Chelesa Presley and Willie Gilmore

00:02 Hello, my name is Julissa Presley and I am 45 years old and today's date is March 9th 2021, and we are calling in from Clarksdale, Mississippi at the Delta Hub today. I'll be talking with my friend and Board member Miss Willie Bell Gilmore, and we will be talking about her life growing up in the Mississippi Delta.

00:32 So could you tell me a little about how it was for you to be to grow up in Quitman County?

00:42 Growing up equipment growing up in Quitman County was a challenge. I come from a large family. We were sharecroppers most of the time. We didn't know we was poor because

00:57 Everybody else is a little bit more than we were so we thought we were just doing all right as a child. That's the way I saw it later on.

01:06 Week the Civil Rights Movement came along and my family was basically torn apart because I had sisters and brother that participated in the Civil Rights Movement the March on Washington. My father was forced to leave the plantation cuz that's what we lived on he had to go to Florida to get you no work. So me and my mother was left left with me and my mother my brother and my niece and nephew to fend for ourselves. We were lucky to find another black lady that had a little house. And so we moved in this little house. She has some land.

01:49 So that's where it's my lifestyle changes. So, what year was that when your dad left my dad left?

01:58 I was nine and a half at that time. So if it was in those 68

02:07 Around that time, okay.

02:12 It was it was tough, you know going to school because we didn't have anything than have much. It was hard for us back then like, you know back then it wasn't the food stamps and all this kind of stuff that you had. So you had the really work hard for yourself little house that we moved in. There was a Hog Pen. If you don't know what that isn't what we used to raise house, but we can have it so we dug it up, and we made a garden and that's how we live later on. My mother was blessed to get a little job working at the hairstyle but they started hairstyles in the black community then so from there. From then things got a little bit better so did something historical that your mom worked at was it at a church? It was at a church? Cuz I guess what I remembered that most of the hair started started at black churches. So when you're with your family ever involved in The Mule Train, yes, they went all the way.

03:12 They started mark my sister and my bro.

03:19 So and Nate date, you know, we really didn't have contact with them cuz back in those days, you know, you wrote letters and stuff to see if they was continuously on the Move. We don't hear a lot from them until you know, they got Stella where they were once the March is over they chose places that they want to go. So my sister's they went to New York and my brother he went to Michigan, you know, so that was a whole nother. Johndra for them too. So they you know, they was Young and Wild but as far as me and my mother

03:53 We kind of struggle along but we made it through and at that time at 12, I practically who was working. I was helping support the family. The only thing you get back then was like $30 a month. That was what they call welfare back then they called channels now so you can imagine how far that way lay it on when she got older they gave her $60. This is cuz she's too old now to work. So I was always in survival movie from the time I was twelve

04:30 I never look down on people always believe in working hard for what I had. I was very conservative that wasn't a big spender and I talked this to my children.

04:43 Everything that you have in your home, you you you don't throw anything away. We got the points where we used to wonder.

04:52 How in the world we were going to eat that day, but my mama had this thing with leftover. She put a little paper here. Look for all the help. We come home. We will have a meal she will go through all those things that you had left for in that household. When you say you were staying with another family. How big was the house and how many people I mean when we moved to this little girl it was it was fabulous and there was one bedroom one living room on a small kitchen. So we had we have our Mama's bed was in the living room back. Then they will have bed and everything in the living room. And then in my room the other the bedroom is my brother on one side and my niece and nephew cuz they were small they were in the bed with me.

05:44 I was high priest that got up at 12 in the morning. I was up. I had a breakfast full dresser, you know from scratch no biscuits and everything yet. My I had to get my little niece and nephew red for school. We had to walk down the road and saw this is my everyday thing since my mother was old she had me at the age of 44. So by the time I got 15, she was all rested, you know, so it was all on me and it didn't bother me because my whole thing was to protect mom and make it through to me. That was all I had so it was it was so how long were your your brother and sister is going on on the axle boot mutant. How long was that when they left Marks, Mississippi and got to Washington how how long was the process?

