Document text
STATE
NAVE OF WORKER
ADDRESS
DATE
SUBJECT
FORM C
Text of Interview (Unedited)
New York
Vivian Morris
225 West 130th Street, N.Y.C.
February 23, 1939
Laundry Workers Lunch Hour
FOLKLORE
NEW YORK
The fifty colored and white girls of assorted ages who work
in the West End Laundry, loc&ted between Ninth and Tenth Avenues
on 41st Street, straggled out for their lunch hour, chatting like
magpies. Out of the confusion could be heard fragmentary speech
such as, "You tellin' me," "Gee girl," "A killer diller," "He
said" "He didn't say nuthin of the kind." A few stopped in the
laundry lunch room but the majority went across the street where
the meals were more "homey," and
informal vein without the bosses
throat catching the
lips. Jane and her
wearily down. Jane
words before
the gossip could take on a more
sister-in-law looking down ones
they had scarcely reached the
friend Mae driited toward a table and plopped
slowly saying, "Here it is Tuesday and I'm
still tired from Kitty's week -end party. What cha gonna eat -7
"Figfeet?"
"Fig feet," Mae made a wry face and lifted her brown stubb-
le of v. nose forward, the ceiling in high dudgeon, "I don't want
es„
to see another "Trotter (pigfeet) for a month."
"I guess you don't" answered the dreamy eyed lackadascialiy.
"Your old man sure bought you a mess of trotters Saturday and Sun-
day night. Didn't he?"
"Yeh, he's a good guy but I'm gonna quit him," replied Yee
lightly. He's getting kinda careless cute on my hands. He's
got to go. Hey, what we gonna eat? Order up sumpin sumpin
fillin', cause the foreman sure got sumpin, good from ma this
mornins"
"Spareribs on two (two orders)" yelled Jane, heavy on the
gravy and potatoes."
"Corsi& on de double," right away returned the waiter.
Jane turned facing her companion saying, "So you're gonna'
breeze (quit) your 01' man huh?"
"Yeh," sighed Mae taking a long drairon a cigarette. "They
ain't no good w4en they git cute. Did you see that little guy
givins me a grand rush at the party?"
"Yeah," Jane puffed on a soothing cork tipped and meditatively
A
exhaled through her nose, "You know its darn funny, haw some people
seem to draw men and others don't. Here you're taikint out quittin'
your man ant I'm doinl my best to keep mine, and still he don't want
me. I swear I'm good to nimii though."
The waiter deftly placed the food in front of the two girls
and waited.
"Say, what kind of cigarette is that asked Jane. Mae
took one from her pack and passed it to Jane.
"It's a fair brand, cheaper," said Mae.
"Listen Mae," said Jane, leaning closer. "This cigarette
of yours may be cheaper, but always remember this this is not
a union made cigarette. See, no union stamp on it. Did you think
it was fair when the boss worked you fourteen hours a day for lass
than ten dollars a week? Of course not. Now, when you bo a non-
union cigarette you are saving a few pennies, yes, but you are making
it that much harder for the aembers of the laboring gtoup of the
-.3
factory to get a union. Lay off tnose weeds Mae and get a union
smoke. They are better prepared because you know that a satisfied
worker does better work than an unsatisfied one. Throw those weeds
away."
"Good sales talk, Kin," said Mae as she plunked her ciagrettes
into a waste can.
"Oh you still here? Put em' on the books," said Jane with a
wave of the hand.
"O.K. Jane," said the waiter.
"There's such a thing as beim.' too good Jane," said Mae.
"You're better looking than I am but I have better luck with my
boy friends cause I'm "nonchalanchy" (take them as they came) with
'am. If I see 'em, OK if I don't see 'em OK."
"Well," mused Jane picking over her food, "maybe I ain't livin'
right. I think, instead of these old wild wild parties every week -end,
I shouit go to some of these "hincty" (swell) affairs, like The Lafayette
Theatre and see "Androcles and the Lion" that don't cost much."
"Andro-who-and what lion?" puzzled Mae.
"Oh, its a play" laughed Jane,"put on by a Negro Federal Theatre
group. I hear its a good play."
"Yeah, that's OK." said iviae, 'but think of the sport you could
have off the money you spend for a dress and a show. You must be
siippin. Andro 'ions you kill me, Jane."
"I could have a good time with the money, out I think I need
some real "dicty" (rwell) good times," said Jane, "I'm dawn in the
dumps."
"How about trying to collect that money the politician awed
you since las' November lection day?"
"I think I may as well cross that off the books," moaned Jane.
-4
"They promise you the moon and when you come to collect, they're
out chasing the sun."
The girls were slowly rising and filing back into the laun-
dry door When Jane said, "Come on. Back to work we go."
But Mae was still puzzled about something, "You ain't ser-
ious auout seeind Andro--sumpin' or the other and his lions, are
you Jane."
"Sure, it's cultural stun' we need, kid," said Jane.
"O.K." answered Mae waveringly, "Guess that means I have
to t a new dress too but think of the good time we could have
nad with that dress and dey lion money."