Brooks, Evelyn, May 11, 1976, tape 3, side 1

Evelyn Brooks: Well, maybe-- the whole concept of the community center. It was not accepted by the entire church. Uh, they, they, they. They just were not amenable to the change in what a church had traditionally done. They could not see that far down the road. Uh, if it had caught on and if they had been receptive to this projection of the pastor's thinking, the Methodist Church Union would not have this center here because it would have been established there. Um, naturally, it was predominantly for Black people because at that time, you know, the integration was not, although we lived in the North, it was just, you know, everybody went their own way. Uh, it was led the minister of-- brought into the community very competent people who would head up the director. They might not have had a degree in social work, but they were competent people and they did enlist the volunteer help of church members. But it just wasn't in the thinking of some of the board people that it should be them. They felt that, I suppose, that the work of the church is just within the four walls of the church. The outreach. Well, I never heard that before, but the program, when it was in the ________[??], I had some very, very fond memories. I had an opportunity where I saw my first basketball game. The first vacation Bible school that I ever attended. That was really, truly an experience, a vacation Bible school. It's a Bible oriented, but, um, it provided, um, activities at the Sunday School didn't provide. It was every day and it went for six weeks. Um, the beautiful things that we made, uh, baskets. That's when I learned to weave, uh, the mats that we made, the flowers and the exposure to a women who had really achieved academically who headed up the program. Uh, I think this is when I decided that I wanted to go into community work. Um, dramatic. It was just-- Just fascinating.

Nora Faires: You are employed at that time. Brooks: Pardon me? Faires: Were you employed at that time?

Brooks: No, that was back in 1925. The first vacation Bible school I went to, I was a student. I think you-- The registration fee was $0.35. And, uh, you would go, uh, every morning at nine from nine till 12. And, uh, you were in a class and there were just oodles of kids and you learn new songs and you learn-- Oh, I just loved it. I don't remember getting a snack because it was an unheard of thing at that time. I'm talking about my own peers. You got your breakfast at home. You know, your parents wouldn't send you out without a breakfast and you had your breakfast, so there was no need to serve a snack in the vacation Bible school. Now, that's the first thing they do in vacation Bible school. Now be sure you have a snack or food. I know food is important and all that business, but I argued against it. The vacation Bible School was really and truly I think the impetus for my wanting to get into community work. Um, let's see what else

Brooks: Exciting has happened. If you ask, ask me questions-- I never been so many exciting things that happened-- maybe to other people, they would be, but to me they were very exciting. Uh, our church afforded for me, uh, as I said before, really and truly a just a marvelous exposure to cultural things. And I've had an opportunity to do all the things that I have ever wanted-- to act, to speak, to sing, to teach, to administer. I had the opportunity to do all those things in my hands. Really and truly. I was, uh, conducting a, uh, uh.

Brooks: Recreational program in my church. It was an indoor picnic, and this is how I became involved in the work of the center. The director visited our church that day. I don't know. He had heard that there was a, uh, indoor picnic going on, and he asked me would I like to work at the center? And I had volunteered-- Not at that particular-- not with him, but at the Homestead Center, was located at another area. In another area. And I, I didn't know and I told him I would let him know and I forgot all about it. And about two weeks later, he called me and that's how I became involved. But my church afforded me the opportunity and I started taking courses enrolled in.

Brooks: Took a couple courses over at the university from time to time. I always had in the back of my head one thing in life I had been denied that-- I wasn't bitter about it, but I was. I felt just a little sad because I didn't have a college degree and the Depression was the cause of that. So after I helped my nephew to go to school and I was able to realize that ambition, the university offered the new careers program and there was a white girl who was working here doing her field work here. And she-- she thought I had a degree. And I told her no. She says, Well, there's a program over the university.

Faires: Is this Pitt?

Brooks: Yes. Faires: Yeah. She says, there's a program over there. She says that you could enroll in and you could get your degree. And I said, Oh, they wouldn't accept me. She says, I'll bring you the application. And she did. And I filled it out and dropped it in the mailbox and forgot about it. And I heard from them and, oh, I suppose less than a week. And they accepted me. And 1970 and 1970, the fall of 70, 1974, I received my diploma. So I realized that ambition and all of it ties in with my family, living in the community, working in community, church.

Faires: What about the other social clubs in the area. You've-- you've just mentioned a few of them.

Brooks: Alright, there are-- There are three federated clubs that belong to the Pennsylvania State Federation of Negro Women's Clubs, Inc. Uh, they are affiliated at the county, at the county, state and national level. These clubs are, um, uh, based primarily here in Homestead, but the memberships are not exclusively from-- the members are not exclusive from Homestead. Some of them have lived in Homestead, but they have moved into other areas. Uh, they meet people with similar interests and they bring them into the club. These clubs, um, in addition to other social clubs, bridge clubs. Um, some of the church clubs, the, the fraternal organizations play a large part in their contributions to the Homestead, to our center.

