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Walt Riggsbee

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

Sidney Rittenberg

 Sidney Rittenberg - On the African American freedom struggle and Civil Rights Movement in Chapel Hill

Audio recordings of interviews conducted by Yonni Chapman with participants in the African American freedom struggle and the civil rights movement in and around Chapel Hill, N.C.

Charles Rivers

 Charles Rivers - On desegregation in Chapel Hill

This interview is part of a project conducted by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill graduate and undergraduate students in a 2001 oral history course. Topics include Chapel Hill's efforts to end racial segregation in the public schools; the process of creating integrated institutions; and…

Marie Roberson

 Marie Roberson - On the African American freedom struggle and Civil Rights Movement in Chapel Hill

Audio recordings of interviews conducted by Yonni Chapman with participants in the African American freedom struggle and the civil rights movement in and around Chapel Hill, N.C.

Whitney Robinson Rivers

 Dr. Whitney Robinson Rivers - On healthcare and Northside

"If people from the Jackson Center ever had a question or even other neighbors would text me with questions, I was always really glad to help." - Dr. Whitney Robinson Rivers Dr. Whitney Robinson Rivers speaks about her experiences living in Northside, primarily relating to the topics of healthcare…

 Dr. Whitney Robinson - On women's health (clip)

 Dr. Whitney Robinson - On neighborhood changes (clip)

 Dr. Whitney Robinson - On navigating healthcare (clip)

Collene Rogers

Collene was born and grew up in her family’s home on Merritt Mill Road. Her mother, Mary Neville Riggsbee, grew up on the Neville Farm in Orange County and her father, Walter Riggsbee, grew up on the Riggsbee Farm in Chatham County. In the mid-1930s, they each left home to work for the University…

 Collene Rogers - On the importance of working together as a community and her involvement with civil rights organizations

In this interview, Collene Rogers begins by explaining the importance of working together as a community, standing up for oneself, and always working to improve one's own life. She then tells her experiences working for New York City banks, in which every branch had its own environment and diverse…

 Collene Rogers - On her father's career in the trades

“At his (Walter Riggsbee) funeral, Reverend Manley said, “How many people had to call him at 1 o’clock in the morning, 2 o’clock in the morning, and he came?” I think every hand in the church went up.” - Collene Rigsbee This interview is part of the Marian Cheek Jackson Center’s Builders Series.…

 Collene Riggsbee Rogers - Plumber (clip)

Collene Rogers: Well, I never considered, I always considered my father to be a plumber, you know? That was his passion. But he did build all three of the houses that he owned, he built, and the building. And for, he worked with other builders, Mr. Charles Brooks and Tate, and he would do the…

 Collene Riggsbee Rogers - Independence (clip)

Collene Rogers: Well, the only thing he did, I think the books he got, was like twelve of them. He was still working, and he was still going out and working during the day. And after dinner at night is when he would go out in his car and read the books. And so, he did that I guess, for about a, had…

 Collene Riggsbee Rogers - Other trades (clip)

Collene Riggsbee Rogers: It was his passion. He did everything. He was a licensed electrician and he was a carpenter. Upstairs in the building is where he had his workshop where he made his cabinets and stuff. And I guess he did whatever needed to be done because he was actually doing all of the…

 Collene Riggsbee Rogers - Why he liked the work (clip)

Kathryn Wall: Your said plumbing was his passion. Do you know why he liked that better than the other….? Collene Riggsbee Rogers: I really don’t. I don’t. Because I didn’t. I don’t. I don’t know. I guess maybe it was just something that he knew that people needed more and that’s what he focused on…

 Collene Riggsbee Rogers - Building houses (clip)

Collene Riggsbee Rogers: Well, you know, it’s our house that’s on Merrit Mill Road that we had also and the building, my grandfather, his father, is the one that gave him the building but it was like, you know old times they had wooden buildings and stuff, I guess it was starting to deteriorate he…

 Collene Riggsbee Rogers - Brick work (clip)

Collene Riggsbee Rogers: My brother did the brick work and my cousin. I guess they all started that in high school. The football players had to work in construction in the summer because they didn’t have exercise equipment, so they felt that they were building up their muscles and stuff doing that.…

 Collene Riggsbee Rogers - Resistance to plumbing (clip)

Collene Riggsbee Rogers: But nobody wanted to work with Daddy because Daddy did plumbing. [Laughter] But it was so funny because Bobby’s friends were always at our house. If Bobby was working and wasn’t there they always stopped by because they always liked sitting down and talking to Mama. So if…

 Collene Riggsbee Rogers - Helping father (clip)

Collene Riggsbee Rogers: If they didn’t go then it was me, you know, and I just didn't want to do it so I said let me find me something to do, I have to get into some stuff. I got into 4-H, I got into Girl Scouts, I got into everything that was going to take me away. And at school, I got into the…

 Collene Riggsbee Rogers - Day or night (clip)

Collene Riggsbee Rogers: If they called him and they needed it, he’d go. At his funeral, Reverend Manley said, “How many people had to call him at one o’clock in the morning--two o’clock in the morning--and he came?” And I think every hand in the church went up. And see we lived that way, and I…