Ethel Provo was born and raised in Ramer, Alabama, a small town outside of Montgomery Alabama. Ethel wasn’t born in a hospital; she was born at home by a midwife. The midwife was a close friend of the family, and delivered most of the babies in the area at that time. Back when Ethel was growing up Ramer was a small town where everyone knew everyone. People didn’t bother locking doors back then, because they felt safe and trusted their neighbors. She said there wasn’t much to steal, because everyone had pretty much what the others had and that was the cloths on their backs, and a small wooden house to live in. Ramer was a farm town, and everyone farmed to provide for their families. Ethel said she remembers both her parents working on their
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They didn’t receive much education at all. They were lucky if they made it to the sixth grade. Both of Ethel’s parents were born here in the U.S. and were of the African American decent. Her neighbors were composed up of mostly African Americans and a very few Caucasians that made up the population of Montgomery county. Ethel stated that African Americans were treated as second class citizens during that time period; they didn’t have the freedoms and rights we share in today’s society. Ethnicity made a big difference in how you were treated. African Americans didn’t have a right to vote, and very few of them were given the opportunity to own something. You spent your time working for someone else, building their businesses. You didn’t have the opportunity or money to start businesses of your own. Ethel’s friends consisted of mostly of family and the people that lived close by in the same area. Ethel married Thomas Provo on August 30, 1956 at the courthouse in Montgomery. Growing up, she lived with her parents, four brothers, and three sisters. Her house consisted of a kitchen and two bedrooms, one room for the parents and the other for the children. They didn’t have running water or indoor plumbing; there was an outhouse out back close to the
They didn’t receive much education at all. They were lucky if they made it to the sixth grade. Both of Ethel’s parents were born here in the U.S. and were of the African American decent. Her neighbors were composed up of mostly African Americans and a very few Caucasians that made up the population of Montgomery county. Ethel stated that African Americans were treated as second class citizens during that time period; they didn’t have the freedoms and rights we share in today’s society. Ethnicity made a big difference in how you were treated. African Americans didn’t have a right to vote, and very few of them were given the opportunity to own something. You spent your time working for someone else, building their businesses. You didn’t have the opportunity or money to start businesses of your own. Ethel’s friends consisted of mostly of family and the people that lived close by in the same area. Ethel married Thomas Provo on August 30, 1956 at the courthouse in Montgomery. Growing up, she lived with her parents, four brothers, and three sisters. Her house consisted of a kitchen and two bedrooms, one room for the parents and the other for the children. They didn’t have running water or indoor plumbing; there was an outhouse out back close to the