Behind the Apron Project: Doris Harris Interview, May 12, 1997, Part 2

Web Video Text Tracks Format (WebVTT)

WEBVTT

00:00:03.000 --> 00:00:15.000
Shelia Montague Parker: This is May 9, 1996. Today's interview is with Doris Harris of Marsha Road and Saint Laurent Maryland.

00:00:15.000 --> 00:00:20.000
[Doris chuckles]
Shelia Montague Parker: Okay, Doris, where were you born?

00:00:20.000 --> 00:00:22.000
Doris Harris: Calvert County.

00:00:22.000 --> 00:00:24.000
Shelia Montague Parker: Uh, what part of Calvert County?

00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:26.000
Doris Harris: Lusby.
Shelia Montague Parker: Lusby?
Doris Harris: Uh-huh.

00:00:26.000 --> 00:00:39.000
Shelia Montague Parker: What was it like growing up in Lusby, Maryland?
Doris Harris: Oh, it was kinda rough and I did a lot of playing, and stuff like that.[[Appears to whisper something to herself]]

00:00:39.000 --> 00:00:55.000
Shelia Montague Parker: Okay, uh, tell me about your mom and dad, Doris, about your family. How many sisters and brothers did you have?
Doris Harris: Six sisters and three brothers.

00:00:55.000 --> 00:00:58.000
Shelia Montague Parker: And tell me about your mother and your father.

00:00:58.000 --> 00:01:12.000
Doris Harris: [[?]] We was poor. They had raised about ten, eleven children.
Shelia Montague Parker: Oh goodness!
Doris Harris: She did housework and my father he did working on a farm.

00:01:12.000 --> 00:01:23.000
Shelia Montague Parker: OK. What type of work did your dad do on a farm? Is there a particular job he had to do, or did the job vary from day to day?

00:01:23.000 --> 00:01:41.000
Doris Harris: Day to day.
Shelia Montague Parker: Who were some of the folks that your mom worked for?
Doris Harris: Well one woman named Liz Grover. She did housekeeping for her, uh, yeah. An' I can't remember all of them.

00:01:41.000 --> 00:01:49.000
Shelia Montague Parker: Tell me what were some of the things you did when you were growing up, some of the things you did as a child.

00:01:49.000 --> 00:02:07.174
Doris Harris: Play, mostly; and I helped my mother work round the house, help her cook and things like that.
Shelia Montague Parker: Is all your sisters and brothers living today?

00:02:09.000 --> 00:02:10.000
Doris Harris: One brother dead.

00:02:10.000 --> 00:02:18.000
Shelia Montague Parker: One. And your mom and dad?
Doris Harris: Yeah. Both of them dead now.
Shelia Montague Parker: Okay. What school did you attend growing up in Calvert County?

00:02:18.000 --> 00:02:28.000
Doris Harris: What school? I don't know, what name of that school I was? Name of [[inaudible]] Was an old school. I think Peel School,

00:02:28.000 --> 00:02:31.000
Shelia Montague Parker: Pierce?
Doris Harris: Old Peel School. [[In Lusby??]]

00:02:31.000 --> 00:02:43.000
Shelia Montague Parker: Okay. What was a typical day at school? What are some of the activities you would do or what were some of your subjects in school or some of your teachers?

00:02:43.000 --> 00:02:58.000
Doris Harris: Ooh, that's a lot! I think one name, Miss Jones, she was a woman. I can't remember.

00:02:58.000 --> 00:03:02.000
Shelia Montague Parker: What were some of the activities you would do at school? What type of games would you play?

00:03:02.000 --> 00:03:10.000
Doris Harris: We would play, ah, volleyball, kicking ball and softball.

00:03:10.000 --> 00:03:15.000
Shelia Montague Parker: Did you have to walk to school or did you catch the bus or how did you get to school?

00:03:15.000 --> 00:03:16.000
Doris Harris: We catch the bus.

00:03:16.000 --> 00:03:25.000
Shelia Montague Parker: Catch the bus? Okay. What church did your family attend when you were growing up, or did they attend church?

00:03:25.000 --> 00:03:26.000
Doris Harris: St John Church.

00:03:26.000 --> 00:03:30.000
Shelia Montague Parker: St John's?
Doris Harris: Down in Lusby.
Shelia Montague Parker: Okay. And who was the minister for St John's?

