Reginald Webb (Finding Aid)

Reginald Webb

1948 -

Favorite Color: Blue

Favorite Food: Fried Catfish

Favorite Time of Year: Summer

Favorite Vacation Spot: Baja, California

Interview Length: 121 minutes

Interview Date(s): August 30, 2004

Interview Location(s): 1545 River Road, Doubletree Hotel, Room 406, Rosemont, Illinois

Abstract

Reggie Webb speaks of the family history on his mother's side. He remembers stories his grandmother told him about the simple rural life in Arkansas as well as racism that the family encountered there. Webb lived in Arkansas when he was eleven years old and recalls the racial differences there compared to his home state of Indiana. He speaks in depth about his mother's childhood and how her family migrated to South Bend, Indiana where the family found work and quickly adapted to the environment. Webb knows less of his father's history and tells of how his parents were only married for a year before his father basically left his life. Webb remembers many positive memories of growing up in South Bend. He recalls the sights and sounds of his neighborhood and how he started to learn about the culture of the black community. South Bend was a safe and quiet place for Webb to grow up. Although he did not have to deal first hand with many Civil Rights issues there, he was aware of the problems African America After third grade Reggie Webb started a string of relocations that sent him to Texas and Arkansas before he was able to settle down with his grandmother in Los Angeles, California. Webb didn't see the paradise he expected when he arrived in Los Angeles for the first time. Although he found it to be an awful place at first, he made the best of his situation and integrated himself into life there. Webb grew to enjoy some of the differences that Los Angeles offered, including swimming and hanging around outside nightclubs to listen to the entertainers inside. As was the case in South Bend, Indiana, the church was a major part of Webb's life. Webb tells a story of the flashy ministers who were seen around the neighborhood and looked at in the same way famous entertainers were. Webb also tells of his earliest jobs where he sold and delivered newspapers. His strong will to hold a job never left him; Webb ended up missing many days of high school because most of his energy was focused towards work. He talks o While in the United States Coast Guard in the late 1960s, Reggie Webb was active, if only on the fringe, of the Civil Rights Movement in California. He volunteered his time to the Black Panthers food program and stayed involved as much as he could by helping out African Americans in need. Webb's three years in the Coast Guard proved to be very productive as he quickly moved up the ranks. He took pride in his work and loved the competition with his fellow Guards. Before leaving the Coast Guard Webb claimed he was the fastest Morse Code typist on the West Coast of the United States. Within a few days of leaving the Coast Guard Webb was working as a car salesman and attending college at California State University, Los Angeles. Webb eventually landed a job with the local Community Action Agency and was in charge of running a program there, which included the duty of distributing millions of dollars to the various surrounding districts. By 1973 Webb had decided that the politics involved with distributing Reggie Webb speaks about McDonald's restaurants that are located in high crime areas. Regardless of what other local restaurants may do, such as putting up Plexiglas to separate the consumers from the workers, Webb feels that the development standards must remain the same at all McDonald's restaurants locations. He makes the point that even in neighborhoods in which riots have occurred, McDonald's are usually left unscathed, which he attributes to the local owners being in touch with the community and in providing jobs. He then discusses how African Americans have been portrayed in McDonald's advertisements throughout the years. Webb mentions how African American culture usually becomes mainstream and has been proud of the contribution that McDonald's has made towards that through their advertising. McDonald's menu is discussed in both its healthy and unhealthy choices. Webb makes the point that the public makes their own selections but, to help, McDonald's makes their products' nutritional information Reggie Webb gives some insight into what McDonald's 365 Black program means to him. He also speaks about how McDonald's has been hiring and supporting African Americans since its early days. Then, Webb lists a few instances in which, if given the opportunity to go back, he'd do differently throughout his life. He speaks about his grandmother's role as a mentor and guiding light in his life. The interview concludes with Reggie Webb telling what he'd like his legacy to be as well as how he'd like to be remembered.

53 Stories (See Ordered Story Set)