Ann McAdams & Lunia Williams: Former Students of Reynolds School

Ann McAdams and Lunia William are two students who attended Reynolds High School.  They are members of the Reynolds High School 1964 graduating class.  After high school, Ann worked in the school system, and Lunia went to nursing school to become a nurse.  Both are married and have children of their own.  In this interview, both women offer insight into what life was like as an African American living in Haywood County.  Ann and Lunia address the inequality they faced in their daily lives and in school.  They discussed how people in the community negatively treated African Americans, telling stories of their experiences at the local movie theater and of their acceptance, or lack of, into the community.  They discussed what school was like before desegregation.  They spoke of their use of worn out books from the white schools, and their experience with bussing to and from the African American schools.  They credit their good teachers and parents for keeping them and others on the right path and teaching them to respect authority.  Their faith proved to be an important aspect of their lives, with local pastors being prominent local community leaders throughout the Civil Rights Movement.  Ann and Lunia also offer their insight into reasons for the small African American population in Haywood County, which they believe is mainly due to the lack of opportunity for African Americans within the community.  They also spoke of their experiences within the Haywood community after segregation to present day.  Ann and Lunia not only offered stories of their experiences but also discussed the experiences of close friends and family members and their struggles with racial inequality within the Haywood Community.  Ann and Lunia both agree that as time has passed, things have slowly gotten better, but that much change still needs to happen.