06:34 I don't know exactly but I know what's months. I don't know what it took them three to four months are not okay because at the age of 10

06:51 In the most of the last song, you know after what when I got older and then I saw them, you know, what movies are, you know and everything that they have recorded from it. So your mom on once she got the job at the Head Start. Did y'all then move on to your own place where you able to get your own place after that? We move to hear where we are going home account walk there, but it looked I'll call Jonestown remove their into another house that they at least had another extra rule by the time I was a teenager, so I

07:31 Used to work in the fields

07:33 You know star know what ideas where you working after that. I start working for they start nothing with the black kids in Black communities called opportunity program. And so I started there and from there. I got acquainted with the mayor of the town. It's over then I'll I usually had job every summer I went to school and I worked on the Summers and then I was so nice. I was sleeping child back then that evening marijuana to adopt me, but I was on his way. My mother had to spend on that was not going to happen, but he tried a lot, but it just didn't work.

08:24 But from their own all I could see was bettering myself. I graduated. What school did you graduate from?

08:36 We call it a dragon. What's the real name of cultural High School about that school? That's cool. Usually it was built up for letting people like Pharmacy was inside in the country and its near is right next to Coahoma Community College. That's what it is now back in the day. It was called The Homer Junior College a 2-year College. I graduated from there no move right over next door to that college. And the reason I went to that car is too because I was still trying to stay closer to my mother cuz she was getting older and she was sick or later on when I graduated from Coahoma. I had four. The ship's to University, but my man was still stepped on my mother and knows my little niece and nephew.

09:28 But I still eventually went on to Jackson State University. What's another black historical College?

09:38 After that, my major was business education when I was a junior college and then when I went to Jackson State, I majored in administration business administration came back home. I had to cut that short my mother got real sick. I had to cut that short so I didn't get the full degree. You know, I didn't get the for you I had to come back to get a job take care of a nose and my niece and nephew even though I had a lot of other siblings.

10:11 Dayton combat. How many siblings do you have siblings and eight of them or emails? I have eight brothers and two sisters and you know, you lived two sisters on the backbone on thinking back to what you said original about your father. Did he ever come back from Florida? He came back for a little while and then he left because that was a breakdown during that time and so him and my mother was on the same group anymore because you know, there's some things out there that you know them and you know, she was still just as always but it's just certain things. She was not going to take she was not going to put up with I'm the same way. I can put up a certain things that there's other things when you go too far. I'm done.

11:06 You know, she didn't she'd have you know, she didn't hate him and nothing like that. You still talk to him everything but it just wasn't there, you know, so he went back to Florida and she stay where she was and because she had her last job now and she didn't have to depend on him for these things and she still have me to take up the slack. She was just fine and I was fine as long as she was happy hour.

11:36 I came back I started work and I worked at Coahoma opportunities at work on Mississippi. And so I Community Development all of these things was helping black families. Then I went to Mississippi Department Corrections, and I worked out for 21-year. Tell him the name that everybody knows it that's where I work. Partially the penitentiary you have. They made a movie out of old brother where out thou the one that time I got married and my husband worked there for 21 years.

12:18 At the end of that 20 year, my husband had a boating accident and passed away. So then I was left on my own again, which was a devastating thing for me. How was your child that you had at that time? I had my bae was nine and a half.

12:38 And the other children will like still teams and in their early twenties and it was hard on them. It was but I think I think I got the blunt of everything because I had to family to try to hold up. This was my husband his mother's oldest son. The one that protect her all these years when he was coming up after you got grown because there were issues and his side of the family.

13:10 So it was just a whole lot to deal with and you know not trying to cry in front of your baby and trying to stay strong and then when she was leave to go to school.

13:23 Her mother her grandmother Tom, and she's just you know just is falling apart. So this is your daughter went when you would leave when she would leave and go to school yet my hug. My grandpa is my mother-in-law's. Come back and look at the house and just go to Holland and screaming and crying from pain and hurt. So I had to deal with all of this by me holding a lot of stuff is I got sick.

