Interview with Patricia Ewert
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Interview with Patricia Ewert Interviewed by Priscilla Cleveland North Central Minnesota Historical Center Interviewed on May 5, 1980 at the North Minnesota Historical Center City, Minnesota PC: This is Priscilla Cleveland of the North Central Minnesota Historical Center and I'm talking with Patty Ewert and it's May 5, 1980. Patty, would you like to just give us some of your background information? Ewert PE: I was born and raised in Bemidji. I'm almost twenty-five years old. I went to school at Bemidji Junior and Senior High. After high school, I worked around and decided what I wanted to do. I didn't want to go to school right away. I was twenty-one when I became pregnant and the father decided we were not going to get married. And so that's when I called the Welfare Department to get some help there because I decided to keep thePatricia baby and I just knew that I couldn't financially take care of that side of the--my pride was not going to stand in the way of keeping my baby clean-clothed and in clothes, [laughter] so that's when I came in.Society with PC: Were you pregnant when you moved here? PE: Yes. PC: Was it difficult at all for you to get help? WereHistorical they very receptive to you? PE: I think just being--just goinginterview into that old building gave me a creepy feeling. I remember the furniture was kind of, you know, gross and... PC: This was when it was still down in the old library? history PE: Yes, yes! Where it is now, I've only been in there once or twice and it's a lot more pleasant. But just kind of a dark, greyMinnesota building. I almost turned around and I thought: Wait a minute, just-- another thing being pregnant and not being married too, it wasn't. It's getting better accepted now. But evenOral three years ago, it was really frowned on. But I went in and I still felt like people were-- who I went to see was like, you know, in control of this money and I was at their mercy,. I didn't get on it right away because I was working at the time through Minnecep and I wanted to work until that program was done. And I still have [unclear] and I explained all this and so that everything was fine and she told me when I was going to start receiving my checks. Explained the procedure and all that. I think the hardest thing was when she asked me if I knew who the father was, like I was hopping around in the sack with different guys. Just the way--she probably didn't mean anything by it, but just by saying "Do you know who the father is?" really gave me a low opinion of 1 myself. That was a hard decision whether or not to state the father's name. I thought, should I go ahead and say the father's name and maybe have some legal hassles or should I put myself down and say I don't know. So... PC: That's a hard decision isn't it? PE: I put unknown first and I didn't feel too good about that. After the baby was born--because I didn't want to have anything to do with him anyway--and after the baby was born, I had to sign a paternity suit so the father would start paying. And I stated his name and we got things going [unclear] this past fall. So it was a year and a half or so from when I signed that paper until I actually went to court. He wasn't there. [unclear] PC: So you're not receiving any child support? Ewert PE: No, he pays directly to the county. He pays like fifty dollars a month or so. But I think right now I'm--well I'm getting married in June and my fiancé is just like Jessie's daddy. She calls him daddy and he's just fallen into that role very easily. And the question has come up, well, should he adopt her, or--being that I'm still in school--him not adopt her and still get some money for her, you know. And we've discussed this and we thought, well, no moneyPatricia is worth this, you know, because she's getting to be--she'll be three years old and she'll know the name difference. And we just decided that we don't care how much money it is; it's not worth it becauseSociety we know we'll be able to make it someway anyway. So we want to get thosewith procedures done. And I just can't wait for the day I go down there and say I am off. [Laughter] PC: Oh wow! Getting back to when you first went down, were you really put off by the forms that you had to fill out? Was that scary? Historical PE: Um, that's been quite a while ago. It's been three years nos. I guess I've never liked forms anyway. I just thought that reallyinterview it wasn't any of their business. Don't they trust me? Just think why do they need all this information. I just hated saying well, I'll just do this for the money. You know, it's like [unclear]. PC: Since you've historybeen on for a while now, do you have any better understanding of why they need you to furnish that on those forms? Minnesota PE: Oh, yes, yes. Well again, I wasn't attending school yet and I think since I've been attending classes hereOral at BSU[Bemidji State University] the last couple of years, I've become better educated and I understand the formalities and the reasoning behind. It's not just the welfare department. I mean it's everything that you've got to do this, and I understand more so now than before. PC: Specifically what programs are you on? PE: Well, I'm on Medical Assistance and I am on the AFDC [Aid to Families with Dependent Children] and then also, I get child care paid by the county. One nice thing about that--it's nice 2 anyway, but I don't have to sign any papers stating if my child was there at a certain time. They just deal--the people at the day care deal with people in the Social Service. I have nothing to do with that interaction at all. And that's kind of nice, you know, because I feel like when I brought her there and I said well here is the papers from the Social Services. [Unclear] They have other children under that program too, but I still felt there's a pink form right there, you know, saying that I don't have enough money pay for this. But they never have me any feedback and said oh, another one or [unclear]. But I just, you know, for myself, would rather write then out a check every week, but then I guess it's just that pride, you know. PC: So at least for yourself, despite popular opinion, it's not fun being on welfare and getting it all free? PE: No, no! I kind of just can't wait 'til I get off. I just--even like the red tape you've got to go through, through financial aides, too, here at school, it's just, you know, they Ewertsay you're making too much money or something. You can't get this or that. You write back to them and say no. I'm on this, I'm on that, but when I get done with this, I'm going to be paying Uncle Sam back. That's the only kind of sense of relief I have is that I know that I'll be paying this back, you know, because I want to and I really think it's a good program. All the programs that are available. It's just that--I think it's better now since they got a different building. It wasPatricia just that building. You know, you have to cross the big highway where people can see you. Where it's kind a--there's not too much action down where they are now. You can just walk in and out andSociety people aren't stopping the cars at the crosswalk or something, watching you go into withthe welfare department. So I just think it's a lot better since they got better facilities, nicer looking facilities. PC: That makes a lot of difference. I know just the fact that it sat there all by itself and... PE: Yes. Historical PC: ...there was no way that youinterview could ever in your mind justify going into that building for any other reason or in crossing the street for any other reason. PE: Yes, there was nothing else there. history PC: Just to go there. Have you ever requested any kind of help that you were denied? Minnesota PE: No. Um, yes, I don't really know of all the services that they have available. Just usually--like I heard aboutOral the child care by word of mouth or something on campus. And I went down there and they said, yes, you know I just--I didn't have to have any documents about what I got through school.