Federal Writers' Project – Life Histories/2013/Spring/Joe Singleton

This page is connected with English 105 at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill - Federal Writers' Project - Life Histories

Overview:
Joe Singleton was an African American barber in Oak City, North Carolina. During his lifetime, he faced racism in the south, struggled through the Great Depression, and fought in World War 1 as an infantry soldier. On May 30th, 1939, the Federal Writers’ Project interviewed Singleton and documented the details of his life.

Early Life
Joe Singleton was born in Sumter, South Carolina. At the age of twelve, he began working in a barber shop for tips by shining the shoes of customers who came into the barbershop. As he grew older, the owner of the shop allowed Singleton to practice as a barber in the backroom of the barbershop. The customers he was allowed to practice on were veterans from the Civil War home who did not have to pay for haircuts. Despite not making any money for himself, Singleton refined his skills cutting and shaving hair, paving the way for Singleton to enter the business by himself. At the age of 19, Singleton moved to Oak City, North Carolina where he took a job opening as a barber.

World War 1
In 1918, shortly after Singleton began working, he was drafted into the military and shipped from Hoboken, New Jersey to Europe fight in World War 1. African Americans were deterred from fighting in the military because of their illiteracy. Despite not being able to read nor write, Singleton displayed an adept knowledge of the United States military to his lieutenant and was permitted to fight for the Allies in The Great War as an infantry soldier in a unit segregated from White Americans. While fighting in the trenches in France, he and several other soldiers breathed in mustard gas. Singleton then stayed in the hospital for four months while he recovered. Following his recovery, he was shipped back to the United States.

Singleton as a Barber
When Singleton first opened his barbershop, he was one of the only barbers in town and could make as much as fifty dollars a week trimming beards and cutting hair. After catching word of his success, many other barbers moved to Oak City hoping to emulate the profits of Singleton. The increased competition resulted in a loss of revenue and caused Singleton difficulties paying the rent on his apartment. Racism in the south and the Jim Crow laws also marred his success when White customers refused to enter Singleton’s shop. Eventually, Singleton married his wife, who made a living owning her own beauty parlor; a successful industry during the 1920s. Together, they were able to construct and finance a home just before the Great Depression arrived. In 1936, Singleton had to use his soldier’s bonus to pay for his medical bills for appendicitis and hemiplegia. Despite the financial struggles, he was able to sustain his business through the Great Depression.

Racism in the South
The early 1900s was a difficult time period for Joe Singleton and most other African Americans living in North Carolina. It was a transitional period for African Americans who were yet to be accepted by society since being emancipated from slavery only decades before. All southern states enacted Jim Crow laws in attempt to segregate African Americans in many public places including schools, restaurants, and public restrooms. When African Americans and Caucasians did interact, African Americans were disrespected and treated unjustly. Many African American adults were rudely introduced as “Boy” or “Sister” rather than “Sir” or “Madam” and had to enter many public buildings through the back door. Published in Population Research and Policy Review Journal, Robert Boyd described African American entrepreneurs as “freed slaves engaged in trades and personal services shunned by whites as too servile.”  The Jim Crow Laws were a way for Caucasians to assert their dominance over African Americans without the use of slavery.

African Americans in World War 1
Joe Singleton fought for the United States army in World War 1. The African Americans who fought in the United States army helped push the United States towards the acceptance of African Americans in society. Many people questioned the hypocrisy of the United States who fought for liberty and justice for all, but still could not give African Americans the same opportunities as Caucasian Americans. The United States created the 92nd and 93rd all-black infantry divisions so African Americans could fight in the war, but still be segregated from White soldiers. In Freedom Struggles: African Americans in the World War, Adriane Lentz-Smith describes, “a war over democracy as white soldiers tried to carry Jim Crow to Europe and black soldiers fought against them.”  Many African Americans wanted to display their patriotism and fight against the Axis Powers as well as racial injustice.

Historical Production
The Federal Writers Project was a program initiated by the New Deal during the Great Depression in order to aid many American writers. The writers were given the job of interviewing common Americans in order to give a representation of society during this time period. One issue associated with this project was how the writers tended to alter the dialogue of the interviews by leaving out or inserting information that would change the impression of the audience on the subjects interviewed. Rather than making a southern African American like Joe Singleton seem like an intelligent and successful entrepreneur, the writers altered the writing by including slang to make the subject sound like a stereotypical uneducated southern African American. For example, in The Story of Joe Singleton, Barber, Joe says “I reckon it's a good thing business is slack now, because I couldn't swing to it like I used.” Published in The Oral History Review, Leonard Rapport states, “It seems that is some cases stories were considerably rewritten between the original author and the time they reached us” Therefore, it is difficult to assess the legitimacy of each interview as historically accurate.