Interviewee:  Mary L. Moss, 90 years old

Interviewer: Abriel Harris

Description: The era of the Civil Rights movement, various individuals of African American ethnicity were measured by how they managed difficult situations. The overall importance of the movement was the profound impact it had on American life. The Civil rights movement had many influential leaders and events but I will focus on a woman who took care of equal rights behind the scene. I recently interviewed my grandmother, Mary L. Moss, a 90 year old Wise, N.C. native, who participated in several Civil Rights Movement activities.   Born in an era of racism, Mrs. Moss, along with her Husband Lawrence Moss, participated in the non-violent approach protest from Warren County, N.C. to Durham County, N.C. Although suffering from dementia, Mrs. Moss could recall protest and sit-in like it was yesterday. From sitting in downtown stores in Warrenton that did not provide service to blacks to other events that fought for equal rights, her most memorable protest was the PCB landfill.

In the Post-Civil Rights Movement era, Mary Moss even participated in an Environmental Justice Movement (EJM) in Warren County with my other grandmother, Mary Guy Harris. Unfortunately, Mrs. Harris, the first black female republican Chief Judge for the East Warren Precinct, departed this world in 2006 and I didn’t have the chance to interview her on her knowledge and experience of the Civil Rights Movement.   The EJM was to prevent the dumping of PCB soil in Afton, N.C. which is located in the County of Warren. (NC PCB Archives, Undated) Mrs. Moss and a few of her human rights and community issues associates made signs to carry to the site of the landfill. She was very worried about the PCB protest fearing that it would end in arrest. In that it did, 550 protesters were arrested after laying down in roadways blocking trucks from entering the landfill.

Mary L. Moss slowly but surely became detached from Civil Rights activities as she got older. Mrs. Moss final thoughts were to stand up in what you believe in. She stated that it took a lot of courage for her to get involved in with these matters. Although the interview became off topic, I still was able to get a few answers from Mary Moss.

Suggested Readings:

NC PCB Archives, (Undated). NC PCB Archives. [online] Available at:

http://www.ncpcbarchives.com/ [Accessed 15 Apr. 2014].

Transcript:

HARRIS: When it comes to being an African-American in your generation, what did some of your Civil Rights experiences consist of or need?

MOSS: It took courage. You know. Every day I wondered would this be the day. Is this the day I’m going to be arrested? Because most of the events I witnessed would end in people going to jail. Sometimes you have to let those thoughts out of your head because you are doing something for a better life. I did not like violence so I did not join in on groups that some of my friends were in. [We] did sit in at restaurants and I even got hosed at a few places. Participating in marches in Durham, I tried to do as much as I could to get equal rights.

HARRIS: How did you cope with being unequal to other races?

MOSS: I didn’t. The thoughts just bring back bad memories and some nights I couldn’t sleep. I would discuss it over and over with my mother. Why do people think this way? It’s nothing I can do to change racist thoughts but I will fight to be treated the same.

HARRIS: What activities, pertaining to equal right, to you remember participating in?

MOSS: Ummm, the one that is fresh in my mind is the toxic waste protest.

HARRIS: Are you referring to the PCB landfill protest?

MOSS: Yeah, It was the most-known protest I ever did. We made signs, we marched, and we singed. Police were already there. They wanted to put toxic dirt in the fields over here.

HARRIS: I’m going to conclude this interview with your thoughts?

MOSS: You have to fight in what you believe. You can wish for this hatred to be gone its like prayer without effort. We as people can’t just say what we want done we have to step up to the plate and just do it. Get it done and give all we got. I don’t regret any of my efforts.