Williams, James

Description

In this interview, James "Nar" Williams talks about the various jobs he's held, especially working at the TCI steel mill, as well as discusses his views on segregation and the Civil Rights movement. Williams worked jobs in construction, as a brick mason, and for a railroad. For a period of years, he was a barber, even after they changed the law so that people couldn't get a licenses if they were working out of their homes. He did what he calls "bootleg barbering" and was arrested for it once. Williams spent most of his working life at TCI, first on a labor gang, then as a millwright's helper and finally a millwright. He describes the way blacks were kept from advancing. He also recalls how he dealt with racism on the job. He says whites "like you if you're a fool, and they hate you if you've got any sense." He didn't have any problem telling white men he worked with the truth instead of telling them what they wanted to hear. This attitude sometimes got him in trouble. His coworkers didn't like him because he wasn't "Uncle-Toming" like they were, but the big bosses respected his opinions. Williams describes the hiring process, and he also talks about a worker's retirement. On his last day, he would come to work dressed up and spend all day talking and not working, but still getting paid. He also recounts several accidents he saw. He talks about violence to "scabs" during union strikes...

Record Contributed By

William Stanley Hoole Special Collections Library

Record Harvested From

Digital Library of Georgia