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Girl from iconic Great Depression photo: 'We were ashamed'
MODESTO, California (AP) -- The photograph became an icon of the Great
Depression: a migrant mother with her children burying their faces in her shoulder.
Katherine McIntosh was 4 years old when the photo was snapped. She said it
brought shame -- and determination -- to her family.
"I wanted to make sure I never lived like that again," says McIntosh, who turns 77 on
Depression: a migrant mother with her children burying their faces in her shoulder.
Katherine McIntosh was 4 years old when the photo was snapped. She said it
brought shame -- and determination -- to her family.
"I wanted to make sure I never lived like that again," says McIntosh, who turns 77 on
Saturday. "We all worked hard and we all had good jobs and we all stayed with it. When we got a home,
we stayed with it."
McIntosh is the girl to the left of her mother when you look at the photograph. The picture is best known as
"Migrant Mother," a black-and-white photo taken in February or March 1936 by Dorothea Lange of
Florence Owens Thompson, then 32, and her children. Lange was traveling through Nipomo, California,
taking photographs of migrant farm workers for the Resettlement Administration. At the time, Thompson
had seven children who worked with her in the fields.
"She asked my mother if she could take her picture -- that ... her name would never be published, but it
was to help the people in the plight that we were all in, the hard times," McIntosh says. "So mother let her
take the picture, because she thought it would help."
The next morning, the photo was printed in a local paper, but by then the family had already moved on to
another farm, McIntosh says. "The picture came out in the paper to show the people what hard times was.
People was starving in that camp. There was no food," she says. "We were ashamed of it. We didn't want
no one to know who we were."
The photograph helped define the Great Depression, yet McIntosh says her mom didn't let it define her,
although the picture "was always talked about in our family." "It always stayed with her. She always wanted
a better life, you know."
Her mother, she says, was a "very strong lady" who liked to have a good time and listen to music,
especially the yodeler named Montana Slim. She laughs when she recalls her brothers bringing home a
skinny greyhound pooch. "Mom, Montana Slim is outside," they said.
Thompson rushed outside. The boys chuckled. They had named the dog after her favorite musician.
"She was the backbone of our family," McIntosh says of her mom. "We never had a lot, but she always
made sure we had something. She didn't eat sometimes, but she made sure us children ate. That's one
thing she did do."
Her memories of her youth are filled with about 50 percent good times, 50 percent hard times. It was
nearly impossible to get an education. Children worked the fields with their parents. As soon as they'd get
settled at a school, it was time to pick up and move again. Her mom would put newborns in cotton sacks
and pull them along as she picked cotton. The older kids would stay in front, so mom could keep a close
eye on them. "We would pick the cotton and pile it up in front of her, and she'd come along and pick it up
and put it in her sack," McIntosh says.
They lived in tents or in a car. Local kids would tease them, telling them to clean up and bathe. "They'd tell
you, 'Go home and take a bath.' You couldn't very well take a bath when you're out in a car [with] nowhere
to go." She adds, "We'd go home and cry."
McIntosh now cleans homes in the Modesto, California, area. She's proud of the living she's been able to
make -- that she has a roof over her head and has been able to maintain a job all these years. She says
her obsession to keep things clean started in her youth when her chore was to keep the family tent clean.
There were two white sheets that she cleaned each day.
"Even today, when it comes to cleaning, I make sure things are clean. I can't stand dirty things," she says
with a laugh.
With the nation sinking into tough economic times and analysts saying the current economic crisis is the
worst since the Great Depression, McIntosh says if there's a lesson to be learned from her experience it is
to save your money and don't overextend yourself. iReport: Are you worried about losing your job?
"People live from paycheck to paycheck, even people making good money," she says. "Do your best to
make sure it doesn't happen again. Elect the people you think is going to do you good."
Her message for President-elect Barack Obama is simple: "Think of the middle-class people." She says
she'll never forget the lessons of her hard-working mother, who died at the age of 80 in 1983. Her
gravestone says: "Migrant Mother: A Legend of the strength of American motherhood."
"She was very strict, but very loving and caring. She cared for us all," McIntosh says.
we stayed with it."
