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Items to be Filled out for Each Interview FOLKLORE
FORM A NEW YORK
Circumstances of Interview
STATE New York
NAME OF WORKER Vivian Morris
ADDRESS 225 West 130 Street
DATE June 6, 1939
SUBJECT CASE HISTORY (Harlem Hospital)
1. Date and time of interview
2. place of interview
3. Name and address of informant
4. Name and address of person, if any, who put you in
touch with informant.
5. Name and address of person, if any, accompanying you
6. Description of room, house, surroundings, etc.
JUN 1 9 1939
(Use as many additional sheets as necessary, for any of the forms,
each bearing the proper headinL and the number to which the material
refers.)
FORM C
Text of Interview (Unedited)
STATE New York
NAVE OF WORKER Vivian Morris
ADDRESS 225 West 130 Street
DATE June 6, 1939
SUBJECT CASE HISTORY (Harlem Hospital)
FOLKLORE
NEW YORK
Not that she wasn't convinced, but that she was non-plussed.
She verified her puzzled headshaking with an almost wistful string of:
"No, no, no." Thm woman sat down on the opposite bench, looked around
and made general complaints to the general public within hearing.
Possibly this general public thought she was a little "off", or pos-
sibly just another of those "sorry" cases that filled the waiting rooms
of the Harlem Hospital, because those who heard her looked and didn't
stop. The nurses simply didn't look. The woman caught my eye, and
considering me an audience, pegged me with her conversation.
"0, Lawd, how I feels bad: I can't make out how I evuh came t' see
daylight agin. Thought I wys done fog this time. Thought I'd nevuh git
up. No, man, thought I wus gone fur good now. Ain' been wukkin fur years
now excepting an odd n' and jobs. Cleaning wuk an' cooking wuk. I been
feeling sick fun my rheumatism fur so long an' it's been worse all thg
time. I picks up a job cleaning las' week. Bann sick when I took it, but
I hadda take it. I mks through thg day feeling in pain an' faint. Then
I git home tg fix up my house ant then it happens. Listen, I aim' no bad
woman. No, man, I nevuh drinks. So help MA Lewd, I nevuh takes a little
drink. They fount me lying ona floor unconscious. I can't remembuh much
but I does remembuh my gifting up ona ladder, all thg way up about 8 feet
2.
sois to take a valise down, an' then I feels faint an' falls. Lewd, wuz
I there stretched out: Stretched out as large as life. No, main, don'
think I hadda drink. I aini no drinkin' woman. Sumbody founi me
sprowlinl an' unconscious. I wuz hurt plenty. See, main, Ilse hurt here
ona side, and arouni my waist. Sure I been here befo'. I comes on
Wednesday all weak an' sick an' wuz tol' its too late. Here I wuz sick
an' in pain an' they says no. Same thing on Thursday. I aini got no
treatment as yit. Third time I been here. Yuh shoulda heard how they talks
ti me arouni here. No respect fur age or illness. yl comes an' gits cut up an'
yelled at an' yi goes home. 0, Lewd: Trouble witiem is they don't know
Jesus. If they did they wouldni ack like they does. Just like a lotta
cattle they acks -0 us poor cullud folks. Them white folks in nis
hospital is gittini nasty. I don't say nuthini against white folks in
geniral. I likes au all cullud an' white n' they makes no diffirence
t' me. On'y if they's kind n' got Jesus teachini. I wukked 15 years fur
a gentleman in Charlotte, Noith Carilina. He wuz good ti me an' my daughter
an' he built us a house nexta his. That's nice. But they's many that aini nice.
0, Lawdy mel Them that hires cleaners an' cooks an' servants. They aini so
nice, no main. They wuks yuh ti death like you aini no human. See whut's
happened -0 me. Me fallini in a faint. Ant I am' nevvuh had a drink,
man. I tell yuh agin I'm a hard ',main' woman. I'm a good woman. So help
me Lawd. It pains me all aroni here. An' I aini nevvuh took nuthin'. 'Atis
they
whut/seems t' think arouno here. A little mid' of Jesus is whut's needed. Moi
of His teachini in their hearts. We black folks always have suffuhed evvuh
since I kin think back. We always have sufferini wit' us. Whut kin we
do, huh? I don' like t' be talked to this way. I'm good an' clean ant God-
fearin' an' nevvuh takes ti anythini tatis bad. Leastwise drinkin'. I
tells yuh th' God -hones' fact. Lady, take me ovuh to th' desk, please.
Vial kind an' bless yuh. Take care a yuhself.