13:51 It went to doctors, but the only thing that brought me through this had nothing to do with what's down here. It was God Almighty. That's who I depend. That's who I pray to that's when I fast to get myself through this thing.

14:11 And it took a while but after that.

14:15 I started working with a little old lady call Jalisa Chris. We met I can tell my side of the story you can tell yours. So I am not from the Mississippi Delta. I am from the other side of Mississippi from Columbus, Mississippi. I met my husband at Mississippi State University and he was a Delta boy and so we fell in love. I knew nothing about the Delta and he brought me here and said it was it was it was cool how you know, you're married and now you said he told me as we left the hill part of Mississippi going down in this donkeys and not look back now. I thought he was playing cuz I know he said you going to a different world and I was like, what what you talkin about?

15:15 Isn't that look like this is not going to be a place that you you been to or you experience and he was telling the truth. And I must say is I tell everybody there's something in the Delta water. We were a new married couple we bought a house in Clarksdale in June and I do believe I drunk the water brush my teeth with your son. I was pregnant that same money.

15:42 It's something in the water and something in the water. So I was three hours away from all of my family. I come from very close-knit family and I'm an only child and so I was here in the community with nobody but my husband and and I'm older son and I'm a people person if you can tell I love people and I love my baby, but I needed some adults to talk to me. So I started going to church. I was going to church here in Clarksdale at McKinley Street Church of Christ and I was pregnant told you that water and so I missed and Willie Bell and some other sisters and I told him to come to my house and buy their back to my house. So we was at a church in that late and I was a stay-at-home mom at that time cuz my husband he was he's a quality engineer. So he was working.

16:42 At that time in a company called delta wire. He was working 12 to 15 hours a day. And so

16:51 As I started going to the church. I'm I like I'm going to do with her. So I said, hey, let's have this ladies meeting wherever we go to round to everybody's house it cuz I want them come to my house every Tuesday at 9. It was nine or ten all the ladies too. And they were mostly retired lady. That was the youngest one there still in my twenties at the time and they were all in their fifties and sixties and older and when they work we will come and we was studying the Bible eat and laugh and I would have company and I just thought that was so wonderful and that's how I really met Willie Bell and and I think that was really right out that her husband had passed because I just came with her husband passed and I think these men trying to help her a little bit too just to let you know it is cuz a lot of times

17:51 I've been through what I have been through. I gave me some pointers on things to do how to get through stuff are they always called they would talk to me. Call me back.

18:04 Bring me a little me up. So it was good. That was wondering good point and then I found out that this little girl here. She was one of those people that work just always doing something that was right in my other because I was always doing something. I think a lot of it started I did it, but at my husband I really did a lot of community word search work and stuff because I had to keep myself busy until I was running everybody else and she was right there. I can feel left out here. Let's do this how we can do this, you know, so hey I had to write one on my back and now I look back and wonder how in the world did I do all that stuff and I look at her and she's doing now and I'll be like how you do that and then I'm like, okay. Yeah. I know I did it too.

18:59 And so once again, I drink the water had got pregnant again, I tell you about this water out here and so I was pregnant with my third child and we will need to donate things and we became closer and closer relationship again to form and to get solid and then I I got a job at a organization called tougaloo College Delta Health Partners, and the it was actually at that time a contractual job with a a grant that had got a brand called closing the Gap and so are they said here? You know, somebody else they need a job. I like yes. I know somebody can you doing nothing? And so she started working with us and that was and then we begin not only just a friend and church relationship will begin a work relationship and I think we work together for

19:59 1450 14 13 years on different capacity with his organization and we we did a lot and even today I am running my own nonprofit now as she's on our board. So we we we traveled all over the country and she said I didn't have it in the sky and on the ground go to different events. So as they say I have no regrets with meet her but she took me places. I would never have gone on my own and set up and I just look at her and I can just like, you know, you just have to tell because she does a lot of people and she always helping people and sometimes I have to step in.