00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:38.000
Doris Harris: [[?]] Might have been Reverend, Reverend Mason.
Shelia Montague Parker: Reverend Mason?
Doris Harris: Uh-huh, I think.

00:03:38.000 --> 00:03:47.000
Shelia Montague Parker: When growing up, who was the disciplinarian in your family, your mother or your father? When one of the kids did something wrong who would punish them?

00:03:47.000 --> 00:03:50.000
Doris Harris: My father.
Shelia Montague Parker: Your father? [[laughs]]
Doris Harris: Mmm. [[She laughs]]

00:03:50.000 --> 00:03:57.000
Shelia Montague Parker: As a child growing up, what were some of the [[oh?]] mischief you would get into, some of the things that you were punished for?

00:03:57.000 --> 00:04:03.000
Doris Harris: Oh, showing off. Teasing my sister and brother. And I used to get the beating.

00:04:03.000 --> 00:04:04.000
Shelia Montague Parker: Okay.
Doris Harris: Mm-hmm.

00:04:04.000 --> 00:04:15.000
Shelia Montague Parker: Okay. What role did your mom and dad play in the church, or your sisters and brothers? Were they on the choir, ushers, or what did they do? What activities were they in for the church?

00:04:15.000 --> 00:04:20.000
Doris Harris: Nothing. They just would go church every Sunday, that's all. They weren't in nothing.

00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:23.000
Shelia Montague Parker: Okay. What church do you attend today?

00:04:23.000 --> 00:04:25.000
Doris Harris: Brooks. Yeah, a Methodist church.

00:04:25.000 --> 00:04:30.000
Shelia Montague Parker: And the minister at Brooks, or the pastor at Brooks?
Doris Harris: Pastor Baylou, John.

00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:40.000
Shelia Montague Parker: Are you in any activities for Brooks Church, are you a choir member, usher or, what auxiliaries or groups are you with in the church?

00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:46.000
Doris Harris: An usher.
Shelia Montague Parker: Usher?
Doris Harris: Uh-huh, usher.
Shelia Montague Parker: Are you with any of the organizations in Brooks Church?
Doris Harris: No.

00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:53.000
Shelia Montague Parker: Okay. Are you married?
Doris Harris: Yeah.
Shelia Montague Parker: And your husband's name?
Doris Harris: George Harris.

00:04:53.000 --> 00:05:01.000
Shelia Montague Parker: Do you have children?
Doris Harris: Five.
Shelia Montague Parker: Five? Okay. What do you do for fun, activities?

00:05:01.000 --> 00:05:10.482
Doris Harris: Oh, well, most, go to the movies and look at television.

00:05:12.000 --> 00:05:29.000
Shelia Montague Parker: Who are some of the other folks in the county that was here when you were growing up, some of the, as folks often say, the second mom and dad who looked after you when mom and dad wasn't around or looked after families?

00:05:29.000 --> 00:05:42.000
Doris Harris: Well, I guess it would be my older sister, that's Rosie, Rosa Kay.
Shelia Montague Parker: Rosie? Okay.
Doris Harris: Older sister. She take care of us.

00:05:42.000 --> 00:05:52.000
Shelia Montague Parker: Were...you work at the Denton's Seafood House.

00:05:52.000 --> 00:05:57.000
Doris Harris: Uh-huh. One Denton.
Shelia Montague Parker: OKay. How long did you, have you worked there?
Doris Harris: Eleven years.
Shelia Montague Parker: Eleven years.

00:05:57.000 --> 00:06:02.000
Doris Harris: Ah-huh.
Shelia Montague Parker: Ah, what did you do before working at the Seafood House?

00:06:02.000 --> 00:06:07.000
Doris Harris: House cleaning.
Shelia Montague Parker: House cleaning? Nearby homes, or...?

00:06:07.000 --> 00:06:09.000
Doris Harris: Nearby.

00:06:09.000 --> 00:06:17.000
Shelia Montague Parker: Okay. How did you learn about Denton's Seafood House? From what person? Who told you about that?

00:06:17.000 --> 00:06:33.000
Doris Harris: My second cousin-in-law. That would be [[Ashen Beulah??]]
Shelia Montague Parker: Okay. Uh [[pause]] Do you have any other family members that works at Denton's Seafood House?

00:06:33.000 --> 00:06:35.000
Doris Harris: Yeah, one sister.

