Rosetta Mask-Griffin
Rosetta Mask-Griffin is a lifelong resident of the Newport News area since her birth in 1923. She graduated from the prestigious Huntington High School in 1941. During her time there she was involved in the student-faculty council, through which she had the pleasure of working alongside the esteemed Dr. L.F. Palmer. Soon after graduation, she married Leroy Mask and had two children, Leroy and Saundra. In 1957, Mask-Griffin became employed as a clerk at the United States Post Office. Holding this position was atypical for a person of her race and gender in the south.
Always active in the community, Mask-Griffin has been involved with the PTA and numerous other activities of community engagement. Following Mr. Mask‘s death in 1984, she married Truitt Griffin, who later passed away in 2002. Mask-Griffin is a staunch supporter of civil rights. She recognizes the gains made throughout the civil rights movement but acknowledges that the struggle is ongoing as modern America continues to confront ongoing racism.
-Interview and biographical information recorded in 2014.