families faced necessitated working as soon as possible. Without education, a cycle of poverty was created in these families. Education is the key to escaping poverty, and without access to this, black families continued to be victimized by the dominant group.

Bibliopgraphy

Bennett, and Northrop. “Bachelor Mothers.” Federal Writer's Project Papers.

Granados, José A. Tapia, and Ana V. Diez Roux. “Life and Death during the Great Depression.” Accessed October 5, 2021. https://www.pnas.org

“The Civil Rights Act of 1964: A Long Struggle for Freedom.” Library of Congress. Accessed October 5, 2021. https://www.loc.gov

Maloney, Thomas. “African Americans in the Twentieth Century.” Accessed October 5, 2021. https://eh.net

Murphy, Mary Elizabeth. “African Americans in the Great Depression and New Deal.” November 19, 2020. https://oxfordre.com

Ward, Sarah. “Women and Women and Work: African American Women in Depression Era America.” Master’s Thesis, City University of New York, 2018.