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Description

In this interview, Carson Beckwith recounts his life and career as a cosmetologist in Charlotte, North Carolina. Mr. Beckwith discusses his upbringing in rural Craven County, North Carolina, his experiences while attending school at the North Carolina College of Negroes (now North Carolina Central University), and his move to Charlotte in 1939 with his wife. He highlights his journey to New York City in the 1930s to learn cosmetology, and discusses how he opened the first cosmetology school for African Americans in the Charlotte region during the 1940s, Bands Beauty College. Mr. Beckwith states that he also founded the Charlotte Negro Chamber of Commerce with a fellow cosmetologist, Ned Davis. In addition, Mr. Beckwith discusses the civil rights movement in Charlotte and shares reflections on the city's African American community, particularly in his neighborhood, McCrory Heights.

Details

Title
Carson H. Beckwith oral history interview, 2006 December 1
Creator
Beckwith, Carson H. (Carson Hezekiah), 1909-2009, interviewee
Contributor
Hunter, Erin, interviewer
Beckwith, Ivestia Heggie, contributor
Graham, Victoria Beckwith, contributor
Date (Text)
2006-12-01
Place of Creation
Charlotte, North Carolina
Publisher
J. Murrey Atkins Library Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Extent
1 audio file (1:09:42) : digital, MP3 + 1 transcript (22 pages)
Biographical/Historical Note
Carson Beckwith was a 97-year-old man at the time of interview, which took place in his home in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was born in Dover, North Carolina in 1909. He was educated at the North Carolina College for Negroes (now North Carolina Central University) and Molar Beauty College in New York, and was employed as a cosmetologist and the founder and director of Bands Beauty College in Charlotte.
Other Identifiers
Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.13093/uncc:258
System Control No.
OH-BE0493
Subject (Person)
Beckwith, Carson H. (Carson Hezekiah), 1909-2009
Subject (Corporate)
Bands Beauty College
Subject (Topic)
Civil rights
Beauty culture--Study and teaching
Beauty culture
Beauty shops
African American businesspeople
Geographic Coverage
North Carolina--Charlotte
North Carolina--Charlotte--Biddleville
North Carolina--Charlotte--Second Ward
North Carolina--Charlotte--McCrorey Heights
North Carolina--Charlotte--Brooklyn
North Carolina--Craven County
Subject (Occupation)
Businesspeople
Teachers
Beauty operators
Subject (Date)
1920-1990
Type
Audio
Format
spoken word
Interviews
Oral histories
Language
English
Grant Information
Digitization made possible by funding from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources.
Usage Statement
The materials included on this web site are freely available for private study, scholarship or non-commercial research under the fair use provisions of the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, United States Code). Any use beyond the provisions of fair use, including but not limited to commercial or scholarly publication, broadcast, redistribution or mounting on another web site always require prior written permission and may also be subject to additional restrictions and fees. UNC Charlotte does not hold literary rights to all materials in its collections and the researcher is responsible for securing those rights when needed. Copyright information for specific collections is available upon request.
Record Appears in
Oral History Collections > Student Project on the Charlotte African American Community
Internet Mime Type
audio/mpeg
Location of Original
J. Murrey Atkins Library Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Reproduction Note
MP3 access copy created on ingest from WAV preservation master. Interview originally recorded on minidisc and digitized using a Digidesign 003 rack.
2015-11-02

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