Interview of the Month

This month SOHPWeb features Kelly Navies's interview with Mrs. Norma Scott Baynes for "Race and Desegregation: Asheville's Stephens-Lee High School." In this interview, Mrs. Baynes recalls her experiences at Stephens-Lee High School (1952-1956), and offers a particularly poignant description of the impact of the closing and ultimate demolition of Stephens-Lee. Additionally, Baynes describes other aspects of her education, from Shiloh Elementary through Winston-Salem Teacher's College, and describes her limited role in the sit-in movement while in college. Baynes also provides a brief description of the relationship between the Shiloh neighborhood and the Biltmore Estate. In sum, Mrs. Baynes offers the sensitive, candid perspective of an African American native concerning life in Asheville during the latter years of legal segregation.