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African-American Oral Histories

Berl Handcox
Clip 2: Transcript


Race

Running Time: 2 min 40 sec

RT: So I get the impression that race was only one factor for you as a City Council person? And it wasn’t even necessarily the overriding factor?

BH: I think race for me was the overriding factor. I wanted to be professional about it, I wanted to be honest about it. I wanted honesty in my deliberations with myself and others. I’m not one to believe because all Blacks and all issues if it’s Black, you’re right on all issues. I don’t subscribe to that theory at all. No, you know, and somebody’s got to say it when you find it to be different, to that Black person who wanted to be a certain way and I can’t go along with that. And I don’t think, you know, I don’t think anyone can, really. I think most people who can do things like that, or say things like that, are people who’s not running for anything, and who’s just on the sideline making a lot of noise. Ruff – ruff – ruff, woof – woof – woof. You know, because when you have to, these kind of things happen in families. You don’t always agree with your brother, or even your mother. And you may [laughs] relinquish your position, and let your mother prevail, even though you don’t agree with her. That’s human nature. And for everybody out there to agree with me, everybody “in East Austin,” or everyone Black to agree with me, no, that’s not realistic. That’s not going to happen. But I’m not going to agree with them either. And since I got to have the vote, then I’ve got to make the statement for myself, and I’ve got to sleep well at night, regardless to who I’ve offended. If I’ve done the right thing, then I think, I can manage the rest of it, if I think I’ve done the right thing. Now, with another set of circumstances, I may have done something differently. But that’s not the case. I have to deal with these circumstances, including race, today, now.


Disclaimer:
“Oral Narrative as History.” Students received class credit for this work, and were under the supervision of Dr. Martha Norkunas, director of “The Project in Interpreting the Texas Past.”

Every effort has been made to transcribe the audio recordings exactly. On occasion a word, or phrase, was difficult to hear and this is indicated by a question mark in brackets.


Berl Handcox

Interviewee: 
Berl Handcox

Interviewer: 
Rick Taylor

Date of Interview: 
February 23, April 5,
2004

Place: 
Mr. Handcox' home, Austin, Texas

Recording Format: 
Digital audio tape (reformatted to compact disc)