Skip to main content

Fannie Webb Taylor interview, 2014-11-16

 Item

Scope and Contents

In this oral history interview, Fannie Webb Taylor, a long time D.C. resident, discusses her experiences moving from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Washington, D.C.. She recalls her background in New Orleans and her reasons for moving north, as well as her journey to D.C. She also discusses how she established herself in the city, her work for the government, her personal life in Washington, and how she became a teacher at Banneker Junior High School.

Dates

  • Creation: 2014-11-16

Creator

Language of Materials

English

Biographical / Historical

Mrs. Fannie Webb Taylor was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on March 29, 1925, and had four sisters. Though she had a close relationship with her father, he left New Orleans in search of employment and never returned. Her mother worked as a “special-occasion” cook for white people in New Orleans, and the family had a difficult time financially after her father left. As a teenager, Mrs. Taylor worked as a night switchboard operator at Flint-Goodridge Hospital of Dillard University and attended the YMCA School of Commerce. After passing the civil service clerk typists’ examination, her mother finally allowed Mrs. Taylor to leave New Orleans and she moved to Washington, D.C., in 1943 just before her 18th birthday. She began working at the Pentagon immediately upon arrival and moved in with her cousin who was renting a room at 800 P Street NW. While working as a clerk typist Mrs. Taylor married her husband, Vernon Robert Taylor, a civil engineering student at Howard University, and she left her job when he sponsored her through D.C. Teacher’s College where she majored in English and History. After she and her husband had their second child, Mrs. Taylor began her teaching career at Benjamin Banneker Junior High School. She also received a Master of Arts in Teaching and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies from Howard University. Mrs. Taylor was an active community member and a part of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, National Council of Negro Women, Asbury United Methodist Church, and the Rollingcrest Senior Center. Mrs. Taylor passed away on December 18, 2017.

Extent

From the Collection: 27.1 Gigabytes (DIG_0029)

From the Collection: 228 Files (DIG_0029)

Repository Details

Part of the The People's Archive, Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library Repository

Contact:
901 G Street NW
4th Floor East
Washington DC 20001
(202)727-1213