McIntosh is the girl to the left of her mother when you look at the photograph. The picture is best known as
"Migrant Mother," a black-and-white photo taken in February or March 1936 by Dorothea Lange of
Florence Owens Thompson, then 32, and her children. Lange was traveling through Nipomo, California,
taking photographs of migrant farm workers for the Resettlement Administration. At the time, Thompson
had seven children who worked with her in the fields.
"She asked my mother if she could take her picture -- that ... her name would never be published, but it
was to help the people in the plight that we were all in, the hard times," McIntosh says. "So mother let her
take the picture, because she thought it would help."
The next morning, the photo was printed in a local paper, but by then the family had already moved on to
another farm, McIntosh says. "The picture came out in the paper to show the people what hard times was.
People was starving in that camp. There was no food," she says. "We were ashamed of it. We didn't want
no one to know who we were."
The photograph helped define the Great Depression, yet McIntosh says her mom didn't let it define her,
although the picture "was always talked about in our family." "It always stayed with her. She always wanted
a better life, you know."
Her mother, she says, was a "very strong lady" who liked to have a good time and listen to music,
especially the yodeler named Montana Slim. She laughs when she recalls her brothers bringing home a
skinny greyhound pooch. "Mom, Montana Slim is outside," they said.
Thompson rushed outside. The boys chuckled. They had named the dog after her favorite musician.
"She was the backbone of our family," McIntosh says of her mom. "We never had a lot, but she always
made sure we had something. She didn't eat sometimes, but she made sure us children ate. That's one
thing she did do."
Her memories of her youth are filled with about 50 percent good times, 50 percent hard times. It was
nearly impossible to get an education. Children worked the fields with their parents. As soon as they'd get
settled at a school, it was time to pick up and move again. Her mom would put newborns in cotton sacks
and pull them along as she picked cotton. The older kids would stay in front, so mom could keep a close
eye on them. "We would pick the cotton and pile it up in front of her, and she'd come along and pick it up
and put it in her sack," McIntosh says.
They lived in tents or in a car. Local kids would tease them, telling them to clean up and bathe. "They'd tell
you, 'Go home and take a bath.' You couldn't very well take a bath when you're out in a car [with] nowhere
to go." She adds, "We'd go home and cry."
McIntosh now cleans homes in the Modesto, California, area. She's proud of the living she's been able to
make -- that she has a roof over her head and has been able to maintain a job all these years. She says
her obsession to keep things clean started in her youth when her chore was to keep the family tent clean.
There were two white sheets that she cleaned each day.
"Even today, when it comes to cleaning, I make sure things are clean. I can't stand dirty things," she says
with a laugh.
With the nation sinking into tough economic times and analysts saying the current economic crisis is the
worst since the Great Depression, McIntosh says if there's a lesson to be learned from her experience it is
to save your money and don't overextend yourself. iReport: Are you worried about losing your job?
"People live from paycheck to paycheck, even people making good money," she says. "Do your best to
make sure it doesn't happen again. Elect the people you think is going to do you good."
Her message for President-elect Barack Obama is simple: "Think of the middle-class people." She says
she'll never forget the lessons of her hard-working mother, who died at the age of 80 in 1983. Her
gravestone says: "Migrant Mother: A Legend of the strength of American motherhood."
"She was very strict, but very loving and caring. She cared for us all," McIntosh says.
Cash-strapped teacher sells ads on tests
In tests for teacher Tom Farber's high school class, students can demonstrate their
mastery of calculus and find out where to get braces or even a haircut.
Squeezed by classroom budget cuts, the Rancho Bernardo High School teacher is
selling ads on his exams to cover the costs of printing them. "It raises money for the
teachers and it's amusing for the kids, so it seems like a win-win," said Luke Shaw,
mastery of calculus and find out where to get braces or even a haircut.
Squeezed by classroom budget cuts, the Rancho Bernardo High School teacher is
selling ads on his exams to cover the costs of printing them. "It raises money for the
teachers and it's amusing for the kids, so it seems like a win-win," said Luke Shaw,
18, a student at the suburban San Diego, California, school. Parents and administrators also praise
Farber, 47, for his creative classroom funding, but he doesn't want it to become the norm.
"My intention is, [selling ads] is a stopgap measure," said Farber. "I don't want to be doing this year after
year."
