Serena Wilson (Finding Aid)

Serena Wilson

1934 -

Favorite Color: Blue

Favorite Food: meat, fish, vegetables, fruits

Favorite Time of Year: Spring and summer

Favorite Vacation Spot: Hawaii

Interview Length: 125 minutes

Interview Date(s): March 16, 2005, May 16, 2005

Interview Location(s): Columbus, Ohio

Abstract

Serena Strother Wilson, historian and griot, retired teacher and traditional quilter discusses her well-researched family history in Georgia and South Carolina and shares some early memories of her father, a white Southerner who broke "miscegenation" laws to live with his African American wife and children. Serena Strother Wilson, historian and griot, retired teacher and traditional quilter, shares memories of growing up in a bi-racial family in Edgefield, South Carolina during the 1930s-1940s, and discusses her own family history and race relations in Edgefield County, South Carolina from Reconstruction through the early decades of the twentieth century. Serena Strother Wilson, historian and griot, retired teacher and traditional quilter talks about her family's homes and traditions in rural South Carolina, including quilting and other crafts, food storage, and types of work traditionally done by men and women. She briefly recalls the schools she attended in Philadelphia and in West Virginia and goes on to talk about her own children. Serena Strother Wilson, historian and griot, retired teacher and traditional quilter, recalls her teenage years in West Virginia and describes her courtship with Harold Wilson, a young U.S. Army cadet whom she met and rarried at West Virginia State College. Wilson talks about their family's residences and travels during her husband's career as an Army officer and on her own studies and work in the field of special education; she taught in Columbus Ohio and in Germany where her husband was stationed for several years. Finally, Wilson mentions the renewal in the 1970s-1980s of her interest in quilting which she had originally learned from her grandmother as a child in South Carolina. Serena Strother Wilson, historian and griot, retired teacher and traditional quilter, talks about renewing her interest in quilting, opening a quilt shop in Columbus, Ohio and making quilts for family members. She discusses having found African symbolism in American quilt patterns and talks about double-meanings in lyrics of spirituals. Mrs. Wilson also shares thoughts on her legacy, recommendations for youth and stresses the importance of recording black history.

31 Stories (See Ordered Story Set)