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Hello all! The following interview will be part of a SEEC Interview Series with staff, community members, and educators here in Spartanburg in order to provide a backdrop for our work from the people’s perspective.

These interviews were conducted by Kovit Boonjear (pronounced Go-it Boon-jeer), an experienced community organizer and NGO coordinator from Khon Kaen, Thailand. Kovit lived and worked with SEEC for five months in 2009 as a component of the Exchange for Urban People’s Movements, a grassroots exchange organized by ENGAGE (the Educational Network for Global and Grassroots Exchange).  See website for more information: http://www.engagetheworld.org/GrassrootsExchanges.html

As he was preparing to leave Spartanburg, he chose to interview those he worked most closely with in order to put human voices on the theory behind SEEC’s work. Each week, a new interview will be posted. If you have any questions, please email spartanburgeducators@gmail.com for more information.

The second interview of the series is an interview with Glendale community members Joey and Cindy Bishop. They both grew up in the area and raised their son in Glendale.

Interview with Joey and Cindy Bishop

Kovit: I have a few questions for you. But if there are questions that make you uncomfortable, don’t answer. It’s okay.

First, I know you were born in this community, the Glendale community. I want to know what the biggest change has been.

Cindy: The biggest change is that people don’t buy houses and live here for generations and generations. Now it’s like an apartment complex, you know? Nothing’s permanent.

Kovit: What kinds of problems are here in Glendale. Maybe you can prioritize the problems (first, second, third).

Cindy: The biggest problem is keeping drug dealers out of the neighborhood. That’s the biggest problem this Mill Hill has. There’s probably 3-4 houses we think have drugs in them, but the police aren’t doing anything about it

Joey: The sad part about it all is that it’s probably better here than it’s been in years.

Cindy: Right. Drugs. And then vandalism. People tearing things up that don’t belong to them or parents not watching their children. Parenting is an issue.

Joey: Of the mill villages around, Glendale’s probably in better shape.

Cindy: Yes, we know Clifton (a neighboring mill village) has a really bad drug problem. It’s hard to raise kids in a situation like that. There are three county police in the old Bi-Lo. There’s not enough police presence here… People don’t look out for each other anymore. Now, if you try to help kids, their parents get angry and don’t want you to mess with them.

Joey: When I was growing up, doors were all open and everyone knew each other by name. The old people that’s left, I know them.

Kovit: Why has this changed?

Cindy: People don’t stay here anymore. Along time ago, people had the mill to keep them here…now people are gone.

Kovit: Can you share something concrete about what was good a long time ago.

Cindy: Well, it used to be a self-sufficient community. People don’t have that anymore. Used to have our own stores, our own businesses.

Kovit: When did that start to change?

Joey: Sometime in the 70s. The mill shut down in the 1960s. I think the mill shut down in 66 or 68.

Cindy: That’s when things started changing.

Kovit: When you were younger, you had a lot of friends in this community. How many of your friends left?

Joey: There were about 30 something in my class. There are probably two left or so. A lot of them have died.

Cindy: I grew up in Woodruff, and it’s the same on that mill hill. People moved away when they didn’t have a job.

Kovit: In the past, what was the activity that people enjoyed? Now, it seems like church is one of the only activities in Glendale. What were some other things?

Cindy: In some communities, they used to have big community picnics or baseball teams. But we don’t know if Glendale had those things. I know they used to have a gymnasium and a swimming hole. It was really a community back then, not like it is now. It’s not a community now, it’s a bunch of strangers living together. It’s not a family, it’s a dormitory.

Kovit: You talked about the word “empower” last time. I went back to the office after the last time we talked. I thought about the word “empower.” I think this is a very important word. What does it mean to you?

Cindy: I guess it means giving someone the tools to accomplish their goals. I remember we were talking about how the kids weren’t going to college. We were talking about how we thought they should go to school—get an education. Not just graduating high school and getting a job and moving out.

Kovit: What do you (Joey) think about the word empower?

Joey: I think it’s about getting what you need to succeed in life. Be self driven, to achieve your goals. Know what you want and go after it and do it.

Cindy: To have a goal. Just to have a goal.

Kovit: When you think of the word group, what does this mean?

Cindy: A circle of friends! We’re a group, a group of people who are going to start something with this playground idea.

Kovit: But we’re not from Glendale.

Cindy: You’re adopted. You’re an adopted mill hill kid!

Kovit: Has Glendale had a group before?

Cindy: Families. Masons.

Joey: They used to have the Masons, a men’s club, and Eastern Star group for women.

Kovit:  About a month ago, I saw a group of children/youth come together to form a club.

Cindy: With some direction, the kids might get things done. We tried to have a boy scout troop a long time ago, but we couldn’t get enough interest together to get one done. Only 5 or 6 were interested, which they said was not enough. The kids that needed the Boy Scouts were just not interested. My son grew up with some really bad kids on the mill hill. They were mean. They weren’t allowed to come up here. They are mostly in prison now.

Kovit: So do you think a group for kids is a good idea?

Cindy: It could be a good thing, if the adults spend time with it. The club would be a good thing if the adults would use it and get involved instead of using it as a babysitter for their kids.

Kovit: How would the adults support the kids?

Cindy: Mostly with their time, time and attention. Be willing to get there and supervise them and guide them. Not just dropping them off—going in there and seeing what they are doing and trying to accomplish.

The kids just need someone who gives a damn. For someone to say I’ll be your mom. There’s one small kid who smokes and swears.

Kovit: From my understanding, Glendale has a lot of problems. If all of you want to solve the problems, what would be the first problem to solve?

Cindy: Money—Spartanburg County should come down here and do something for us. Sidewalks, more streetlights. It would improve the looks of the mill hill. If you fix something up to make something attractive, it will get people’s attention.

If you can just make people care, care about each other, care about their community, then we can do a lot.

If you have any further questions, please email spartanburgeducators@gmail.com for more information.

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