noa_sohpcr_m-0013 m-0013 sohpcr noa yes Oral history interview with J. W. Mask, February 15, 1991 Mask, J. W. Wells, Goldie F. (Goldie Frinks) African American school principals--North Carolina--Hamlet School principals--North Carolina African American schools--North Carolina--Hamlet High schools--North Carolina--Hamlet--Administration African Americans--Segregation--North Carolina--Hamlet Mask, J. W. J. W. Mask was principal of Monroe Avenue High School before desegregation. In this interview, he answers questions from the interviewer's checklist about the challenges of his position, his management style, and the details of his job. Mask does not talk explicitly about race and education a great deal, but his experiences as an educator in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s were marked by segregation. Among the most difficult challenges he faced was a lack of resources, and he was forced to find ways to fund basic services without help from the county. With help from the PTA and parents, he managed to create a cafeteria in the school's basement, supply the school with books and desks, and form a band and a basketball team. Desegregation brought more resources to the school, but also a new set of challenges, including heightened tensions with a segregationist superintendent. This interview provides a useful look at one black principal's efforts to provide for a school neglected by a racist policy. The Civil Rights Digital Library received support from a National Leadership Grant for Libraries awarded to the University of Georgia by the Institute of Museum and Library Services for the aggregation and enhancement of partner metadata. [Chapel Hill, N.C.] : University Library, UNC-Chapel Hill. Southern Oral History Program University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Documenting the American South (Project) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library Oral histories of the American South (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Documenting the American South (Project)) 2007 Transcripts Sound recordings Oral histories http://docsouth.unc.edu/sohp/M-0013/menu.html Text (HTML and XML/TEI source file) and audio (MP3); 2 files: ca. 107.4 kilobytes, 185 megabytes. Mode of access: World Wide Web. System requirements: Web browser with Javascript enabled and multimedia player. MP3 format / ca. 185 MB, 01:41:30 Title from menu page (viewed on November 18, 2008). Interview participants: J.W. Mask, interviewee; Goldie F. Wells, interviewer. Duration: 01:41:30. This electronic edition is part of the UNC-Chapel Hill digital library, Documenting the American South. It is a part of the collection Oral histories of the American South. Text encoded by Jennifer Joyner. Sound recordings digitized by Aaron Smithers. Forms part of Oral histories of the American South collection. 1991-02-15 Hamlet (N.C.) Richmond County (N.C.) 20090723 155054