Instead, he says, government must do more to help educators provide what students need. Farber started
letting parents and local businesses sponsor tests this fall after learning budget cuts would limit his
in-school printing allowance -- tracked by the school's copy machines -- to $316 for the year. The cost of
printing quizzes and tests for his 167 students will easily be more than $500, he said.
That meant Farber, whose courses prepare students for the Advanced Placement exam, would have to
give fewer or shorter tests, or find money. Farber, who says 90 percent of his students got a 5 -- the top
score -- on AP exams last year, said skimping wasn't an option.
"It has to be a certain quality, or they won't be ready," he said.
So Farber, who says he'd never asked for money from parents in his 18 years of high school teaching,
pitched the ad idea to parents at a September back-to-school night. For checks made to the math
department -- $10 a quiz, $20 a test or $30 for a final exam -- they could insert an inspirational quote --
their own or someone else's -- or a business advertisement at the bottom of the first page.
Of the seven to run so far -- one per test or quiz -- five were quotes, and two were ads from local
businesses connected to the parents or someone close. "Brace yourself for a great semester! Braces by
Henry, Stephen P. Henry D.M.D.," read one of the ads in small type at the bottom of a quiz's first page.
Farber said orders took off after recent media reports. He's collected more than $300, and he believes
he'll top $1,000, with some ad buyers paying more than required. All amounts beyond his shortfall will
cover colleagues' printing costs, he said. Farber said students and parents have gotten a kick out of the
sponsorships.
Student Scott Robison, 18, said: "I liked it because all the teachers complain about budget cuts, and he
did something about it. It hasn't hurt in any way." Luke Shaw's father, Jay Shaw, said he wants to sponsor
a test next semester. And while Jay Shaw praised Farber's idea, "It's just sad it came to the point where
he needs to do that," he said. Farber said he doesn't want quiz ads "to become the standard."
"What I'm doing now is ... dealing with the economic situation and making sure kids get what they need,"
Farber said. "Teachers shouldn't have to scrounge for funding. To me, this is what our government is for, to
provide necessities, and that's why we pay taxes."
But California's budget crisis has forced Farber's school district, Poway Unified, to cut costs, district
Superintendent Don Phillips said.
The California Federation of Teachers says the state cut more than $4 billion in education spending this
year. Phillips said that when the district sought to chop $11 million from its $265 million annual budget, it
wanted to keep teachers but cut other areas. Among the things to go was 30 percent to 40 percent of
Poway schools' materials spending -- including copying.
Phillips praised Farber's ad idea as creative. But he said district officials are weighing whether to set
guidelines, especially for business ads. Farber said he'd prefer to keep ads to local "mom-and-pop"
operations. He's accepting one from hair salon Fantastic Sam's, noting that although it's part of a chain,
the store that's buying the ad is locally owned.
Farber and Phillips said they don't know of any Poway teachers wanting to replicate the ad idea, but they
said educators there have long spent out-of-pocket for supplies. Susan Carmon of the National Education
Association said a 2003 study on the issue found U.S. teachers spent an average of $450 of their own
money for school resources.
"You can only imagine -- with tighter school budgets in almost every state this year -- that this number can
only get higher," Carmon said.
Fred Glass, the California Federation of Teachers' communications director, said things could get worse
for teachers in the state, with California considering $2.5 billion in mid-year education cuts.
Glass said he hopes Farber's ad selling "will underscore for disinterested observers that this [funding
shortfall] can't go on."
Glass said he wouldn't like to see any classroom ads. "The student needs not to be distracted by anything
on the test. This is not instructionally sound," he said.
But he said he doesn't blame Farber. "This teacher shouldn't be put in this position," Glass said.
To those who don't like his idea, Farber suggests asking legislators to better fund education or writing a
check to a school. But he said most of the feedback has been positive.
"One person said, 'Too bad you're not a bank, because you might qualify for $700 billion,' " he said. "I
thought that was pretty clever."
Farber, 47, for his creative classroom funding, but he doesn't want it to become the norm.
"My intention is, [selling ads] is a stopgap measure," said Farber. "I don't want to be doing this year after
year."
Instead, he says, government must do more to help educators provide what students need. Farber started
letting parents and local businesses sponsor tests this fall after learning budget cuts would limit his
in-school printing allowance -- tracked by the school's copy machines -- to $316 for the year. The cost of
printing quizzes and tests for his 167 students will easily be more than $500, he said.