20:51 Because she gets overwhelmed with his helping people and a lot of hair. She don't see what I see. So I'm like her guardian angel hair when I see what she don't see I have the light and she's got to the point now. She can look at me and I can talk to her with my eyes and she know what means no don't do that with don't know that's not going to work and stop time. I just graduated from one side to the other. She know exactly what I mean. So we have built a strong bun and I'm one of the people when I am a you are a true friend to me and I'm a true friend to you. I'm a very loyal and I'm very protective.

21:42 I guess there's a mother nature in me because I have six children all grown I have about fifteen Grand and if they say I'm the one that run the queen bee, believe me.

22:04 I'm peaceful, but I can also come my real 3rd come out to bed. Now. I never used it should be used.

22:15 But I have my grandkids always say, you know Grandma can look at you and she can be smiling and talking to you and she makes you feel so bad when you get the wrong. You don't look like chip custody agreement, but they know I don't do that. But even with the grand they get out of hand. All they have to do is pick up and say I'm going to call Mom and everything, and it is amazing because the first time I went to her house to Bill's house to your house and I saw this picture sitting on the table and I have to look at it again because in 1991 my mother and I was fourteen at that time. She passed March 4th, March 1st, and my birthday is March 14th. Birthday coming up, but she passed.

23:15 313 days before my birthday and when I looked at this picture at your house, she look just like my mama when I say just like my mother this is a picture. She that you had with your children when they was little and I was like, wait a minute why you look like my mama exactly like my mom and I brought a shit like that and I showed her a picture of my mom. She's like maybe God put you in my life for a reason because you know with my mom passing in my family being so far away. My family are awesome that I mean if I call them they here within a minute, but you know, I needed someone near that could help me, you know, and I do believe I do believe in God Prime intervention and Providence Guardian Angel and and then and also and she say

24:15 Are you saying about how you're there for with seeing stuff that I don't see because I lies or we're totally different on when I grew up. I've never won a much younger by I'm the age of your oldest daughter number to the side of the state that I grew up on I grew up on didn't have the plantation style and we're still doing some of the things that were going on in the Delta when I was born I come from a family where we own their own land. I was raised on a Hundred Acres Lane. We owned all I can handle I thought in all my community members that live near me on everything that they had and my my family had livestock State on tractors and adding and I just come from that and I just thought everybody had that and then to come here and hear your story and to hear your struggles and your family.

25:15 Was was something very different for me considering I my family built their own homes, when we didn't want that help me move to another house on the property, you know in LA and just to hear your story of how your mom had to go stay with someone, you know until she could do better and how you at such a young age had to work and provide for your family and my grandma would even allow me to get a job until I Was Eighteen when she knew I was going to walk across that state. She said March and my birthday was in March, I was graduating matrices and now you can look for what I'll let you know that we are the different, you know, and I'm very humbling to you store. A lot of times has dealt and I had another friend I told the story to and I looked up with you a little rest in there crying.

26:15 Because they look at the figure that I should be, you know, sad depressed or angry and I'm just as happy as I can because I have God on my side and he's brought me a mighty long way and he still bring him. I'm still here. Thank God, but you know an accurate late I can understand a lot of things that people go through. So when I see people who are trying to help people and when I wash some of the things that they do is say a lot of times I understand where they're coming from because at that point in their life, they have. They're going through some things that I have seen or I have been through so I can still relate to him.

27:03 And I don't get is angry cuz I used to really get angry when I see people that could do better. What do better. That was something I'm a type of person likes to keep learning and the thing that hurts my heart is when I see a lot of young people that just, you know, I'm quarters and just hustling and have no idea that if you can hook like this on the street, you have the man to be great. If you would just let somebody got you, you know, like you help me I help you cuz a lot of the things that you're talkin about I I have to calm her down and she said she'd go get a degree and I just love people and a lot doesn't make me angry and take the whole lot. And so I can a balance from you and you can end a timer you telling me just last month.

