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Childhood Then and Now (Childhood in the 50s) |
| LaVilla's Living Legacy Index |
Do you ever wonder how it was for kids in segregated times? On November 15,2005 LaVilla, journalism students attended a personal discussion with a few guests, Bettye Sessions, Jane Condon, Retha Smith, Glorious Johnson and Rodney Hurst. They asked them about their childhood. Back in the 50s, which segregated times, the children were separated whites from blacks. There were schools for blacks with black teachers, and schools for whites with white teachers. Now we all get to go to any kind of school. Douglas Anderson was a black school during the 1950s, but now its a school for everyone. Here are some examples of Race, Education in Prince Edward County, Virginia. Click here for more images of Black Elementary Schools Click here for more images of White Elementary Schools
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Although, in the 1950s, the interviewees had hard times as children, they also had good times. They played games such as hopscotch and pick up sticks. Also since they didn't have television, they would listen to the radio.
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Children need discipline and punishments do happen. Punishments then were the same as kids get now. If you were bad you'ld get a whooping from your parents or you might be grounded. However, back then when you would get a whooping from your teacher, then your mom, then maybe even a neighbor. Because then it was like they say, it takes the whole neighborhood to raise a child. |
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They would read books to keep them occupied. Some of the kids would ride their bikes and go to the movies, since it was only nine cents. Mostly all the boys would play baseball in the streets, using a broom and a tennis ball.Besides games, they had big parties. Most of the parties would take place at an open area or in the front or back yard of their house. |
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Going to school was the same as now. Children took the bus or just walked like we do. However, now we can sit anywhere on the bus, but in the 1950s the black kids had to sit in the back of the bus while the whites got to sit front of the bus. |
