Bridges Digital Archive: Audio and Video Recordings

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Document Type

Oral History

Publication Date

5-12-2021

Abstract

Hailey McKenzie interviewed Joanne Gilbert, a woman with a deep history of helping the Inland Empire. Gilbert was born and raised in Virginia where she also completed her college education. Her first time teaching a diverse class was in New York and when she went to California in the 80s, she had culture shock at how different the ethnic diversity was. In 1990, Gilbert started to teach in the Inland Empire until her retirement in 2009. After meeting Wilmer Amina Carter while in the National Council of Negro Women, Gilbert successfully ran for her position on the Rialto school board. The interviewee then talks about how, when she moved to Rialto, she saw the African American community did not have much of a hand in the city and in politics. While in her position on the Rialto school board, she helped expand the diversity in the work setting, especially by giving employment to others in the African American community. She also mentions how, at one point, she felt that the teaching profession was done but that an interviewer at the Philips Morris tobacco company helped her realize that her passion was in teaching. Going back to the topic of the National Council for Negro Women, Gilbert tells how she went through various ranks in the organization and it focused on helping the youth in San Bernardino with opportunities like job training. The discussion then moves to faith as Gilbert explains her journey from being raised Baptist to joining a local AME church. McKenzie then asks about the woman’s time in desegregation in Virginia, to which Gilbert explains how she attended a desegregated African American school as well as having parents who valued her education. Gilbert also tells how, while she worked on the school board, she did see some racial tensions in the schools, such as how referrals were written. The topic of Black Lives Matter is also mentioned, to which Gilbert says that these issues should be taken seriously and to see how much other people are hurting. The San Bernardino Valley Links, Inc. is then discussed, which is an organization that works with professional and educational institutions to promote culture and arts to youth. Their goal is also to send as many African American students to colleges as possible. After talking about the need for people to connect through church, school, and sports, the interview ends with Gilbert giving the advice to always read and continue one’s education, even after college.

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