28:01 At least I'm so glad you you teaching me how I would have went off on the phone with the way they acting like that you you I'm learning to just let it go.

28:18 Little bit of different story and I always tell people I I run a diaper bag and I will give away diapers. We were just in Jackson yesterday on Saturday and a lady came and she wanted some things she got her something she came back three more time wanting things after she already got her stuff and some people really really upset when they was trying to be mean to us. Like that's okay. Leave me alone. I talked with her and dazer and at the end she smiled and she said, you know, most people cuss me out and treat me bad. She said you're the only one that still engage me and treated me with respect after 9.

29:03 But she still felt like a felt like she was valued as a person and I think that's what we still have to do, you know the end and once she left I talk with you like I talk with you. I talked with them about, you know, when when when people are dealing with different situations when they living in poverty or they don't know what are where they're going to get certain things. They act in certain ways and we just have to understand that's what they're doing and you know and let you know what you explain to them. And once I explained to her and she said, you know, I appreciate that I understand and know that you know that we were trying to make sure everybody has something you know, I have to learn to control my emotions not because I knew it all changes but basically because when I'm looking at this stuff going on if pain

30:03 Is hardened to me because of where I come from and what I seen what I've been through and my family so angers me not so much that I will just but I just I have to come myself I have to do this like, you know, just bring it down. You know, you can't I can't let my emotions, you know, they take me somewhere. I don't need to go that that's what it is. I have to do that because when they do go down very Stern Empire because I had to be, you know, when you go through in life, and it's basically just you to defend for everybody else.

30:51 Are at 5:50 to wish you had that you had to play Bad Habit play bad. We had to put up that shield and I had to back up that Shield so, you know, it's been a struggle but it's been a good one. So tell me based on what you we've been talking about and and and your expenses in your life. What would you say some life lessons that you talk to your children? What is something that you want to share with even me and her you've learned first of all, you got to have God in your life. That's what I stress to them all the time. You can't you don't depend on a man for anything you depend on him because he's the one you can go and talk to him don't have to worry about who's going to hear this and who's going to do that. He's the one that you can talk to.

31:50 Will you have these problems he can help bring you through these problems if it wasn't him. I probably would be here today. He's the one that also will come you when you and that store. He's the one that takes you through that storm. Never stop learning. Don't let your man go to waste management terrible thing to waste. That's one thing. I always tell stick together. I know we got foolish people and everybody got them in the family. Don't let him because you know what Jesus love us and them in the in the middle of all out there and in spite of what we do. Was it good or bad?

32:51 But my like I said, I just want them to keep learning persevere. Don't give up.

32:58 Because you know, you never know. If one don't get close God Middletown closes one door for a reason the next door will be even better. So that's what you that's what I like to leave it and I and I love those three points are so wonderful and we talked about that often and one of the things I just want to mention that we talked about just on Friday was and that's what we're doing friendship is talking about a true friend and I really die you that conversation that we had about what is the true friend and how true friends do and how they behave cuz everything you said is into true friendship not a true friendship. They have some type of spiritual come true fans are always learning and evolving.

33:50 And true friends stick together no matter what goes down. They tell each other the truth and they they got each other's back and that's basically everything you said and I really appreciate you being in my life and I appreciate what you do for others.

34:09 And I and I thank you for your story when I see it won't answer the phone. I just smile at the outside again.

34:27 Because she already knows my mind has many of thoughts going through it. I was telling some ladies the other day. I don't dream sleep and I wake up. I don't drink I have no I have no dreams while I sleep that I can remember and so did I was with the a midwife and some other people who do are always lie all we got to get you some tea. We got to work on you so you start dreaming but we stayed the weekend together and they said no no tea for you cuz you have too many ideas when you awake yet. So it don't work no more no more reason to come up with stuff. They don't give her anything.