ENPages
Ga-17E
duplicate
I AIN'T NO MIDWIFE Revised
Written by: Mrs. Sadie S. Hornsby Area 6 - Athens, Ga.
Edited by: Mrs. Sarah H. Hall Area 6 - Athens, Ga.
John N. Booth Area Supervisor of Federal Writers' Project Areas 6 and 7 Augusta, Georgia
June 9, 1939
1817
March 14, May 29, 1939 Mary Willingham (Negro) 140 Cohen Street Athens, Georgia Practical Nurse S.B.H.
I AIN'T NO MIDWIFE
"You'll have to come up on the porch and set down whilst I washes if you wants to talk to me," Mamie announced, when I found her in the backyard tending the fire around the boilin washpot. "I meant to wash outdoors in the sunshine," she continued, "but my husband and daughter got off befo' I had a chanst to get 'em to move my wash bench off the porch for me."
"I'm surprised to find you at home, Mamie," I told her. "I was just taking a chance when I sttolled around to the back after there was no answer to my raps on your front door. Have you given up nursing in favor of taking in washing now?"
"No, mam, I ain't had no nussin' job in gwine on a month now. I'se just doin' my own fambly washin', least I is this mornin'. I does have two small washin's. I means I calls myself havin' two, but the folks didn't bring 'em last week, and they ain't brung 'em so far this week."
I sat down and watched her as she worked. Mamie is a stout woman of medium height. Tightly braided gray hair framed her gingerbread-colored face, and she wore a nurses' soiled blue uniform, a white apron, black slippers, and grey cotton hose.
She spat into the tub of clothes, half-heartedly rubbed a garment across the washboard a time or two, stood up straight and said, "Miss, does you know where I can git a job?"
1818
2.
"No," I replied,
''What!'* she ejaculated. "Outen all the folks you knows!"
"That's true, Mamie, I surely don't know of a job you could get right now," I told her, "but the National Reemployment Service will help you to get work if you'll register in their office."
"I did try at that place. They axed me a hundred and one questions and then some: 'What did you make? What did you spend your money for? Well, why didn't you save some of it while you was makin' it?' They took all them questions and washed my face with 'em. I'll bet not a one of them folks that asks them questions saves none of their own wages, yet they goes right on askin' other folks questions they wouldn't wanta answer for nobody else. I told the one that axed me them things that the reason I couldn't save none of my money was that me and my fambly had to eat, buy clothes, and pay rent, let alone having to holp my people when they needed it. They's been a heap of colored folks gone hongry at times in these last several years, when they own folks didn't have nothin' to 'vide with 'em no mo'.
"I sho don't know what us pore Negroes is gwine do," she grumbled. "When I first started to work I got more to do than I could keep up with. Now, folks goes to the hawspital, but when they gits back home some of they folks comes and stays with 'em 'til they's up and about again. I reckon folks Just has to do that way to cut 'spenses."
"How long have you been a nurse?" I asked.
1819
This page is not corrected, please help correct this page
This page is not corrected, please help correct this page