Josephine Dickey talks about songs sung in Grand Junction’s Handy Chapel, the history of the Chapel, the role of the church in helping African-American people in a time of greater racial segregation and discrimination, and her family’s long history of involvement and leadership at the church. She discusses the role of law enforcement in referring Black people in need to the Handy Chapel. She details the segregation that prevented African-Americans from staying in town hotels, eating in local restaurants, or sitting with whites in local theaters. She discusses the lives of her father William Wesley Taylor and her Uncle Booker Thomas Washington Taylor, both elders in the church, their work in the community, and their work renovating and updating the church buildings. She talks about the kindness of some white community members in helping Black people in need, and about the kinds of jobs available to Black people. The interview was conducted by the Mesa County Oral History Project, a collaboration of Mesa County Libraries and the Museums of Western Colorado.
