Deanna Carr: What do you do for a living?
Nathaniel Banks: I direct the African American cultural program
at the University of Illinois.
Deanna Carr: How long have you been doing it?
Nathaniel Banks: I've been the director here since 1997.
Deanna Carr: Is it what you wanted to do or if not what were you
supposed to be doing?
Nathaniel Banks: Um, I think this is what I was supposed to be
doing I hadn't really thought about being the director though,
um until I had been working on a couple of other jobs. I
actually started out my working career as the assistant director
here. Um, and I ah spent nine years in that position and then I
left for four years to be a principal at a school in Champaign
called Judea Christian school and then I came back to this
campus and worked for about seven years as a counselor in the
office of student minority affairs. So, um, during all of those
jobs I've always had an interest in working with young people
and so this position opened, and I decided to apply for it.
Deanna Carr: Did your job prepare you, did you education prepare
you for this job?
Nathaniel Banks: Yeah actually, I think it did. I was trained as
a music teacher a music educator. But in that training you get a
chance to work the arts so a lot of, well three of our workshops
here at the African American cultural program are focused on the
arts. We have the University of Illinois Black Chorus we have a
theatre ensemble and we also have a dance ensemble called
"omni---dancers." When I was in graduate school I was able to
work as the assistant with those workshops. So that in
combination with what I was learning in school made for a good
fit.
Deanna Carr: How long have you been living in Champaign/Urbana?
Nathanial Banks: I was born and raised in Champaign/Urbana. I've
been here all my life.
Deanna Carr: All your life. What year were you born in?
Nathaniel Banks: 1948.
Deanna Carr: 1948 Did you live in a mix or segregated
neighborhood?
Nathanial Banks: When I was first born the neighborhood that we
lived in was mixed. There were white families and black families
but even then it was primarily back families.
Deanna Carr: Primarily black families. Ok. Did you feel
comfortable with this?
Nathaniel Banks: Uh huh. Growing up as a young person the
neighborhood I grew up in I felt very comfortable.
Deanna Carr: Now did you choose to live in this neighborhood or
did your parents decide?
Nathaniel Banks: Yeah they chose to um, actually my parents just
live right across the street from my grandparents house, so um,
my dad bought the house that I grew up in shortly after I was
born.
Deanna Carr: Did you attend church while you were growing up and
which one?
Nathaniel Banks: Uh huh. I attended Bethel A M E church...
Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Deanna Carr: What role did you play in your church life?
Nathaniel Banks: I participated in most of the youth activities.
I was in the choir. There's a youth group in that particular
denomination called the YPD... I don't even remember what that
stands for. It's kind of like a church youth group
Deanna Carr: What did your church feel about the racism?
Nathaniel Banks: Uh, that's a pretty good question because the
AME church has well historically had been in the forefront of
the civil rights movements in some sense. It was called the
African American....African Methodist Episcopal church in the
late 1800s. So, the vision of the founder of that church,
Richard Allen was that the people involved were an African
people, which is a fairly progressive concept. They were very
interested in education and self help in that particular point
in time. And so by the time I was a youngster and growing up,
that was in the midst of the civil rights era in Champaign as
well and several of the ministers at that congregation were
involved in working with civil rights, um, there were a few
stores that were picketed that that time and after the NAACP met
at the Bethel church. It was a pretty active church.
Deanna Carr: What school did you go to and was it integrated or
segregated?
Nathaniel Banks: I went to an integrated school. I went to
integrated schools all through my education. The name of the
elementary school I attended was Gregory school. It is not
longer in existence, but it was, the building is still there,
but it's not a school anymore. And it's located on the corner of
Randolph and Columbia streets.
Deanna Carr: Now, so is it tore down or...
Nathaniel Banks: No actually it's an apartment building.
Deanna Carr: An apartment building? Ok
Nathaniel Banks: They turned it into apartments.
Deanna Carr: What kind of grades did you get in school were they
from being, and if they did were the effected by segregated and
integrated you in general.
