Almost 80
Almost 80 is a podcast that features the life of Bennye, starting from rural Texas in the 1940s, to her years of teaching music, singing in musical and opera productions, and her prolific career as a church musician.
Almost 80
Latest Episodes
The Cost of School Integration: My Brothers' and Sisters' Stories
Keisha interviews her mother, Bennye, now 81, about the Bethlehem School’s history and what happened after school integration following the 1964 Civil Rights Act. She learned from Kenneth Payne of the Bowie County Historical Society that Bethle...
Dream Deferred, Dream Fulfilled: Completing Bennye’s Educational Journey
Host Keisha interviews her mother about her path to higher education after an unexpected pregnancy following her college acceptance. Facing that decision, she rejected abortion out of fear and first confided in a trusted figure, Miss Vera, befo...
Bennye's Early Education
Bennye and Keisha sit down for a conversation about Bennye's primary and secondary education. Starting with kindgergarten, moving through making her way to a state-wide competition when she was 7, and then learning multiple instruments i...