That meant Farber, whose courses prepare students for the Advanced Placement exam, would have to
give fewer or shorter tests, or find money. Farber, who says 90 percent of his students got a 5 -- the top
score -- on AP exams last year, said skimping wasn't an option.
"It has to be a certain quality, or they won't be ready," he said.
So Farber, who says he'd never asked for money from parents in his 18 years of high school teaching,
pitched the ad idea to parents at a September back-to-school night. For checks made to the math
department -- $10 a quiz, $20 a test or $30 for a final exam -- they could insert an inspirational quote --
their own or someone else's -- or a business advertisement at the bottom of the first page.
Of the seven to run so far -- one per test or quiz -- five were quotes, and two were ads from local
businesses connected to the parents or someone close. "Brace yourself for a great semester! Braces by
Henry, Stephen P. Henry D.M.D.," read one of the ads in small type at the bottom of a quiz's first page.
Farber said orders took off after recent media reports. He's collected more than $300, and he believes
he'll top $1,000, with some ad buyers paying more than required. All amounts beyond his shortfall will
cover colleagues' printing costs, he said. Farber said students and parents have gotten a kick out of the
sponsorships.
Student Scott Robison, 18, said: "I liked it because all the teachers complain about budget cuts, and he
did something about it. It hasn't hurt in any way." Luke Shaw's father, Jay Shaw, said he wants to sponsor
a test next semester. And while Jay Shaw praised Farber's idea, "It's just sad it came to the point where
he needs to do that," he said. Farber said he doesn't want quiz ads "to become the standard."
"What I'm doing now is ... dealing with the economic situation and making sure kids get what they need,"
Farber said. "Teachers shouldn't have to scrounge for funding. To me, this is what our government is for, to
provide necessities, and that's why we pay taxes."
But California's budget crisis has forced Farber's school district, Poway Unified, to cut costs, district
Superintendent Don Phillips said.
The California Federation of Teachers says the state cut more than $4 billion in education spending this
year. Phillips said that when the district sought to chop $11 million from its $265 million annual budget, it
wanted to keep teachers but cut other areas. Among the things to go was 30 percent to 40 percent of
Poway schools' materials spending -- including copying.
Phillips praised Farber's ad idea as creative. But he said district officials are weighing whether to set
guidelines, especially for business ads. Farber said he'd prefer to keep ads to local "mom-and-pop"
operations. He's accepting one from hair salon Fantastic Sam's, noting that although it's part of a chain,
the store that's buying the ad is locally owned.
Farber and Phillips said they don't know of any Poway teachers wanting to replicate the ad idea, but they
said educators there have long spent out-of-pocket for supplies. Susan Carmon of the National Education
Association said a 2003 study on the issue found U.S. teachers spent an average of $450 of their own
money for school resources.
"You can only imagine -- with tighter school budgets in almost every state this year -- that this number can
only get higher," Carmon said.
Fred Glass, the California Federation of Teachers' communications director, said things could get worse
for teachers in the state, with California considering $2.5 billion in mid-year education cuts.
Glass said he hopes Farber's ad selling "will underscore for disinterested observers that this [funding
shortfall] can't go on."
Glass said he wouldn't like to see any classroom ads. "The student needs not to be distracted by anything
on the test. This is not instructionally sound," he said.
But he said he doesn't blame Farber. "This teacher shouldn't be put in this position," Glass said.
To those who don't like his idea, Farber suggests asking legislators to better fund education or writing a
check to a school. But he said most of the feedback has been positive.
"One person said, 'Too bad you're not a bank, because you might qualify for $700 billion,' " he said. "I
thought that was pretty clever."
Sister's ex killed Hudson relatives in jealous rage, prosecutor says
The estranged brother-in-law of singer and actress Jennifer Hudson killed her
relatives in a jealous rage because he thought his wife was seeing another man, a
prosecutor said Wednesday at a hearing in which bail was denied.
William Balfour, 27, faces three counts of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths
of Hudson's mother, brother and nephew in October.
relatives in a jealous rage because he thought his wife was seeing another man, a
prosecutor said Wednesday at a hearing in which bail was denied.
William Balfour, 27, faces three counts of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths
of Hudson's mother, brother and nephew in October.
