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Ms. Belinda Caldwell & Ms. Katherine Council (Mama Kat)

At “Heavenly Groceries,” Mama Kat and Belinda, both lifetime residents of Chapel Hill/Carrboro and First Baptist Church members, offer food with a large serving of good humor and warmth. Mama Kat’s oldest daughter, Caroline, a leader of the local civil rights movement, moved to Canada to escape laws that barred marriage to a white co-activist.

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Ms. Belinda Caldwell & Ms. Katherine Council (Mama Kat)

Image of Council, Katherine and Caldwell, Belinda.

Citation: Marian Cheek Jackson Center, “Ms. Belinda Caldwell & Ms. Katherine Council (Mama Kat),” From the Rock Wall, accessed July 27, 2024, https://fromtherockwall.org/images/ms-belinda-caldwell-ms-katherine-council-mama-kat.

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Katherine Council

"My name is Katherine Council and everybody calls me Mama Kat for the simple reason that when I had my first grandchild I didn’t want to be called grandma because I didn’t want men to stop looking at me!" - Katherine "Mama Kat" Council Born and raised in Northside, Katherine "Mama Kat" Council…

Belinda Caldwell

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 Katherine Council - On her childhood, family, and changes in Northside

This interview provides an overview of the place and birth of Mama Kat. Her house burnt down in 1962. She notes the change in neighbors versus before. She had children graduating from college. Her 3 kids were in college at the same time. The last baby was born with down syndrome. She recounts the…

 Mama Kat on how to make her amazing pound cake

 Katherine Council - On home, family, and changes in Chapel Hill

In this interview, Katherine “Mama Kat” Council talks about home and family. She discusses her parents, including her father’s death and her mother’s garden, and she describes where she grew up in rural Chapel Hill. Growing up was very different when Mama Kat was a child; she went to work and…

 Katherine Council - On her children and growing up outside of Carrboro

In this impromptu interview done at Heavenly Groceries Food Ministry, Katherine “Mama Kat” Council tells us what it was like growing up right outside of Carrboro back in the 1930’s. She recalls how for a while her family had to use a wagon to get to Hamlet’s Chapel CME on Sundays. She also discusses…

 Katherine Council - On growing up in Chapel Hill and changes in the neighborhood

In Molly Norwood’s interview of Katherine “Mama Kat” Council, Council begins by describing what life was like when she was growing up in Chapel Hill. She describes how open and geographically spread out the neighborhood was, how she was constantly playing with the other children in the neighborhood,…

 Katherine Council - On her pound cake recipe

In this interview, Mama Kat gives us her coveted pound cake recipe, which she knows from memory because she makes it so often.

 Katherine Council and Lillian Alston - On Heavenly Groceries, St. Joseph's Church, and the importance of volunteering

This interview is a part of the Marian Cheek Jackson Center’s A Place at the Table series. Katherine Council and Lillian Alston talk about their time volunteering with Heavenly Groceries. Katherine describes the origin of the food ministry before both women discuss their ties to the community and…

 Katherine Council - On education, changes in the community, and racial discrimination

“I really think with children, it didn’t matter. It was the adults that were having problems.” (In reference to integration) - Katherine "Mama Kat" Council Ms. Council, fondly known as Mama Kat, grew up on a farm in Chapel Hill down Jones Ferry Road and has lived in various places in the area her…

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Poem on Northside by Jasmine (Juice) Farmer

I never truly understood the meaning of community until I witnessed The Northside.I knew the power of a village and the power of prayer,But I had never been a part of a community more powerful, more stronger, & a place that seeped resilience more than the northside.I only got to experience the…

 Katherine Council - On food, cooking, and recipes

In this interview, Mama Kat, a cooking and baking extraordinaire, shares some of her kitchen expertise including tips and favorite recipes. Mama Kat learned how to cook from her parents and grandparents, and now writes down her recipes in cookbooks for others to follow. She discusses how products…

 Katherine Council - Holiday Memories (clip)

Katherine "Mama Kat" Council recalls students and neighbors at the holidays.To hear more from Katherine Council, listen to her full oral history "Katherine Council - On growing up in Chapel Hill and changes in the neighborhood."

 Belinda Caldwell - Speaking about her career and life in Northside

This interview is centered around Ms. Belinda Caldwell. She begins by describing her family history then goes into detail about her personal history to Northside. She mentions that there is a significant difference between how her kids grew up and how she grew up. Belinda had only good things to say…

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