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- Permanent Link:
- http://dpanther.fiu.edu/sobek/FIVK045595/00001
Notes
- General Note:
- Coachman notes that he was born on March 15, 1930 at 10:00 PM. The interviewers are there to talk to Coachman about Virginia Key beach. Coachman remembers going to Virginia Key by boat, before they built the causeway. Coachman boarded the boat "near U.S. 1." Most people got on the boat "near where the bridge" is currently located. Coachman recalls baptisms at Virginia Key beach. Coachman remembers people having picnics, bar b ques, and other forms of entertainment at the beach. In particular about the concession stand, he remembers that a few people had concessions stands out there, but most people made their own bar b q places to eat. The interviewers want to know about the safety of the beach for children. Coachman responds that a lifeguard "or two" supervised the children, along with their parents. Next, they ask Coachman about the dancefloor and competitions out at Virginia Key beach. He noted that they had dancing at Virginia Key beach. They had jukeboxes and speakers at the beach to provide music for the dancing. Coachman talks about that at Virginia Key beach, adults mostly supervised the kids, and did not really participate in the activities. Next, the interviewer wants to know about some of the "peculiar" things that happened at Virginia Key beach. He describes a story where a woman at the beach was there to try and catch her husband in the act of cheating. She climbed a tree to try and spy on her husband and fell out of the treat. Coachman says he cannot remember any incidences like that at the beach, noting that he did not believe that anyone "went that far" to try and catch someone cheating, at least amongst his friends. Finally, the interviewer asks Coach what he would like to "say to the future." Coachman responds that, especially to the young people, he would like them to clean up their act, keep a clear conscience, and stay out of jail. He also wants them to respect people and to treat people like they want to be treated. At 11:25, they start to talk about Coachman's personal life. Coachman came to Miami at the age of 17 from a farm in Georgia. He got to Miami with $5 left in his pocket. The next day, he met some people who gave him a job as a construction worker. Coachman reveals that he help built Mercy Hospital in 1947. Later, Coachman work with Eastern Arline, where he worked his way up to a jet engine mechanic, noting that he was one of the first of two "black" jet engine mechanics at Eastern Airlines. He received an $8.00 an hour raise, from cleaning to working as a jet engine mechanic. After the company went out of business "twenty years ago," he worked for the insurance company Prime America for nineteen years. He's been retired for two years. Coachman notes that Miami has changed over the past 61 years. He's seen rent go from $10 a week for a room to "where it is today." He notes that apartments were very inexpensive at that time, but now they’re quite expensive. He's seen a lot of changes in "our younger people." Coachman is not proud of some of the changes, but he is proud of others. So many young people have "lost respect for their senior citizens" and he wishes that they would "regain that respect back" because more senior citizens deserve respect from the younger people. The interviewers ask Coachman about the Civil Rights movement and his memories of the movement. He notes that at the time of the Civil Rights movement, everyone knew what beach they should go to. He states that if you went to a different beach during that time, then otherwise "no telling what your future would've been like" if you would have gone elsewhere. Coachman describes the Civil Rights movement in Miami, noting that "you didn't have black bus drivers," due to a strike. The, when the city hired any drivers that they could, many blacks applied for the jobs. He notes that most of the changes were "for the best." (INTERVIEW ENDS AT 12.27). The next interview begins at 12:30, with Ethel Smith Duncan, who was born on September 9, 1940, in Miami, Florida. She reveals that she has very fond memories of Virginia Key beach. On Sunday afternoons, Duncan's mom and dad took them to the beach with their Sunday dinner. Duncan says her parents usually took them on a fifth Sunday, which is considered a sort of "off Sunday" where you can do other things. Duncan remembers her church having summer picnics at Virginia Key beach, where they would use the pits to make the food. They put the drinks in the silver trashcans, for "the masses." They allowed the kids to go to the beach to swim. They also went out at Easter time, when there were a lot of Easter egg hunts at the beach. Duncan attended Mount Sinai Baptist Church, originally located at NW 5 Place, between 14th Street and 15th Street. Duncan also recalls that her mother's brother worked for Sealtest Dairy. She remembers that every summer, the owner of Sealtest, or the manager, would do a picnic at Virginia Key Beach, where they had a special picnic for the employees. Duncan loved the concession stands because of the corn dogs, which she described as being very popular at the beach. She recalls the dance floor, and she was amazed to see that the dance floor was still there, along with the jukebox. She remembers that the merry go round arrived at the beach later, possible in the early 1950s. The interviewer notes that they "have information" that indicates the merry go round was in place in 1956 and that construction began in the early 1950s. Duncan remembers graduating in 1958, and she left Miami for school. Duncan is 67 at the time of the interview. Duncan recalls a classmate of hers whose mom, nicknamed Momma Williams, had a friend who they called Mamma Nellie. They rented a cabana and spent a lot of time at the beach. She notes that the cabanas were a way for them to house their towels and to change from their beach clothes to their swim towels. Duncan remembers participating in sack races, near the Bar-B-Q pits (FCP 3 ends here). (PICK UP WITH FCP 4 HERE). They played volleyball, the guys played football. Duncan remembers how pretty the palm trees were at Virginia Key beach, they provided nice shade for the people visiting the beach. Since Duncan's church, Mount Sinai, had its own baptismal pool, they did not do baptisms at Virginia Key beach. Duncan did not witness any baptisms at the beach. Duncan remembers going to Virginia Key beach via a "special route." The route went down 1st Street, or Miami Avenue, but Duncan's route went along South Bayshore Drive, she thinks, but she liked the route because of the bumps that made the ride like a "joyride." Duncan never visited Virginia Key beach via the ferry, she always drove to the beach. Duncan notes that she has a bit of a different perspective on the Civil Rights Movement. Duncan was part of a group of young people, called the Interracial Youth Group, with students from the white high school, Miami High, Edison, Jackson, and other white schools along with Carver, Mays, Booker T., and Northwestern. The group met once a month downtown to have discussions with each other. Duncan says she missed school integration because the schools were still segregated by the time she graduated. She went to North Carolina College (tape breaks so Duncan can answer the phone, then resumes). She left Miami in 1958 for North Carolina. When she was in North Carolina, the sit-ins occurred, around 1960. She was involved in the sit-ins in Durham. She believes that they started at North Carolina A and T, in Greensboro, before spreading to Durham and North Carolina College. Duncan saw some of her classmates go to jail. Then, in 1963, she was living in Washington D.C. during the March on Washington. She notes that the movement was different for her because she "didn't come from militancy." Duncan's message for future generations, here she reveals that she also works for the NAACP, is that they need to learn more about their history. She notes that you can learn so much from history, how far they've come, and how rich their culture is (INTERVIEW ENDS AT 10.42).
Record Information
- Source Institution:
- Virginia Key Beach Park Trust
- Holding Location:
- Florida International University
- Rights Management:
- No copyright - United States
- Resource Identifier:
- FIVK045595
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