Randy Ford Interview

Title

Randy Ford Interview

Interviewer

Harper, Zenobia (Interviewer)

Files

Date

3-15-2021

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Description

Interview with Plantersville native Randy Ford, at his barbershop, Randy's Barber Shop. Ford is the seventh of eight children, and his parents were Joseph and Regina Ford. He can trace his father's parents back three generations, but his mother's mother died at a very young age, and his father left and scattered them amongst different family members. He grew up with his father's family nearby in Plantersville, and he credits a lot of his successes to his grandfather Joseph Ebenezer's influence. Ebenezer was a rice farmer and grew grapes. Ford's father worked in the logging business as well as at a paper plant. His family grew a small amount of cotton and sustaining garden, as well as raising a horse, goats, chickens, and hogs for family use. He recalls everyone working in the field, and that the entire family would go and work larger farms that grew tobacco on a larger scale. His father would take him fishing about once a week. Ford attended Choppee High School, then went to Hartford, Connecticut to work and pay his way through school, because money was tight after his family lost their house in a house fire when he was five. He discusses Squires and the high quality of the teachers that made a positive impact on him, and this led him to be a successful barber. He uses his barbershop as a community center, to promote health and culture among Black men, as well as organizing a space where they can tour young people around the country. He is a member of Triumph Community Church, which also focuses on community development and housing assistance. He hopes that the future of Plantersville will be able to attract more businesses to sustain itself, and recapture some of the vitality from his young life.

Subject

Plantersville (S.C.)--History;Georgetown County (S.C.)--Economic conditions;Georgetown County (S.C.)--Race relations;Georgetown County (S.C.)--Social life and customs;African Americans--Education--South Carolina;Gullahs--South Carolina--Folklore;Gullahs--South Carolina--Religion;Gullahs--South Carolina--Interviews;Gullahs--Plantersville (S.C.)--Interviews;Ford, Randy;Plantersville (S.C.)

Rights

This interview is protected by the copyright of the interviewee and The Athenaeum Press at Coastal Carolina University. Any form of alteration, reproduction or commercial use of the interviews or other material is prohibited without the written consent of both the interviewee and a representative of The Athenaeum Press. Citations for scholarly purposes must clearly acknowledge the name of the interviewee, the date and The Athenaeum Press at Coastal Carolina University.

Duration

59:29

Randy Ford Interview

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