Mrs. Angel McCloud

Title

Mrs. Angel McCloud

Description

Mrs. Angel McCloud reflects on growing up in Mount Airy, North Carolina, as one of eleven children raised in a close-knit household. She shares memories of family life centered around shared meals and early responsibilities.

She also discusses her education and her mom being her teacher, because the schoolhouse burned down. She also mentions her experience attending the first Black high school in Mount Airy, where she also played on the girls’ basketball team.

After graduating in 1949 and marrying Donald McCloud, she relocated to Detroit, Michigan. She worked for more than two decades at the National Bank of Detroit while raising her children.

While in Detroit, she recalls a time of danger and uncertainty. She also reflects on later life during the COVID-19 pandemic and adapting to virtual religious fellowship.

Mrs. Angel McCloud describes her conversion to Jehovah's Witnesses in the late 1950s, her baptism alongside her husband, and the enduring influence of her beliefs on her life and values.

Returning to Mount Airy after retirement, she reflects on changes in her hometown and the significance of living near her childhood home.

Subject Headings

African Americans—North Carolina—Mount Airy
Segregation in education—North Carolina
African American migration—Southern States to Northern States
African Americans—Michigan—Detroit
Race riots—Michigan—Detroit History—20th century
Jehovah’s Witnesses—United States

interviewee

Mrs. Angel McCloud

interviewer

Brandon Reid

Date

26 September 2025

Location

International African American Museum, Charleston, South Carolina, United States

Language

English

Rights

Sean Evans retains the copyright on these records. Any usage of the digitized copy of these records should be cited as coming from the Center for Family History at the International African American Museum in Charleston, South Carolina, United States, from the personal collection of Sean Evans Photography.