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 Thomas Bell - On growing up in Northside, involvement with the community, and the Civil Rights Movement

Thomas Bell, a long time Northside community member and employee at Hillsborough Prison, attended Lincoln High School immediately before the desegregation of Chapel Hill public schools. He reflects on growing up in the Northside (walking to high school football games in Carborro, playing at…

Thomas Bell

Thomas Bell is a longtime Northside community member, who grew up walking to high school football games in Carrboro and playing at Hargraves. He attended Lincoln High School before Chapel Hill public schools were desegregated. These days, he volunteers at Heavenly Groceries and is an active member…

Partial notes about General Claims

This is the last page of notes from St. Joseph CME Church talking about paying General Claims under the leadership of Dr. LK Bennett. Photo courtesy of Mrs. Patricia Jackson and St. Joseph CME Church.

 James Blacknell Jr. building a stone wall

James Blacknell Jr. builds a stone wall on the campus of the University of North Carolina. Mr. Blacknell, along with his father (James Blacknell, Sr.) and son (Norman Blacknell) worked as stone masons, constructing many of the prominent stone walls and buildings on the campus of UNC.Photo courtesy…

Anita Booth

Charles Booth

Mr. Charles Booth was born in Chapel Hill and lived here all his life (79 years). His parents lived in Orange County but passed away when he was very young. Mr. Booth's aunt Fannie took him in when he was a little boy and he has lived in the same house ever since. He married Ruth and now they live…

 Ruth, Charles, and Anita Booth

This interview is part of a group of interviews conducted by Susan Simone exploring the lives and struggle of various members of the Northside community: a historically black and primarily residential neighborhood located immediately northwest of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and…

Ruth Booth

Ms. Ruth Booth was born and raised in Chatham County on a 100 acre private farm owned by her grandfather. At the age of 17 she was tired of picking cotton and corn and decided to leave Chatham and move to Chapel Hill. Ms. Booth was a former member of Hamlet Chapel. When she moved to Chapel Hill she…

 Mary Mason Boyd

 Mary Mason Boyd - On the African American freedom struggle and Civil Rights Movement in Chapel Hill

"We thought that since it’s a fight for the Black cause, it should be located in the Black community and establishment." - Mary Mason Boyd This interview is part of an oral history interview project conducted by Yonni Chapman with participants in the African American freedom struggle and the Civil…

Shirley Bradshaw

 Shirley Bradshaw - On her childhood, education, and school integration

This interview is part of an oral history project called Southern Communities: Listening for a Change: Mighty Tigers--Oral HIstories of Chapel Hill's Lincoln High School. The interviewes were conducted from 2000-2001, by Bob Gilgor, with former teachers, staff, and students from Chapel Hill, N.C.'s…

Willie Bradshaw

 Willie "Brad" Bradshaw - On his childhood, education, and career coaching sports

“If you have good football teams, it permeates throughout the entire school and it helps the other things that you’re going to do come up to par, come up to snuff or whatever you want to call it. It cuts down on a lot of discipline problems. Kids want to do more in school, because they see the…

Funeral Service Program for Mrs. Arvella Mae Sligh Briggs

Mrs. Arvella Mae Sligh Briggs' funeral took place on August 18, 1976 at St. Joseph CME Church. Rev. Wylie E. Wilson officiated the service. Photo courtesy of Mrs. Patricia Jackson and St. Joseph CME Church.

 Carolyn Briggs - On her childhood and growing up during the Civil Rights Movement

In this interview, long-time local Chapel Hill resident Carolyn Briggs discusses her experiences growing up in Chapel Hill. While her family moved a couple of times during her childhood, Carolyn developed strong relationships with her family, friends, and mentors. Carolyn discusses the challenges of…

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…

 Carolyn Briggs - Sit Ins (clip)

Carolyn Briggs: Most of the students that were in there, they- we- were like fourteen, fifteen years old. So, you marched, demonstrated, it wasn’t – the older ones I think experienced some hostilities- but the younger ones, it was fun to work, to grow, and know that you could make a difference, that…

 Carolyn Briggs - On when integration started (clip)

 Carolyn Briggs - On being self-supported (clip)

 Carolyn Briggs - On funding for the A.D. Clark Pool (clip)

 Carolyn Briggs - On walking to Northside Elementary (clip)

 Carolyn Briggs - On the construction of the A.D. Clark Pool and lifeguards (clip)

Carolyn Briggs describes writing essays in school to convince people to build the pool. She also describes being saved from drowning in the pool and remembers several of the lifeguards at A.D. Clark Pool.

James Brittian

"[The Black teachers] were looked upon as gods." - James Brittian