Nathaniel Banks: Well because I went to an integrated school, I
didn't know anything else. Well let me back up, actually the
first my first few months of school I attended the segregated
school, it was called law hill school. And I attended there as a
kindergartner student. But I didn't stay throughout the entire
year. At that particular year and time kindergarten was
optional. So, my parents took me out probably before it got cold
actually. So that was my only experience with in a segregated
school, and I was too young to even remember very much of that.
So my memories are from that integrated school, Gregory school.
And because that's all I knew I didn't think of it as an
integrated school or a non-segregated school. I just thought of
it as my school. There were racial issues at the school even
then, and I was young enough that they didn't have a huge effect
on how I saw myself. My self esteem really came more from my
family rather than what happened to me at school.
Deanna Carr: So later in life you found out that there was a
segregated school?
Nathaniel Banks: Well it wasn't segregated but there was some
prejudice. There were some teachers who were prejudice. There
were some of my white classmates who were prejudice. So you know
we kind of just lived with that reality but like I said it
wasn't until later that I realized that was what was going on.
Because at the time I didn't understand. I just thought people
didn't like me. Sometimes I couldn't figure out exactly why.
Deanna Carr: Ok. Um, which school was it that you had any bad
experience that affects you in life now?
Nathaniel Banks: Um, like a lot of young people your age, um we
didn't have middle school, we had junior high. So we went from
sixth grade to through ninth grade, I went to Edison Junior high
school and that was probably one of the most difficult periods
in my life. Junior high and middle school is just a rough age.
So that's when the racial issues started becoming more I think
more about them. Getting along with my own people... I found
that to be really difficult sometimes... a lot of bullying, you
know same stuff that middle school students go through happen
then. And it's just not a pleasant experience. So um, that was
probably the most difficult time in my life. And it was
definitely the time when I started disengaging from education.
In terms of seeing myself apart from the school. Really after my
elementary years, I attended Edison and I attended what is now
Champaign central, but I never really saw myself as an actual
part of that school. So that kind of started probably when I was
in the seventh grade.
Deanna Carr: Now did the bullying effect your grades?
Nathaniel Banks: All of that affected my grades. My grades were
not good at all.
Deanna Carr: It wasn't when the bullying started?
Nathaniel Banks: It wasn't just the bullying. The whole thing. I
tended to be a shy person anyway. And like all of those people
it just wasn't something that I really liked taking part in. and
I'm staying that now looking back on it because when you're
going through it you don't really think about things like that.
You just try to get by.
Deanna Carr: My brother has the same experience with opening up
to people. But it doesn't effect his grades because he usually
comes to my mom and she usually takes care of him.
Nathaniel Banks: That's great. I had a real good relationship
with my parents. You know when you're a young man you can also
look for other ways of finding who you are. And it's usually
with other males. So yeah it was those were rough times. The
roughest. Well, after I got into high school I found my set of
friends, I only hung out with them, you know just what people in
high school do nowadays. High school was a little bit easier.
Deanna Carr: Ok. How did you get to school. Was it by bus
...car?
Nathaniel Banks: Ha ha ha. We walked. All the way through, all
the way through college I walked. There was no such thing as
your parents taking you in their car.
Deanna Carr: Are you serious?
Nathaniel Banks: And the buses weren't, didn't run where we
needed them to run so the buses weren't an option either. So
everyday rain, shine, snow bitter cold, we walked.
Deanna Carr: Ok did you have any experiences walking.
Nathaniel Banks: Oh, yeah, because there were certain parts of
the neighborhood. You had to kind of chose your route. And that
kind of stuff you kind of figure out as you go along too, but
yeah we had to walk through the white community to get to school
so sometimes we would get called bad names, and that's why we
would usually try to walk together, not by yourself.
Deanna Carr: Now can you tell me a story about that?
