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 Virginia Jones - Speaking about her education, career, and family

This interview is part of the Marian Cheek Jackson Center’s Life History Series. Ms. Virginia has grown up in Chapel Hill and lived here her entire life. She was born on Mitchell Lane. She is the 10th of 10 children. Her mother worked at UNC at Chase Hall and her father worked within landscaping.…

 Walt Riggsbee - On his restaurant, military service, and Chapel Hill

We conducted this interview as a part of the Marian Cheek Jackson Center’s Oral History series. Bobby Riggsbee, commonly referred as Walt own his own restaurant named Walt’s Grill. Walt was born and raised in a segregated Chapel Hill and attended Lincoln High School located in the Northside…

 Robert Campbell - Speaking about community, faith, and activism

Min. Robert Campbell is a well-known local activist who was raised by his grandparents in the Northside neighborhood. He attended Northside and Lincoln and was in the first desegregated graduating class at Chapel Hill High School (Class of ’67). He moved to Rogers Road in the 1970s where he has been…

Catharyne Butler

Rodney Taylor

Freda Andrews

Since she was a child, Freda Andrews knew that she wanted to pursue a career in education. Her experiences at Northside Elementary, alongside her involvement in the Southern Freedom Movement, influenced her desire to carve out spaces to teach Black history and inspire her students to feel empowered…

Virginia Jones

Walt Riggsbee

"[Racism] never seemed to faze me. It fazed me more in the service than down here. Going overseas was bad." - Walt Riggsbee

Ezra Barbee

"And at that particular time, my grandfather had a heart attack. He said, 'Well, look, son, I’m going to tell you this: Either you are going to finish this job, or you are going to go home.' So that was my fuel up under my whatever. You can go do it or go home. So, I got it." - Ezra Barbee Ezra…

William Smith

"I’m not a book person […] I like to build things, and then brag about it." - William Smith

Albert Washington

"[My son] went in the Navy first, and when he came out of the Navy, he went to work for us. And I would put him on the hardest thing on the job, and that’s why he’s such a brick mason, such a good mason. Every corner or curve that I had, I would put him on." - Albert Washington

 Paul Caldwell

Paul Caldwell was the first African-American sergeant, lieutenant, and captain of University Police at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a long time resident of the Northside Neighborhood, and was a police officer for the University for 27 years, beginning as a patrol officer…

 Louis Wijnberg

In this second interview, Louis Wijnberg discusses his war experience at length including a very painful story related to a fellow soldier. He also tells of his relationship with fellow soldiers with different backgrounds and his difficulty in making friendships. Another major theme is his…

James Bryan II

 James Bryan II - On his medical career, faith, and public health

Dr. James A. Bryan II, age 86, is currently writing a memoir about his life and medical career. This interview was conducted, while Dr. Bryan is in the process of reflection, to document his memories of Northside residents and their relationships.From 1964 to 2014, Dr. Bryan taught at UNC-Chapel…

 No More Uncle Tom

Chapel Hill Civil Rights image featuring Avery Brewer holding a sign that says "No More Uncle Tom."

 Edward Jones - On his family, dealing with discrimination in Chapel Hill, and experiences in the Vietnam War

In this interview, Northside resident Edward Jones discusses a wide range of personal and community events that have shaped his life into what he sees it as today. Mr. Jones begins his story by talking about his relatives and their experiences: grandparents who worked and owned a dry-cleaners,…

Edward Jones

Amanda Ashley

Amanda Ashley grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her mother was a home economics teacher, and so she grew up with a strong understanding of nutrition. In the summers, they would sometimes visit her grandmother who had a farm in Georgia, where they enjoyed fresh pecans, corn, and scuppernong…

Carolyn Briggs

Carolyn Briggs grew up on S. Merritt Mill road in a two-story rock house. As a child, she walked over a mile to go to elementary school in Northside – no matter if it was raining, snowing, or sleeting. She is a graduate of Lincoln High School and participated in the Civil Rights Movement in Chapel…

Deloris Bynum

Deloris Bynum, the oldest of seven siblings, grew up in Chapel Hill and has been here all her life. Her mother worked in the infirmary as a nurse’s aide, and her father was a chef. In high school, Bynum was a member of the cheerleading squad, and she eventually married her high school sweetheart who…

Kara Baldwin

Joe Alston

Joe, a long-time resident of Northside, is known for the care with which he maintains his yard and the way he looks out for elderly neighbors on Lindsay Street.

Charles Geer