5) “Everybody’s got to live.”
If work couldn’t be found in the formal job market, people would find or make work for themselves in the informal market, which is often criminalized. During the heydays of the granite industry, widows of deceased workers supported themselves and their families by running boarding houses or making and selling food, wine, and spirits. Melicenda makes Italian dinners for the wealthier residents of Montpelier, but she does so at great risk. She lives in constant fear of the police raiding her home. Oral history transcript to be performed: Melicenda Bartoletti, Cook and Caterer (1930s, Federal Writers’ Project interview) Guest performer: Jenny Blair This is an independently produced show. Please consider supporting En Masse on Patreon. THEME SONG CREDIT The “John Henry” song at the beginning of our show is from the Alan Lomax Collection at the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress. Used courtesy of the Association for Cultural Equity. IMAGE CREDIT "Lady in the Kitchen". Vermont Historical Society. https://www.flickr.com/photos/vermonthistory/5654179468/in/album-72157626574378436/. CC BY-NC-ND SOUND a MUSIC CREDITS Sound Effect: "60-writing" by Leoctiurs. From freesound.org. CC BY Sound Effect: "Family Ambience, Background Noise" by f-r-a-g-i-l-e. From freesound.org. CC BY Sound Effect: "Party Sounds » Party Crowd 1" by Kolezan. From freesound.org. CC BY Sound Effect: "Weaving mills and factories" by phonoflora. From freesound.org. CC BY --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/liz-medina5/message