Curtis Roberts
"Couple dancing at Bruton Heights USO"
Photo courtesy: Albert W. Durant Collection, Visual Resources, John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Mr. Curtis Roberts provided these reflections as part of the Oral History Community Nights hosted by Colonial Williamsburg during the late 1980s and early 1990s. The clips are excerpts from The World War II Years, one of several films produced from these oral history nights. The full film can be viewed here.
Film Credit: Media Collections, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Mr. Roberts explains that during WWII Black people and Black soldiers were limited in the opportunities they could pursue.
Mr. Roberts recalls the blackouts during WWII - but not everyone had electricity at this time.
Mr. Roberts describes the military expansions in the area during WWII that created jobs.
Mr. Roberts describes the busses that would pick up workers to transport them to different worksites during the war.
Mr. Roberts discusses the convict camp that sat where Busch Gardens is now located and recalls how convicts built Route 168.
Mr. Roberts recalls his mother working for a white family. He could play with the white children, but only until a certain age.
Mr. Roberts remembers all the surrounding towns having baseball teams that played one another.
Mr. Roberts recalls pre-war Williamsburg as a safe place to live.