Women of Bethlehem Steel - Esther Lee

Annotation Esther Lee grew up in Bethlehem, PA. The daughter of African-American’s who came to Bethlehem from the south in search of a better life, Esther describes being aware of and experiencing racial discrimination from a young age. In this interview, Esther relates her struggle to build and maintain a career and family in Bethlehem, PA. Esther explains that she and her husband stayed in Bethlehem, PA despite continued prejudice and the fact that many African American’s in their generation left because of the lack of jobs. Their deep roots in Bethlehem made it important to them to stay despite enduring racism. Esther also shares about the challenges of being a working wife and mother. Throughout her interview, she reiterates the importance of the 1974 Consent Decree, which increased hiring of minorities and women in the steel industry and vastly increased opportunities for women like herself. Esther also speaks about her lifetime of community involvement, particularly around the issue of education. She presents her time at Bethlehem Steel as another moment of struggle in the history of her family and of African Americans more generally to live full and just lives in Bethlehem, PA. This interview is part of a series of interviews conducted by Lehigh University and the Steelworkers’ Archives and supported by the Lehigh University Mellon Digital Humanities Initiative and the South Side Initiative. An oral history interview is an act of memory and hence both highly selective and highly subjective. While it accurately reflects what a narrator remembers (or chooses to tell) of his or her experience and viewpoints, it may not accurately represent what actually transpired or what another person may have experienced. As such, users should subject interviews to the same degree of critical scrutiny they would any other historical source.