Brooks: Um, this is how we have several, several people who are on our

Brooks: Board who are representatives from these community clubs. You know, the community which has or the United Way, uh, said that you must involve-- and I don't like the term grass root people. They say this, uh, but a lot of times they really and truly don't mean it. And then a lot, a lot of times, uh, the grass root people are a little reluctant to go on boards because they know that they don't have, uh, maybe they have it, but they, they don't feel that, uh, they have the ability to articulate, uh, as a board member should, uh. When I became the director, I was the director of the Homestead Community Center when we were two agencies. I was the director. Um, when we were

Brooks: Requested to involve people that we sent to clubs and our letter to clubs asking them to choose someone. To represent them. 'Cause they were contributing to the community center. They should have some say as to how the program should be run. Uh.

Brooks: All of them responded. And over a period of years, uh, the people who have-- who were chosen, there have been some changes. Many of them now are officers of the merged board of the Museum Board. Um, I also felt that something should be provided some, uh, orientation or some, uh, class should be, uh, offered to people who are on certain boards. Uh, University of Pittsburgh is offering a course to board members. Uh, there will be a ten week course beginning next Tuesday, and 2 or 3 of our board people are working people, and for-- I know two of them, this will be their first time to be enrolled in a class over at the university.

Faires: Do those-- those clubs, do they play a big role in the social life of the community, would you say? Brooks: Yes. Faires: Um, and over the years?

Brooks: If your interest is of people. You can find it in these various clubs. Uh, those who are interested-- one time bridge was a real important activity for a lot of people. Lot of bridge clubs were formed and a lot of them have remained intact. Another interest that people have here in the community, I suppose it's their missionary spirit. They want to do something for someone else. And a club that was formed in our Homestead, they had come to the Homestead Community Center to learn how to square dance. And I had taught them how to square dance. And out of that, one of the strongest charitable collectives in the community was the Hand Clap. And they make contributions to-- and they-- they make it without having to go through a budget and a lot of hassle that if anyone in the community, anyone in the community suffers some loss or say, for instance, there's a fire, they don't have to know the person. They immediately come to the family with a check for $200 or 150, whatever. They have been known for the past 30, 20 years. They've been an organization 20 years to come to the rescue of people in the community. The social life for the middle class Black in this community is met primarily through the church. The experience for others. And I-- and this would include some middle class Blacks, more lower middle class and lower class. The beer garden offers a lot of entertainment. We are-- there are a number of beer gardens in the area. Uh, the beer garden culture is different here than in any place, any other place I been to.

Brooks: Even more, and I think it's because of the mill. It's not uncommon for the mill man to stop at the beer garden before going home. It is not uncommon for a group of women to congregate in the beer garden daily and this is where their peers come and this is where they enjoy a social contact. Some of these people belong to some of these clubs. The majority of them don't because this is their own culture. Um, they are very close with each other. They have a code of ethics that maybe those of us who are not in that set don't understand it. Uh, but they, it's their code and they still stand by their code. They are very close to each other. Uh, they sometimes, uh, wonder about the motives of some stranger when they come in. Uh, there are some people who they would not accept, uh, uh, even Blacks. And there, there are. If I ever go into a beer garden here in Homestead with the group that is there now, they would be suspect of my methods. They would not mistreat me. I don't feel that I have to be afraid to go in, but I would have to be very careful of my approach to them. I do feel that having worked in the community, particularly where young men are concerned, where boys are concerned, I've always felt this way, that I never was afraid of the kids who worked in the center.

Brooks: We used to pull them up in the-- when we were on Main Street and I had the pool, but I was never afraid to go into the pool because I felt that these fellows who were in the pool room had enough respect for me because I respected them. But if I needed their help, they would protect me. I remember one night I was coming down the steps and the kids-- fellows were throwing snowballs at me. Up the steps that the girls who, you know, I-- the girls were-- Oh, they're about to throw the snow. And I said, well, they like you. That's why they're throwing-- well, they're opening the door and just pitch in the snow. So I hollered down the steps and I'm getting ready to come down the steps. There was no more snow. Uh, I walked into a group of kids fighting and girls, and I'm not particularly fond of girls, but I walked in a group of girls and they were fighting. One girl had a knife in her hand, and I just gently took the-- the one who didn't have the knife out of the group. And someone asked me, Aren't you afraid? I said, No. Maybe I thought about it afterwards, but I felt that there-- these kids would not turn on me. Times have changed. You asked me about change in the community. I don't feel as safe walking the streets late at night as I did before because I don't work directly with the kids now. But the 20 years that I did, I was not afraid to walk in front of any of those kids, and I was not afraid to go into the pool room. Some of our staff people were

Brooks: reluctant to go, but I. I never was-- And I really enjoyed it, I never had a child to give me a real bad time. Faires: Well, I want to thank you so much. Brooks: Oh, well, I hope I've been the-- I hope I answered all your questions. I'm sure they're downstairs.