Still Segregated

Ophelia High’s parents moved to Akron from Middlefield, Georgia, and lived on a farm in East Akron. Ophelia was born in 1924 and had eight brothers and one sister. She started working in Goodyear’s Aircraft Division in 1943 as a riveter, and moved to BF Goodrich in 1944 to work in the hose room. Before retiring in 1989, Ophelia worked on BF Goodrich’s de-icers, fuel cells, and after being laid off for 15 years, as a utility cleaner. She raised five children, and proudly persevered through racism and sexism at work and in the community.