Alberta Henry, 1971-1972

File — Box: 1, Folder: 12-13

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Henry was born in Holsten Louisiana in 1920, where her father was tenant farmer. She then lived in Topeka Kansas where she lived with her grandfather, who was a minister. She describes feeling like she knew more than others her age while in school and that she was athletic and a bit of a tomboy. She went to segregated schools until junior high, which was integrated and she says she found this jarring. Her husband was a college graduate and worked as an aid to the state capitol while in Kansas. She later divorced him because of their differences in religion and their thoughts about children. She came to Utah in 1949. She encountered discrimination from a young age, which was even more prevalent in Utah. Before her divorce, she fell extremely ill with appendicitis. She felt that God had a lot to do in her recovery, and that after she recovered she had a purpose which led her to Utah. In Utah, she married Mr. Henry and worked taking care of people’s children. Like other interviewees, she mentions segregation both in entertainment and public places, difficulty finding housing, and limitation in the jobs she was able to get. Once she moved to Utah, she started a student group in 1960 directed at students who wanted to attend college. She wanted to supply scholarships for students to go to college to prevent them from going to mines or out of state. This eventually became the Alberta Henry Foundation which she goes into detail about later in the interview. Henry discusses her church, National Baptist Incorporated, which is predominantly Black. She feels that non-Latter Day Saint churches in Utah have less power than they would elsewhere, and that it is in part because of the LDS Church. She states that one of the only reasons African Americans have joined the LDS church is for economic reasons.

Henry also discusses the different school districts in Utah, and which ones she believes are better for minorities. She believes one of the main problems facing minorities is teacher attitudes. She discusses many instances of discrimination in schools throughout Utah, and the role she has played in stopping it. When Henry started the Alberta Henry Foundation in 1966, there were only five African American students at the University of Utah and many students left the state after graduating because they couldn’t get good jobs in Utah, which Henry attributes in part to the LDS Church’s attitudes about African Americans. At first, the foundation was sponsored by a radio show called the “Gospel Hour”, at which Henry was the only woman broadcaster. The foundation received its charter in December of 1967. One of the key points that Henry makes throughout the interview is the disadvantage that African American students experience due to differences in cultural backgrounds: one of the reasons her foundation mainly focuses on students with lower grade point averages. She talks about the foundation, how it came about, and how she gathered funding for it. In addition, she also talks about how she feels the foundation helps students with maintaining better grades throughout college because they feel a sense of community with other students in the program. She also notes that the minority community in general has started to shift in terms of interest in college, with many younger high school students as well as parents showing great interest in their children attending college. She doesn’t believe that high schools have gotten any better at helping African American students succeed, however.

Henry mentions being involved in the NAACP, but she and many other members were disillusioned by the lack of African American members, the lack of action, and the feeling of it being an exclusive club. She believes that many of the positive changes that have come to Salt Lake City were due to federal laws rather than NAACP involvement. She also touches on the problems that stem from exclusion at an early age, primarily because of the way that African American students are left out of many activities due to race, religion, or socioeconomic standing. She believes that discrimination is worse in Utah than it is in the South, and even with changes in laws that require companies to hire African Americans she states that it can still feel very lonely. Henry cited instances of her being an active participant in trying to sustain and promote laws that help African Americans. When the Utah Education Fund was cut, for instance, she protested it. She believes that some of this can continue to be a problem even in the workplace after graduating high school or college much in the same way it was an issue during school. Part of this she attributes to the fact that African Americans, minorities, and poverty are not concentrated in any one place in Salt Lake, creating a feeling of exclusion for many minority students. Henry won the Elks Citizen of the Year award in 1970, the first time it had been given to an African American, for her service to the community through the foundation. Audio CDs A0038_B-6_01, A0038_B-6_02.

Dates

1971-1972

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.