User:Katie Krueger/sandbox

Overview
James Joseph Florian was an African American male that worked as a janitor. He was born circa 1887 in Person Country, North Carolina and interviewed by the Federal Writers' Project in 1938.

Early Life
William Oscar Torian, more commonly known as James Joseph “Joe” Florian, was a Black man born in Person County, North Carolina. He grew up working on a small family farm with his mother, father, brother, Bob, and four sisters, Clara, Fanny, Jenny, and Sara. When Florian dropped out of school in seventh grade, his mother urged him to stay and continue working on the farm, but instead, Florian moved to the city of Greensboro in search of work.

Working Life
As a Black male during the early 20th century, Florian encountered difficulty finding a decent-paying job, especially with the presence of “white businesses” and a “negro section of Greensboro.” Nonetheless, Florian found a job as a hall boy at a hotel. However, he quit and got a more lucrative job tending to a wealthy man’s garden. After hearing about various job opportunities up North, Florian and his wife moved to Stamford, Connecticut where he became employed at a copper smelting plant. He eventually left his job at factory and became a janitor at the Yale Lock Company Plant. Florian was noticed by the president of the company not long after and was promoted as the only janitor authorized to clean the offices of the top three ranked officials of the company. Soon after, he was promoted once more and became the boss of all the janitors working for the business. Florian and his family moved back to Greensboro where Florian began working for a general building contractor. However, after being hit by a car and sustaining injuries, he was no longer able to do manual labor. He became a bellhop at the O’Henry Hotel where he was often encouraged to drink with wealthy clients. After his wife expressed concern for his excessive drinking habits, Florian quit his job at the hotel and opened a lunch counter while occupying a few other odd jobs. In 1935, he sold the lunch counter and worked under a wallpaper contractor until he lost his job and once again turned to doing several odd jobs. Florian’s last documented job was as a janitor at a wholesale organization.

Family Life
Florian met his wife, Virginia, in church and moved with her to Stamford, Connecticut. When Virginia was pregnant, she faced health problems due to sinus issues and pre-existing conditions that did not bode well with the Connecticut weather. Doctors told Mrs. Florian that the health of both her and her unborn child was compromised. However, “Little James” was born healthy in 1920. Soon after, Virginia was hospitalized due to a heart attack, encouraging the family to move back to Greensboro. Once in Greensboro, Mrs. Florian’s health improved and she was able to successfully give birth to her and Mr. Florian’s second child, Betsy. When a storm hit Greensboro, a tornado cut through the town, forcing the Florian's to take shelter. It was during this time that Virginia suffered a fatal heart attack. After his wife’s death, Florian sent their children to live in Virginia with their aunt. In his interview with the Federal Writers’ Project, Florian mentioned nearly turning to alcohol again, but refrained when his son, James, returned home to him. In 1937, his daughter, Betsy, returned as well. When Betsy hinted at dropping out of school to pursue work, as her father did, Florian explained the numerous lost opportunities he had faced due to his lack of schooling. Therefore, he encouraged his daughter to continue receiving an education. Florian added that it was too late for him to return to school due to his lack of money during the Great Depression.

Unemployment Rates and Wage Gaps in African American Employment During the Great Depression
An event prevalent in Florian’s lifetime was racism and the Great Depression. Following the stock market crash, unskilled jobs previously occupied predominantly by the Black community were taken over by white individuals. As the economy faced a steep decline, African Americans were the “last hired, first fired." Black individuals were said to be “...1.5 times more likely to be unemployed." Unemployment rates amongst African Americans were worsened by workplace discrimination they faced, despite their qualifications. Additionally, due to the lower-paying jobs they previously occupied, Blacks faced severe economic hardship due to their lack of “a financial cushion to fall back on…”

Alcohol Use and Abuse During Recessionary Periods
Those that lived and worked through the Great Depression, especially with Prohibition coming to an end, often turned to alcohol as a coping mechanism. Recent studies have shown that times of economic difficulty or depression are tied to “an almost 20% increase in alcoholism-related searches.” Internet search data seems to indicate a fairly strong correlation between economic recession and individuals seeking answers about, or expressing concern for their drinking habits.

Organized Labor Unions During the Great Depression
Predominately Black labor unions were rare, as members were often targeted by Jim Crow laws, lynch mobs, and racist mainstream labor groups. The Roosevelt Administration made little progress in narrowing the race-based unemployment and wage gaps. Though the potential for an inclusive industrial union movement was shown in the strike wave of 1934, the American Federation of Labor refused to challenge deep-rooted racism or risk the integration of unskilled workers, further isolating and oppressing the Black community. Progress was seen when the Committee for Industrial Organization (CIO) “made organizing Blacks a priority." The CIO became 60% Black and was backed by the National Negro Congress, which introduced the integration of civil rights organizations with labor unions. However, by that point, the damage had been done and African Americans were both discouraged and largely uninterested in joining new unions.