He is also charged with one count of home invasion. Balfour is the estranged husband of Jennifer
Hudson's sister, Julia Hudson, and the stepfather of 7-year-old Julian King, who was found dead in a car
near the Chicago, Illinois, home where the other two victims were killed.
Defense lawyer Josh Kutnick said he intends to fight the charges, calling his client "a victim of
circumstance." Dressed in a neon-yellow jail jumpsuit, Balfour listened as prosecutor LuAnn Snow
portrayed him as a jealous man who warned Julia Hudson that "her family would suffer if he saw her with
other men."
Balfour's mother, Michelle Davis-Balfour, listened in an area reserved for spectators separated by
bulletproof glass from the rest of the gallery. Snow said Balfour was at the Hudson family home on
Chicago's South Side the morning of the murders, the day after Julia Hudson celebrated her birthday.
Balfour accused her of having a relationship with another man because he saw a birthday present and
concluded it was a gift from a boyfriend. Snow said Julia Hudson left the home and as she drove away,
she saw Balfour walking toward his car.
Prosecutors allege that friends took him to a gas station, because Balfour's car had a steering problem,
and then back to his car at the Hudson house. That was when Balfour went into the Hudson home and shot
Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, 57, in the living room, Snow told Judge Raymond Myles.
Next, Snow said, he shot Jason Hudson, 27, who was still in his bed. Then, she said, Balfour forced his
stepson, Julian, into Jason Hudson's white Suburban. Prosecutors say Balfour later killed the boy in the
car with a single bullet to his head that went through the floor of the SUV. They say the boy's body was
wrapped in a "new shower curtain that has been identified as coming from the [Hudson] family home."
His body was found in the car three days later. Balfour's defense lawyer called the prosecution's case "a
quilt with holes in it" and attempted to discredit statements from a woman whom prosecutors say heard
Balfour confess to the killings. Kutnick called the girlfriend "highly suspect," and labeled her statements to
police "self-serving and untrue."
He said Balfour had been painted "in the media as a killer." He also questioned why Balfour was not
charged with kidnapping for allegedly forcing Julian King into the SUV after the other shootings,
suggesting that it pointed to another person.
Balfour himself did not speak during the hearing. The judge set next court date for December 30.
Authorities later found a handgun near the vehicle. Deputy Police Superintendent Steve Peterson said in a
news conference Tuesday, when the charges were announced, that the gun was linked to the shootings.
Balfour was first detained for questioning on October 24, the day Donerson and Jason Hudson were found
shot to death. Authorities said at the time that they were holding Balfour for an unspecified parole violation.
Balfour "has made statements about the investigation," Peterson said. "However, at this time, we don't
want to go into what was said."
Police Superintendent Jody Weis said Hudson's family was "a key partner in this investigation,
cooperating with detectives every step of the way under very stressful and painful circumstances."
Members of the community also assisted in various ways, he said.
The family is "relieved and happy that the Chicago Police Department was able to bring this case to a
successful conclusion," Peterson said.
Hudson's publicist refused to comment, citing the ongoing investigation.
Authorities said Tuesday that Balfour's girlfriend was cooperative in the investigation, but did not elaborate.
According to the Illinois Department of Corrections, Balfour spent nearly seven years in prison for
attempted murder, vehicular hijacking and possessing a stolen vehicle. He was free on parole at the time
of the shootings.
Hudson won a best supporting actress Oscar for her portrayal of Effie in the film version of the Broadway
musical "Dreamgirls." She competed on the third season of the singing competition "American Idol" in
2004, becoming one of the top seven contestants before being eliminated from the contest.
Davis-Balfour passionately defended her son Monday to a gaggle of reporters. She said that at least one
of the witnesses who police used to build a case against Balfour was lying.
"My son did not do this. I am sick of this. They need to focus on somebody else," Davis-Balfour said.
She said Balfour has an alibi -- he was with one of his three girlfriends the night of the slaying.
"He was with Diana that night and with Kate in the morning," she said.
Balfour's attorney, Josh Kutnick, also said Balfour has told him that he did not commit the crimes.
"He believes when the evidence comes out, he will be found not guilty," Kutnick said.
Balfour had a parole hearing scheduled for later this week, but Peterson said Wednesday that the
approaching hearing did not influence the timing of the charges being filed.
