Densho Digital Archive
Densho Visual History Collection
Title: Alice Abrams Siegal Interview
Narrator: Alice Abrams Siegal
Interviewer: Becky Fukuda
Location: Seattle, Washington
Date: December 13, 2004
Densho ID: denshovh-salice-01-0013

<Begin Segment 13>

BF: Now, let's talk a bit about your schooling. So you said you went to Horace Mann elementary, and then that was, that was 1 through 8?

AS: Yes, that was one, first grade through eighth grade, no kindergarten at that time.

BF: Okay, and then you went to...

AS: Garfield.

BF: Garfield, okay. So, and at both of these schools, you said that that, they were in, they were mixed. They, it was a melting pot of races.

AS: Yeah, they were.

BF: And --

AS: And I didn't experience any segregation -- I mean, or discrimination in the schools.

BF: That's good to know.

AS: Yeah.

BF: And did they, did they socialize at school?

AS: I think people still stayed with their group, but mainly with Jewish... well, I used to go home for lunch, so I don't know that I really ever spent much time, except in, if they were in the same classroom or passing in the hall, but really didn't do anything, because my, that, I was just two blocks from, our house was two blocks from Garfield, so I'd go home, eat lunch, come back, and it was time to go to class. A couple of times I remember being in the lunch room, and it, it was pretty much cliquish. You know, the Jews with the Jews and the African Americans with African Americans, and so on and so forth. So, yeah.

BF: Now, in high school, there's all of those clubs and dances and all those sorts of things.

AS: Did I ever go to the dances? I went to football games.

BF: Uh-huh.

AS: I can't remember whether I went to... seems as though I did, but I probably stood on the sideline. [Laughs] I did turn out for after-school sports. I was not a great athlete, I was not a good athlete, even. And, but you didn't have to be real good if you just wanted to, you know... so I guess we played soccer. I can't, that's the one that I remember the most, but I enjoyed that, but I didn't close to anybody, and it must have been, I suppose, once a week, but I'm pretty sure I still went down to the store after that. So yeah, so I really didn't have much of a social life. It was mainly those living in the neighborhood, although, yeah, I did meet some others, but it was generally Jewish. Yeah, I don't remember having... well, I had a few close friends, they were Jewish, yeah. And oh, there were Jewish girls' organization, and I probably met some -- I'm not even sure how I met, I'll have to ask this one friend who, I know we went through Garfield together, and we've kept in touch over the years. I don't know if she was in the same grade school or not. But there were a lot of things she remembered, loving, she loved coming to our house because she really loved my mother. My mother was, had a sense of humor, and really kind of enjoyed things. So yeah, so I'm not sure.

BF: Now you said your older brother, or younger brother?

AS: Yeah, I have -- well, which one?

<End Segment 13> - Copyright © 2004 Densho. All Rights Reserved.