Nathaniel Banks: You know...I was thinking about that when you
asked earlier. I can't remember a specific incident. Well I can
remember a couple incidents where it involved cars full of white
guys. Them saying threatening things or them calling us bad
names. There were also every year that I could remember in high
school in the spring of the year there was always a race riot,
and it usually happened west by park. But I was never involved
in that. For whatever reason whenever that happened, I was
always somewhere else. Well actually I was in the band, so some
of those after school activities kept me from a lot of that. But
in terms of my individual experiences with that kind of racism,
it was just mainly those couple of incidents with people with
cars. But we knew that we weren't accepted outside of our
neighborhood. Everybody knew that. So it was just something you
understood.
Deanna Carr: So the neighborhood that you lived in were the
people for example the white people did you find out were those
people mean?
Nathaniel Banks: Well after I was in middle elementary, say
third or fourth grade most of the white people, because I lived
in the north end, most of the white people had moved out of the
north end by that time. So really what but even the people that
lived there, we really didn't have that many racial issues with
those people. So the north end for me was like home.
Deanna Carr: How did your teachers treat you from kindergarten
all the way up through now.
Nathaniel Banks: there were some teachers that I can remember up
to this day who I felt really good about and there were other
teachers that I felt were racists as I look back at it, and
there's this huge group of teachers in between. That I don't
even remember them,. I don't remember their names I don't
remember what grades they taught or anything like that. But I
can remember the good teachers and the really bad teachers. So I
would say overall the gro9up in the middle is the most numerous.
The ones that I don't remember. I can remember a couple of good
teachers in elementary school, and I 'm sure there were some in
elementary school and junior high, but probably the only teacher
that I remember from my junior high years was my band teacher
because I was really interested in band and he took an interest
in me. And then in high school I can remember about three or
four teachers that really had a positive influence in my life.
And I can also remember teachers that had a very negative impact
on my life. So, that's kind of my experience with teachers.
Deanna Carr: Now with those three teachers that had a bad impact
on your life and those that had a good impact can you tell me
about either or.
Nathaniel Banks: Well yea first I mentioned that I was in the
band. The reason my band teacher had an interest in me he had a
good impact on my life because he took an interest in me. He put
me in places where I could fail or succeed based on my own
talents or my own merits. So I was able to rise through the
ranks musically because he saw that in me. I could remember I
was going to what they called contests, music contests every day
they had them, they had them a least twice a year, and they had
these ribbons for the work that you did depending on how well
you did it. So, he also found a private teacher for me, and that
kind of thing. I remember him. His name was Mr. Round tree
actually two of them Mr. Round tree and Mr. Pap. Mr. Pap in high
school and he's the one that kept me on the track of music once
I got involved. The other high school teachers I remember um
were actually I remember them for different reasons. One of them
I remember because he, he just loved children and he taught all
of us as if we were all individuals. He loved his subject
material. I think the interest that I have in history now
probably came from him. His name was Mr. Wade. I don't know if
he's still living or not. And the other teacher I remember was
actually an English teacher I had when I was a senior in high
school. She was just concerned about if you could do the work
and imparting the knowledge she had about English. So I remember
her. So, she I don't even know if she remembers me. But I
remember the teachers that treated children fairly. And the
teachers that took an interest in you as an individual student.
The negative experiences I had usually had was with teachers not
wanting you in their class. As I was saying negative things
about people, I remember that happening in a sociology class. So
those teachers I remember too. As for the rest of the teachers I
was just in the class and I was present I don't remember the
names or the what the classes were or anything.
Deanna Carr: Now, do you have any stories about the ones that
really did impact you or embarrassed you in front of your
classmates.
