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Reed

Page history last edited by Sunchai Hamcumpai 12 years, 6 months ago

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Billy Reed: oral history interview

 

 

Video 1 of 7

Link to the Playlist [ http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC630C2A921CE9B88 ]

Recorded on September 18, 2009, interview conducted by Dr. James Conrad and Dr. Shannon Carter. 

Full video interview 0.61 hour.

Video production made by CLiC (Converging Literacies Center), a part of Texas A&M University-Commerce. 

 

Subject

Norris Community Club, Commerce City Council,  Agenda, Police Department, Mt. Moriah Temple Baptist Church, Methodist Church, Progressive Club, Local Democratic Committee, Public Speaking, Community Development  

Description

Billy Reed was a representative on the Commerce City Council for the Norris Community Club (NCC). In the 1970s, he spoke to the city commission on the agenda relating to jobs and education for Norris residents where he addressed  equal opportunity for African Americans within the police department. The discussion took place at Mt. Moriah Temple Baptist Church. The first Black police officer was hired in 1975 by the City of Greenville. They also pushed forward in the local newspaper, The Commerce Journal, for public awareness.

 

The NCC was active in public affairs. They brought in Donnell Thomas, a Methodist church administrator, to speak at a charity banquet. People enjoyed his speech even though he criticized the city. The Methodist church accepted women into administrator positions as well as accepting both black and white attendees. Today, the NCC does not exist but is replaced by the Progressive Club.

 

East Texas State University assisted the NCC through several consultants such as Terry Johnson (Science Department), Ronny Brooks, Ivory Moore, Dr. Bauer, Dr. Talbott, and Mr. MacArthur. They advised on solutions for property taxes, utility needs, and employment. The Local Democratic Committee (LDC) was set up in Greenville to be the meeting place to discuss social issues and to negotiate with the city.

 

Reed said that the Norris community was called “the hole” because of its underdevelopment. It lacked lights, toilets, plumbing, and telephone service. The NCC helped residents request public works from the city to improve their living conditions.

 


 


 

 

Volume 2 , Video 1/13

Subject

Norris community, Soil Contamination, Arsenic, EPA, Construction Job, Western Inspection Bureau, Railroad Project, Switchman, Station Conductor, Air force,  Roxton TX, Ladonia TX, Picking Cotton, Liquor, Law Enforcement      

Description

 

Billy Reed was born in Ladonia, Tx.  When he was five years old, his mother passed away, and then he was adopted and moved to Roxton.  He has four siblings and served in the Air force where he spent some time in Arizona.  He received a range of training that included aircraft foundation, radio communication, safety procedures, and aptitude tests. The training station was in San Francisco. After the service, he moved to live with his aunt in Commerce, Tx.   He spent some years in Dallas working for different car rental companies and construction firms. One of them was the Western Inspection Bureau where served as a  foreman. He also worked on the weekends for the railroad station, starting as yardman and becoming a switchman.  After two months, he became a full-time employee for the railroad station. There were three main routes: Santa Fe Railroad, Cotton Belt Railroad, and Southern Pacific Railroad.

 

Reed explains the reasons why the Norris community was called “the hole.”  It was because of its lack of lighting and muddy streets. The Norris Community was contaminated with arsenic in the air and soil. Residue from the industrial plant remained in the form of a dusty film on things. The soil was not fit for growing unless it was covered by a ground sheet for a period of time then topped with clean dirt to a depth of about four inches. The water was sometimes grayish in color. The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) investigated the soil problem and suggested the residents relocate but they chose not to. Several law firms, such as BP&G and Wendel & Terry, assisted them in filing suit and shared 40% from the compensation.

 

When Reed was young, he picked cotton for a farm in Wichita Falls, Texas. The workers lived in the camp surrounded by the wild. Picking season ran from December to March. He married his wife whom he met in the camp when they were 19 and 16 years old respectively. When he was based in Alabama, segregation was in full swing. Blacks had to take blue taxi cabs while the Whites had yellow ones. In Commerce, liquor possession by different races saw different law enforcement. He was asked from a White doctor to buy a case of scotch whiskey from Dallas for him. Police suspected him and took him to the police station as they found some liquor in his car. They released him because the liquor belonged  to Dr. Carl and used for personal use.  

 

Reed remembers the prosecution of a police officer who arrested a black boy, cuffed his hands, grounded him, and then beat him because of his suspicious behavior. This stirred up concern and anger among the Norris community residents. Reed filed the case with the city manager. He managed the case with various organizations and people backing him. Black people were concerned about their rights as stated in the constitution and to have their voices heard.     

 


 

For more information 

Digital Collections, James G. Gee Library.

http://www.tamu-commerce.edu/library/collections/digital/

CLiC (Converging Literacies Center) 

http://convergingliteraciescenter.wordpress.com/
National Conversation on Writing 
http://ncow.org/site/

 


 

 

Volume 3

Recorded on September 27, 2011, interview conducted by Kelly Dent and Dr. James Conrad.Videography by Sunchai Hamcumpai. 

Full video interview 72 minutes. 

 

 

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