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Robert Smith

"You were in the neighborhood, so sure, you always felt like somebody was sort of looking after you. You were basically in somebody else's yard." - Robert Smith

Charlene Smith

"Whether it was always having a black teacher, having a black custodian, having a black principal who directed the way the school was going. Black cafeteria workers. It was black people around you, which you always had a sense of family, and a sense of community. A sense of safety, and a sense of…

Diane Pledger

Joanne Peerman

"We were not allowed into restaurants and nightclubs and the like. So anyone who wanted to go to wholesome family activities would go to school activities and sporting events and musical concerts given by the chorus from school. School played a very, very significant role in the black community. It…

Shari Manning

Sheila Florence

"We figured that's just the way it’s supposed to be until later when integration did come about, and we came into the knowledge that it's not supposed to be that way, everybody's supposed to be equal — but being white: whites thought 'white meant right.'" - Sheila Florence

Burnice Hackney

"I grew up with my grandparents. My grandfather was a third generation farmer. We had a 100-acre farm and were pretty much self-sufficent…My grandparents have a lot of love. My grandmother was loved by hundreds if not thousands of people." - Burnice Hackney

Mack Foushee

Gloria Warren

"I didn’t feel that we were poor -- a lot of black people didn’t find that out until the War on Poverty – but during the time that I was growing up I didn’t feel that we were poor because we always had plenty to eat, we had clothes to wear, we could go to school, we could participate in things in…

Stanley Vickers

"You didn't buck the system. White folks had their place, Black folks had their place, and fighting with them was just not the thing you do. You don't attack the king's kids." - Stanley Vickers

Ted Stone

"If this [the freedom movement] is gonna work, somebody has to be the strong one, and it's gonna have to be you. ‘Cause we've struggled too hard to get you into this position and then, after listening to speeches from Dr. King about how to survive it without violence: I just sucked I up and kept…

Gertrude Nunn

"Know that we do exist here, and the older people that left property for us, it’s a legacy...And I’m happy that I’m living enough to tell the story." - Gertrude Nunn

Judy Nunn Snipes

"My fear is that people won't continue to...pass on the heritage. In black families I always felt that was the strength - what you learn from your ancestry you continue to pass on to your children." - Judy Nunn Snipes

Mary Scroggs

"With school desegregation] they tried to make it very clear that they were all students and they were all to be treated as individuals with worth. And some teachers weren't very enthusiastic about this and resigned as a matter of fact, I remember. Most of the teachers, I think, made a real…

Charlene B. Regester

"I have a niece who went to Chapel Hill High and just based on some of the comments she's made to me, I have the impression that things haven't changed all that much..." - Charlene B. Regester

Zora Rashkis

Rosa McMasters Prayloe

Clyde Perry

Karen L. Parker

"Most Black students wanted to go to historically Black colleges or universities because there was a sense of belonging. Because one thing about being one of the handful of Blacks on a predominantly white campus socially you can be very isolated." - Karen L. Parker

Raney Norwood

"If you called me poor, even back then, I couldn't find anywhere for that word to fit into our vocabulary. My brother and I, when we sit down and talk now, we feel rich." - Raney Norwood

Delaine Norwood

"Teachers used to talk about, "Well one day there's going to be integration. And those teachers aren't going to spend the time with you like I'm spending with you. We want to make sure you're prepared." - Delaine Norwood

Stella Nickerson

"You really didn't have to worry about whether or not somebody was going to be around or—it wasn't something you thought about. You always had your neighbors next door, or across the street. That's who looked out for you." - Stella Nickerson

Mary Cole

"My parents always taught us, 'You know who you are.' No matter what you say to me or what you call me, I know who I am." - Mary Cole

Effie Merritt