Mrs. Cora Graves, an African American woman aged 36, lives in Reidsville, N.C., with her 38-year-old husband, their six children, and her mother-in-law. Their income comes from farming and stringing bags. The family lives in a five-room house on 104 acres of land. While the house is clean, it is in poor condition and nearly falling apart. They own two mules, two cows, three hogs, and a few chickens. They rent the property for half of what they produce and spend all their earnings from stringing bags on food and clothing. Mrs. Graves has been stringing bags for 25 years and earns about $7.00 a month from it. Despite having high blood pressure, which limits her ability to do other work, she can still string bags. The family is in dire need of this income.