00:06:35.000 --> 00:06:37.000
Shelia Montague Parker: One sister. And her name?

00:06:37.000 --> 00:06:38.000
Doris Harris: [[Maya Grace?]]

00:06:38.000 --> 00:06:54.000
Shelia Montague Parker: Okay. Describe your job, a typical day at the oyster house, what do you do when you first get there. Or, if I'd never worked there before, just tell me what would I have to do to get started.

00:06:54.000 --> 00:07:03.000
Doris Harris: First of all you go [[about?]] get your boots on, then you put your apron on, then you go get your bucket where you shuck clam in, and your knife, and then you start working.

00:07:03.000 --> 00:07:12.000
Shelia Montague Parker: Okay. Do you stand, sit, or how is your job performed?
Doris Harris: Stand.
Shelia Montague Parker: Stand? What type of tools do you use?

00:07:12.000 --> 00:07:14.000
Doris Harris: Just a knife.

00:07:14.000 --> 00:07:17.000
Shelia Montague Parker: A knife?
Doris Harris: Ah-huh.
Shelia Montague Parker: Anything else that you might need?

00:07:17.000 --> 00:07:19.000
Doris Harris: No, that's all.

00:07:19.000 --> 00:07:20.861
Shelia Montague Parker: Okay.

00:07:23.000 --> 00:07:37.000
Shelia Montague Parker: Tell me, what are you, your tools that you need for working, your knife or your boots or, you use an apron, where do you get your items?

00:07:37.000 --> 00:07:40.000
Are they sold there at the oyster house?
Doris Harris: Yes.
Shelia Montague Parker: or is it sold[[--]]?
Doris Harris: Sold right there.

00:07:40.000 --> 00:07:42.000
Shelia Montague Parker: Right there?
Doris Harris: Ah-huh.

00:07:42.000 --> 00:07:46.000
Shelia Montague Parker: What do you like most about working at the oyster house?

00:07:46.000 --> 00:07:51.000
Doris Harris: Shucking them clams! [[laughter]] I like shucking clams!

00:07:51.000 --> 00:07:54.000
Shelia Montague Parker: Okay. Why, is it because it's easy, or?

00:07:54.000 --> 00:07:56.000
Doris Harris: Easy, isn't it? Easy to shuck them, easy to open them up.

00:07:56.000 --> 00:08:00.000
Shelia Montague Parker: Okay. What do you dislike about working there?

00:08:00.000 --> 00:08:03.000
Doris Harris: Standing too long.

00:08:03.000 --> 00:08:05.000
Shelia Montague Parker: OKay.

00:08:05.000 --> 00:08:06.000
Doris Harris: I don't like standing too long.

00:08:06.000 --> 00:08:08.000
Doris Harris: You don't want to stand too long?
Doris Harris: Not too long.

00:08:08.000 --> 00:08:15.000
Okay. Tell me about the other people that work there. How many other employees is there?

00:08:15.000 --> 00:08:18.000
Doris Harris: I think about twenty, twenty-three.

00:08:18.000 --> 00:08:23.000
Shelia Montague Parker: Are they all black employees, white, or is it a mixture?

00:08:23.000 --> 00:08:24.000
Doris Harris: Mixture.

00:08:24.000 --> 00:08:26.000
Shelia Montague Parker: Just black and white?

00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:27.000
Doris Harris: Black and Mexican.

00:08:27.000 --> 00:08:38.000
Shelia Montague Parker: Mexican? Okay. How is your pay measured? Do you check according to the bucket, gallon, or?

00:08:38.000 --> 00:08:40.000
Doris Harris: Check out to the bucket. Yeah.

00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:49.000
Shelia Montague Parker: The bucket. The bucket? So how much would a person be paid per bucket of oysters or clams?

00:08:49.000 --> 00:08:50.000
Doris Harris: Four dollars something.

00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:56.000
Shelia Montague Parker: For
Doris Harris: For a half hour.
Shelia Montague Parker: Okay.

00:08:56.000 --> 00:09:13.000
Doris Harris: So that's like eight dollars an hour.
Shelia Montague Parker: Eight dollars an hour. And, just, what else can you tell me in reference to this seafood house or the clam house?

