Bernard Lipsey
Title
Bernard Lipsey
Description
Biographical Synopsis of Interviewee: Bernard Lipsey was born in October of 1945; he was born in a hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, but he was raised in Lepanto, Arkansas; his parents opened a grocery store in 1948; during the fifties, eighty percent of their business came from braceros; all the stores in town began expanding so much that by the time the bracero program ended, they had already lost too much money; his parents’ store eventually closed in 1963.
Summary of Interview: Mr. Lipsey talks about his parents and what the small town of Lepanto, Arkansas was like while he was growing up; he came from an agricultural community that was predominately white and adhered to segregation practices; in 1948, his parents opened a grocery store; they had an agreement with people bringing braceros into town and would open the store at whatever time the men were transferred; each bracero received $5.00 to buy groceries; sometimes, they would get into small groups of five to make their money stretch further; Bernard’s parents even gave the men sandwiches and a drink to ensure they would keep returning; their supplies were delivered to the camp sites; oftentimes, they went into town on Saturdays, after getting paid; even so, interactions were kept separate, and they only socialized among themselves; in addition, they were only there for three months, and as a result no one knew them; Bernard speculates that some of the men surely disappeared for speaking to the wrong person or saying the wrong thing, and no one ever noticed; even so, during the fifties, eighty percent of their business came from braceros; they inevitably changed the entire economy of the town; store owners became more market conscious and adapted their products to their consumers; they began selling boots, jeans, radios and luggage; Bernard even mentions that part of the family store was converted into a small department store, and they even sold jewelry; all the stores in town began expanding so much that as mechanization took over and the braceros stopped going, they lost too much money; his parents’ store eventually closed in 1963.
Summary of Interview: Mr. Lipsey talks about his parents and what the small town of Lepanto, Arkansas was like while he was growing up; he came from an agricultural community that was predominately white and adhered to segregation practices; in 1948, his parents opened a grocery store; they had an agreement with people bringing braceros into town and would open the store at whatever time the men were transferred; each bracero received $5.00 to buy groceries; sometimes, they would get into small groups of five to make their money stretch further; Bernard’s parents even gave the men sandwiches and a drink to ensure they would keep returning; their supplies were delivered to the camp sites; oftentimes, they went into town on Saturdays, after getting paid; even so, interactions were kept separate, and they only socialized among themselves; in addition, they were only there for three months, and as a result no one knew them; Bernard speculates that some of the men surely disappeared for speaking to the wrong person or saying the wrong thing, and no one ever noticed; even so, during the fifties, eighty percent of their business came from braceros; they inevitably changed the entire economy of the town; store owners became more market conscious and adapted their products to their consumers; they began selling boots, jeans, radios and luggage; Bernard even mentions that part of the family store was converted into a small department store, and they even sold jewelry; all the stores in town began expanding so much that as mechanization took over and the braceros stopped going, they lost too much money; his parents’ store eventually closed in 1963.
Creator
Julie Weise
Date
2008-09-22
Rights
Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
Language
EN
title (Spanish)
Bernard Lipsey
creator (Spanish)
Julie Weise
Rights Holder
Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
Online Submission
No
Title
Bernard Lipsey
Creator
Julie Weise
Date
2008-09-22
Rights
Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso
Language
EN
Duration
1:00:00
Bit Rate/Frequency
24k/ 96 bit
Interviewer
Julie Weise
Interviewee
Bernard Lipsey
Location
Memphis, Tennessee
File Name Identifier
Leisei_ARK16
Citation
Julie Weise, “Bernard Lipsey,” Bracero History Archive, accessed November 23, 2024, https://braceroarchive.org/es/items/show/3090.