Nathaniel Banks: Yeah actually I can because this guy was black
and was a friend of the family. And again it was in junior high
school and I was taking France. That time he took the same
foreign language all throughout the year. I guess he was kind of
impatient with me because I wasn't picking it up, I wasn't
picking up the French very well. And he would call me out in
class and would yell at me and stuff. And you know to this day I
remember that. And the guy is dad now, and I can't do anything
to him anyway. And I thought long and hard about trying to get
to him when I got big enough. But you know I don't think he did
it on purpose. I think he was really frustrated and because he
all ready know my family. And really I think I was one of two or
three black children in his class, and I think he just wanted me
to reach me, but he had no clue about how to reach me. So him I
remember. And that's probably the most negative experience I
had.
Deanna Carr: See I can relate because I have now one teacher in
middle school that know my family very well, and knows if I get
off track he's going to call my parents so I know in that class
I must stay up on my grades and how did your classmates teach
you. Did they treat you different in any way?
Nathaniel Banks: Well again, it depends on which part of the
education process. In elementary school most of us got along
with each other fine. In middle school, everybody treated
everybody horribly. Um, and in high school you found your click
and you just stuck with them. So you know probably I had four or
five friends in high school, and I had a lot of acquaintances
but a small number of friends.
Deanna Carr: Do you still keep in touch with your friends.
Nathaniel Banks: That's a good question too. Now it's been a
long time since I've talked to my friends because all of them
but one is not living here locally anymore. We see each other
every once in awhile. I mean that's just part of growing up. You
think you're going to be friends with the rest of your life,
you're lives go through different paths and before you know it
you haven't talked to them in five or ten years. It just kind of
happens that way.
Deanna Carr: Now was it during middle school where they picked
on you a lot.
Nathaniel Banks: Well I didn't get picked on a lot basically.
Yeah when you go to middle school, you go there to go to war.
And that's how we grew up. That again, that is really negative
and I hope you're getting that too. We weren't' thinking about
school work. We were thinking about surviving. So it's not a
good situation. At least it wasn't then. It might have something
to do with middle school, I don't think there should be. I think
there's better ways to educate them than throwing them all
together. But yeah that's kind of how it was with middle school.
Again I had some friends, I don't want to paint a totally
negative picture. There's so many things going on with people
during that time. Their bodies are changing you trying to figure
out who you are and realizing there's this social world that you
have to find your place in...but you'll get through it.
Deanna Carr: Did you have a certain class that embarrassed you
all together and have a good story?
Nathaniel Banks: The time when I got bullied was probably the
most embarrassing time. There was this guy, he would bully
everybody. He was an equal opportunity bully. On this one day he
picked me. And at that time the bullying wasn't as intense as it
is now. He grabbed my arm and there was a guy's arm around and
his back like that. And if you keep pushing it up the guy is in
excruciating pain so he walked me around the entire Edison
downstairs area. And of course all of the other people are
seeing this, so yeah that's probably the most embossing moment.
Deanna Carr: Now were they laughing
Nathaniel Banks: Of course
Deanna Carr: Did anybody help you?
Nathaniel Banks: Oh no.
Deanna Carr: Are you serious?
Nathaniel Banks: I didn't expect it, because I wouldn't helped
them either.
Deanna Carr: did you have any white friends or black friends?
Nathaniel Banks: I did have some white friends... but I did have
more black friends because they lived in the black community in
my neighborhood.
Deanna Carr: So you did associated with some white?
Nathaniel Banks: Mainly through band.
Deanna Carr: Did you play any sports and if so which ones?
Nathaniel Banks: I played a little bit of basket ball. Well, I
love basket ball actually but I played it a little of organized
sports, but that was for a very short period of time.
Deanna Carr: Now can you tell me your favorite story or most
difficult memory.
Nathaniel Banks: Well when it comes to basketball my favorite
memory isn't exactly a hardwood court but it's at Marquette
school because that's were we used to play basket ball all of
the time. And I just remember those days because we would
literally clean off the court, I mean in weather like this we
would be outside playing ball. We would shovel off the
basketball court and play. Everybody in the neighborhood would
come so basically that was the social outlet for us. We created
our own space. It was just a school, but we decided we were
going to come there, we picked teams. Sometimes you won,
sometimes you lost. We saw who the starts were going to be on
the Champaign high school team and we would play with them. So,
we would just, when I think of sports, that's my found memory of
sports.