00:09:13.000 --> 00:09:47.000
Doris Harris: Its normal. Cause I'm just a clam shucker, you know, pay the oyster shuckers too, but I'm just a clam shucker.
Shelia Montague Parker: What's the difference between a clam shucker and an oyster shucker?
Doris Harris: The clams you can shuck em easy, but oysters is kinda hard, hard to shuck.
Shelia Montague Parker: Because the oysters is harder to shuck.
Doris Harris: Yeah, harder shuckin than the clam. Clams are easy.
Shelia Montague Parker: For that reason is there a difference in the pay scale or are you paid the same no matter which one you shuck?

00:09:47.000 --> 00:10:08.000
Doris Harris: I think its different.
Shelia Montague Parker: Its a difference?
Doris Harris: Yeah.I think you get more for the oysters than the clams.
Shelia Montague Parker: In the eleven years you been there what changes have you seen come about in the oyster house? How have it improve or has it improve?

00:10:08.000 --> 00:10:15.741
Doris Harris: I ain't seen nothin improve. Just the same to me.
Shelia Montague Parker: So, um

00:10:20.000 --> 00:10:40.000
Shelia Montague Parker: There's not been a difference as far as how do you get your clams or your oysters, does someone come in and put them on[[cross talk]]
Doris Harris: Yeah, we have somebody come in. Comes off a truck and they have the boys come and bring em all in.
Shelia Montague Parker: And they just load them in front of you or is there a belt or an assembly line that they put on?

00:10:40.000 --> 00:11:03.000
Doris Harris: Just load em in front of us and just put the four or five bags on the floor. As we need em, you know, we call for em.
Shelia Montague Parker: How many days a week do you usually work at the clam house?
Doris Harris: Four, four days.
Shelia Montague Parker: Four. And what's your usual hours?
Doris Harris: Mine's from five to nine.
Shelia Montague Parker: Five to nine.
Doris Harris: Yeah. Cause I'm a part time.
Shelia Montague Parker:

00:11:03.000 --> 00:11:27.000
Shelia Montague Parker: Okay.Are there full time workers?
Doris Harris: Yeah, sure.
Shelia Montague Parker: Do you work all year round, or how do you usually work? Is it season to season, or how is it done?
Doris Harris: It's all year round. [[inaudible]] But mostly its just for a while. Summertime from. Mostly from October to June.

00:11:27.000 --> 00:12:12.000
Shelia Montague Parker: Yeah, uh uh.
Doris Harris: And I gotta cut back some.
Shelia Montague Parker: Okay.Do you eat oysters or clams?
Doris Harris: Clams.
Shelia Montague Parker: Clams.Okay
Doris Harris: [[laughs]]
Shelia Montague Parker: Do you buy them there where you work or
Doris Harris: Yeah, I buy them there.
Shelia Montague Parker: Okay. And who is your boss?
Doris Harris: [[??]]Uh, well, Marvin De Roth[[??]]
Shelia Montague Parker: How many line or supervisors are there bosses or is it just him that [[??]]you?
Doris Harris: Just him and his wife.
Shelia Montague Parker: Okay.Who would you consider the fastest shucker of the shuckers here at the clam house?
Doris Harris: That would be Christina. Christina Gray.
Shelia Montague Parker: Christine Gray.Okay. How fast is she?

00:12:12.000 --> 00:12:53.250
Doris Harris: Now, she real fast.I'm next to her. [[laughs] But she the faster.[[laughs]] SPEAKER name="Shelia Montague Parker"} Who are some of the other workers that is at the clam house?
Doris Harris: You mean the names?
Shelia Montague Parker: Yes some that you can think about.
Doris Harris: Mary Dawkin, Teresa Gross, Yeah, that's about all.
Shelia Montague Parker: Who are some of the men?
Doris Harris: The men are John, John Freeland, Jane Clark,[[inaudible whispers]] [[??]]Bill [[??]],Harry Gray [[inaudible whispers]]

00:12:57.000 --> 00:13:03.000
Doris Harris: Jane [[Bond?]] I think

00:13:03.000 --> 00:13:09.000
Shelia Montague Parker: Where you grew up, your family property, is that still in the family or?

00:13:09.000 --> 00:13:11.000
Doris Harris: Still in the family.

00:13:11.000 --> 00:13:14.000
Shelia Montague Parker: One of your sisters or brothers is living there?

00:13:14.000 --> 00:13:16.000
Doris Harris: My brother.

00:13:16.000 --> 00:13:22.008
Shelia Montague Parker: Your brother? Okay.