Hudson's sister, Julia Hudson, and the stepfather of 7-year-old Julian King, who was found dead in a car
near the Chicago, Illinois, home where the other two victims were killed.
Defense lawyer Josh Kutnick said he intends to fight the charges, calling his client "a victim of
circumstance." Dressed in a neon-yellow jail jumpsuit, Balfour listened as prosecutor LuAnn Snow
portrayed him as a jealous man who warned Julia Hudson that "her family would suffer if he saw her with
other men."
Balfour's mother, Michelle Davis-Balfour, listened in an area reserved for spectators separated by
bulletproof glass from the rest of the gallery. Snow said Balfour was at the Hudson family home on
Chicago's South Side the morning of the murders, the day after Julia Hudson celebrated her birthday.
Balfour accused her of having a relationship with another man because he saw a birthday present and
concluded it was a gift from a boyfriend. Snow said Julia Hudson left the home and as she drove away,
she saw Balfour walking toward his car.
Prosecutors allege that friends took him to a gas station, because Balfour's car had a steering problem,
and then back to his car at the Hudson house. That was when Balfour went into the Hudson home and shot
Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, 57, in the living room, Snow told Judge Raymond Myles.
Next, Snow said, he shot Jason Hudson, 27, who was still in his bed. Then, she said, Balfour forced his
stepson, Julian, into Jason Hudson's white Suburban. Prosecutors say Balfour later killed the boy in the
car with a single bullet to his head that went through the floor of the SUV. They say the boy's body was
wrapped in a "new shower curtain that has been identified as coming from the [Hudson] family home."
His body was found in the car three days later. Balfour's defense lawyer called the prosecution's case "a
quilt with holes in it" and attempted to discredit statements from a woman whom prosecutors say heard
Balfour confess to the killings. Kutnick called the girlfriend "highly suspect," and labeled her statements to
police "self-serving and untrue."
He said Balfour had been painted "in the media as a killer." He also questioned why Balfour was not
charged with kidnapping for allegedly forcing Julian King into the SUV after the other shootings,
suggesting that it pointed to another person.
Balfour himself did not speak during the hearing. The judge set next court date for December 30.
Authorities later found a handgun near the vehicle. Deputy Police Superintendent Steve Peterson said in a
news conference Tuesday, when the charges were announced, that the gun was linked to the shootings.
Balfour was first detained for questioning on October 24, the day Donerson and Jason Hudson were found
shot to death. Authorities said at the time that they were holding Balfour for an unspecified parole violation.
Balfour "has made statements about the investigation," Peterson said. "However, at this time, we don't
want to go into what was said."
Police Superintendent Jody Weis said Hudson's family was "a key partner in this investigation,
cooperating with detectives every step of the way under very stressful and painful circumstances."
Members of the community also assisted in various ways, he said.
The family is "relieved and happy that the Chicago Police Department was able to bring this case to a
successful conclusion," Peterson said.
Hudson's publicist refused to comment, citing the ongoing investigation.
Authorities said Tuesday that Balfour's girlfriend was cooperative in the investigation, but did not elaborate.
According to the Illinois Department of Corrections, Balfour spent nearly seven years in prison for
attempted murder, vehicular hijacking and possessing a stolen vehicle. He was free on parole at the time
of the shootings.
Hudson won a best supporting actress Oscar for her portrayal of Effie in the film version of the Broadway
musical "Dreamgirls." She competed on the third season of the singing competition "American Idol" in
2004, becoming one of the top seven contestants before being eliminated from the contest.
Davis-Balfour passionately defended her son Monday to a gaggle of reporters. She said that at least one
of the witnesses who police used to build a case against Balfour was lying.
"My son did not do this. I am sick of this. They need to focus on somebody else," Davis-Balfour said.
She said Balfour has an alibi -- he was with one of his three girlfriends the night of the slaying.
"He was with Diana that night and with Kate in the morning," she said.
Balfour's attorney, Josh Kutnick, also said Balfour has told him that he did not commit the crimes.
"He believes when the evidence comes out, he will be found not guilty," Kutnick said.
Balfour had a parole hearing scheduled for later this week, but Peterson said Wednesday that the
approaching hearing did not influence the timing of the charges being filed.