Deanna Carr: What about a difficult memory?
Nathaniel Banks: Getting cut from the basketball team at school,
that's always rough.
When you know, my second year in junior... I guess all of the
negative stuff happened in junior high. My second year in junior
high when I tried out for the team I didn't make it. It was
devastating to me, because I had been playing all of the time. i
was really short, and I could understand why I didn't make it. I
didn't have that good of humor when that happened.
Deanna Carr: Ok. Now which clubs did you belong to? Were there
white and black kids in this club, if so how did you get along?
Was the club racially mixed why did you think it was?
Nathaniel Banks: Ok. You're talking about clubs in school.
Really band was the only extracurricular activity I did. In
junior I was in the magic club. It was one of those things that
was in the middle of the day and you have to join something, and
so you have to do that. And that group was probably mixed as
well, but that was the only other than band, especially in high
school because didn't do anything. I got a long with people in
the band.
Deanna Carr: Now can you tell me how your family's attitude was
towards your education.
Nathaniel Banks: Yes my family valued education very highly.
They expected us to achieve. But it wasn't like they were
standing over us with a stick. We knew they had high
expectations of us. And when I say we my brother sister and
myself. Actually I found out later that my grandmother had gone
to college, which was kind of rare in our community. My
grandmother graduated from college and my mother went for a
couple of years. So we and a history in our family. If it
weren't from that I probably wouldn't have gone to college. I
felt a lot of pressure to go on and do as well as I could.
Deanna Carr: What did your parents talk about when you were
going to school. Did they have expectations for you?
Nathaniel Banks: Oh sure. Those times were a little bit
different. You're parents didn't really talk to you have school.
Deanna Carr: What would they have said about falling behind....
Nathaniel Banks: Oh yeah if I were to fall behind. Actually I
remember my mother, this happened in elementary school my mother
was the one that taught me my times tables. She just went over
and over them again doing that drill and practice with flash
cards and all of that because I wasn't have some difficulty with
that. So she was engaged with us in that way, but pretty much
though after we got after elementary school, it was up to us. So
that's kind of how they did it. I also knew they were constantly
checking up on us, but I found that out later. I mean that
wasn't something I knew right then and there. My parents always
went to the parent teacher conferences and all of that. But I
struggled academically because I wasn't all that interested in
it. My parents knew all of my teachers. But in conveying those
things to me they didn't do a lot of that and with my brother
they didn't do that with my brother and sister either. But
that's the way things worked in our community at that time.
Deanna Carr: Did they help you achieve a lot.
Nathaniel Banks: Mainly back then, that's kind of what I mean,
first of all once I got to a certain level they couldn't help
me. But I just knew that they expected us to do well, so in that
aspect yeah they did.
Deanna Carr: Ok. During the racism period did they say anything
about it about the racism going through the community?
Nathaniel Banks: Well again our church was involved in a number
of civil liberties at that time. I think in the early 60s there
was a town that opened up in downtown Champaign called pennies.
Now it's the same building that the news gazette is located in.
and the black community decided to use it as the place were they
were going to make a stand for getting black people hired for
places on the floor selling to other people clerks basically. So
before that they could clean and that's it. So the Bethel church
was the place were they met and did all of their strategizing
under the leadership of very very active ministers not only from
our church but also from the church called Salem from long
island. The ministers from all three of those locations were
very strong advocates, so our church was right along in the
midst of all that. Also our church worked with those on campus
as well. My great uncle worked out here and developed
relationships with black students on this campus. Actually had
them coming to bethel church. They and an orchestra he got them
connected with resources in the community so they could make a
living, because most of them had to work while they were going
to school. And a lot of those people are judges, and are retired
now. A lot of those people were very influential people in
Chicago, once they left here. They all spoke very fondly of my
uncle, they were all through the Bethel church.
