Girvaud Justice [4], 2006 September 22

Girvaud Justice was one of four African American students who attended all-white schools in Charlotte in 1957 as a challenge to the city's slow response to desegregate schools, which had been mandated by the Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. In this final of four interviews, Mrs. Justice discusses her career in Charlotte, starting in the early 1960s at the Charlotte Water Department, where she was the first person of color to be employed. Her next employment was with the local Social Security Administration, which she describes as a model work environment where employees were valued and good work was rewarded. Following the advice of her brother, who was employed at the Charlotte Post Office, Mrs. Justice moved from the Social Security Administration into the post office, where she remained for many years despite the difficult work environment. Although well recompensed and promoted to management, Mrs. Justice recalls that she witnessed discrimination of various kinds at the post office, including racism, sexism, and ageism. In particular, she recalls inappropriate behavior by male workers and especially white male managers who took advantage of their positions to seduce black and white female employees. During the interview Mrs. Justice also discusses her opinions about children's discipline, which she feels should be handled directly by parents and teachers, and illegal immigrants, who she feels should not be sanctioned and permitted to work since they have broken the law.