Deanna Carr: Now did your school experience in any way help you
in your goals?
Nathaniel Banks: Yeah, basically the whole racial climate and
what that does to a young black man especially makes you
disengaged, so that whole thing is an obstacle. Like I said if
it wasn't for my mom I wouldn't get over that obstacle. I mean
because a lot of my friends talented much brighter than me and
very few of them made it educationally past those times.
Deanna Carr: What people helped shaped you to the point you are
at now, and are they your role models?
Nathaniel Banks: It's always been my parent's. My role models
are my role models. Now, there were a couple of other people
that I mentioned that was able to look up to. One of the ones
that I haven't mentioned yet that was my first private
instructor for trumpet was Cecil Bridgewater. He was a jazz
artist in New York and he was an educator out there as well. He
would be another person I would consider a role model.
Deanna Carr: What were the expectations of you around school
role models?.
Nathaniel Banks: My role models' expectations were high. Cecil's
expectations were high for me too. He really let me know he
thought I wasn't practicing. And what he though about me wasting
his time when I wasn't practicing. That's the kind of I think
those kind of expectations are what role models help students
move to the next level.
Deanna Carr: So you know which of the teach role models not to
push.
Nathaniel Banks: Right right. Well it's not to test them but you
want to do well so they don't get mad at you.
Deanna Carr: What was your attitude about learning and where do
you think you got this perspective?
Nathaniel Banks: I think I've always had a positive attitude
about learning. I remember sitting... my dad brought some old
encyclopedias to the house and for me that was one of the best
things that happened. But see that's different from going to
school. Going to school, when I look at that experience, overall
that tended to be negative for me. But the learning process I've
always enjoyed. Learning how things work or the history part
that I mentioned earlier, that's always been of interest to me.
Deanna Carr: what academic expectations did you have for
yourself?
Nathaniel Banks: Well, again because that's a school related
question I really did have very high expectations for myself. I
would just try to do enough to get by.
Deanna Carr: Now you told me you lived with both your parents
right?
Nathaniel Banks: Yes
Deanna Carr: Did other people help raise you and if so who and
what were their expectations for you about school?
Nathaniel Banks: Um, I was raised by my entire extended family
so, yeah my parents were very important but I had grandparents
on both sides and I was just as comfortable over at either of
their houses as I was with my parents. I had uncles and aunts
that I was close to cousins, so that's the kind of environment
that I was raised in. I had a lot of support from a lot of
different people. Not just my immediate family.
Deanna Carr: Were there other points in your life where you
experienced prejudice, racism?
Nathaniel Banks: Well I experienced it really on a daily basis.
That's just how things are even today in America. When we get
just any situation, you can find some underlined racial
situation in it. What I had decided to do, not to ignore it but
chose when it needs to be fought, because actually if you think
too much about that it will drive you crazy.
Deanna Carr: Ok, did it affect you in any way that gets you to
the point you are at now?
Nathaniel Banks: Yeah I think it made me stronger and more
determined to advocate, to be an advocate for my people like
other people have been advocates for me so really the racial
situation is, playas big part in why I do what I do. Because I
believe very strongly in self sufficiency. And, I probably
wouldn't believe it that strongly if it hadn't been for some of
those negative experiences.
Deanna Carr: How were you treated by other races, teachers in
your life neighborhood or community.
Nathaniel Banks: Say that once more.
Deanna Carr: How were you treated by other races teachers people
in your life or even neighborhood.
Nathaniel Banks: In the neighborhood, well really basically in
the community, if people didn't know me they treated me like
every other black person. Once they get to know you then they
start treating you like a human being for the most part.
Deanna Carr: So if it's like if they didn't know you they would
act very ignorant towards you if it got to the point where they
got to the point...
Nathaniel Banks: They were afraid
Deanna Carr: Ok
Nathaniel Banks: people are taught to be afraid of black people.
And that still happens.
Deanna Carr: How did your family and friends talk about racism?
Did they talk about racism in school at all?
Nathaniel Banks: Yeah, racism was a hot topic for as long as I
can remember, both in my family and with my friends. So it's
always talked about.
Deanna Carr: Did they talk about any of the on going civil
rights battles and segregation?
Nathaniel Banks: Yeah, especially in the late sixties, and early
seventies. But it was talked about in the way here's what we're
going to do next. You know sometimes people will talk about how
bad white people are treating them. And their negative
experiences and all of my family members have those kind of
stories. But, again that's just kind of part of the normal
conversation.
Deanna Carr: What did you know about the struggles to integrate
the schools that culminated in Brown v Board.
Nathaniel Banks: To be honest with you, Brown vs. Board of
Education happened at a time when I was too young to know about
it. Now what happened though with those segregated schools in
Champaign being done away with was a result of Brown vs. Board
of Education. It's about 10 years later, and I do remember those
things happening. I thought it was a positive, but as I look
back on it I don't I think we need to reexamine how positive
that was. Because really what ended up happening black schools,
although they didn't have a lot of resources, they had teachers
who knew and cared about the students that they were teaching.
And once those schools were closed the best of those teachers
were sent across town and the students who formed part of that
community were dispersed throughout the rest of Champaign as
well, and we really haven't recovered from that yet.
Deanna Carr: At the point and time in your life did you have
realization about the board of education?
Nathaniel Banks: At what point time probably seriously was
probably when I got into college and realized what had happened.
Deanna Carr: Were there other people around you talking about
issues involved with the Brown vs. Board?
Nathaniel Banks: Other than what I mentioned not really.
Deanna Carr: Did any of your schools change in any mean full way
during the time of you were in school.
Nathaniel Banks: Yeah that was what I was referring to before
the closing of the black schools. The only other see when we
were in school there were lots of changes. We came along at a
time when there was this thing called the new math. It was a
part of our school experience. The high school... we were
dividing the Champaign high school into Champaign central and
Champaign Centennial at that point. So there were lots of those
types of changes but in terms of brown vs. board of education,
most of those changes had all ready taken effect at that time.
Deanna Carr: Over the preview of when I called you the other day
you told me it was a rewarding job position that you have now.
How has it been a rewarding job?
Nathaniel Banks: I get a chance to work with young people on a
regular basis. I get a chance to work with extremely bright
people on a regular basis and that's always rewarding to me. I
get a chance to see them develop from the time that they are a
freshman until sometimes in some cases when they leave but I see
them turn into adults, literally when they're here. I get a
chance to see what they're going to do. And I get a chance to
help mold them in that process, so that's what's a rewarding
position.
Deanna Carr: Now would you rather work with younger students or
older.
Nathaniel Banks: At this point, I'm swinging back in the other
direction. I wouldn't mind working with younger students again.
For awhile I only wanted to work with the college students.
Deanna Carr: Now you told me that you wanted to be a lawyer but
that changed over time.
Nathaniel Banks: When I was very young yes.
Deanna Carr: Why did you change?
Nathaniel Banks: That's a good question. It has to do with how I
had disengaged from the educational process. I didn't have the
grades that it would have taken to go that direction. The time
when I would have gotten it I wasn't paying attention. So I had
to chose another route.
Deanna Carr: Ok. Why did your parents chose to live in a
segregated neighborhood?
Nathaniel Banks: Well at that point, there wasn't really a
choice, that was just where you could get a loan. Now, after
they had been there awhile, there were some people who were able
to start moving out. That's where the integrated housing act
also came into play. So people started moving out of the north
end. My parents just decided to stay because there wasn't really
any reason for them to leave. The house was paid for so they
just decided to keep things the way they were.
Deanna Carr: I thank you for your time and I thank you for
answering all of my questions and helping us with our project.
Nathaniel Banks: I'm glad to help.
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