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 William Smith - Speaking about his masonry career and business

William E. Smith, also known as Smitty, grew up in Durham with his parents and seven brothers. His strongest influence growing up was his grandfather, who he spent a great deal of time with – including helping out on his farm in Orange County. He graduated from Hillside High School, which he…

 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…

Willie Bradshaw

Willie Mae Patterson

"My granddad and my grandma they always had a garden. We grew up with a garden and they canned our food. We had a lot and they would can the vegetables, had a lot of tomatoes so they canned the tomatoes, and string beans, so you didn’t have to go back to the store in the wintertime to buy them.…

 Willie Mae Patterson - On cooking and food

As a part of the Jackson Center’s food ways project, Willie Mae Patterson speaks to her experience with food and cooking. White Patterson grew up with a very small kitchen, her grandma taught her how to cook and always had lots of vegetables in her garden. Some of Patterson’s most popular dishes…

 Willie Mae Patterson - 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.

Willis Farrington

Born and raised in Northside, Reverend Willis Farrington recounts the community of Northside and the Roberson Street Community Center as his childhood home. As an integral individual in Northside, the community supported his decision to become a minister and lead jail and street ministries. Now,…

 Willis Farrington - On events at Hargraves Community Center (clip)

 Willis Farrington - On growing up in Northside, his ministry, and changes in Chapel Hill

This interview is part of the Marian Cheek Jackson Center’s Life History Series. Reverend Willis Farrington, a leader of St. Joseph CME Church, was born in Chapel Hill and spent the entirety of his childhood running the streets of Northside and the Roberson Street Community Center. Reverend…

 Willis Farrington - On growing up in Northside, local businesses, and Northside neighbors

This interview is part of the Marian Cheek Jackson Center’s Life History Series. Minister Willis Farrington, an associate pastor at S. Joseph CME Church, grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He grew up going to St. Joseph CME all his life and has never been a member of another church. In 1975 he…

 Willis Farrington - On Hargraves being a home away from home (clip)

 Willis Farrington - On his prison ministry (clip)

 Willis Farrington - On Mr. White Bynum building A.D. Clark Pool (clip)

 Willis Farrington - On renaming Hargraves Community Center (clip)

 Willis Farrington - On the changes at Hargraves Community Center (clip)

 Willis Farrington and Jim Wallace

 Willis Farrington and Regina Merritt

 Willis Fearrington Leads Vigil

Willistine McClain

 Willistine McClain - Holiday Memories (clip)

Willistine McClain remembers her mother's holiday fruitcakes.To hear more from Willistine McClain, listen to her full oral history "Williestine McLean - On her childhood, parents, food, and farming."

 Willistine McClain - On her childhood, parents, food, and farming

Willistine McClain begins the interview by sharing her childhood background of living in Darlington, SC with 12 siblings. She also includes her battle with cancer and having to attend UNC Hospitals for treatment. Willistine describes her parents’ relationship; her father was in his 20s and her…

Windy Hill

"I was born in Chapel Hill, I was born on Hillsborough Street, which most blacks referred as Windy Hill. And...to enter Windy Hill, you had to go through the white community. And to exit Windy Hill you had to go through the white community. And it was just a segment of black homeowners that lived on…

Winston-Salem State University

Winston-Salem State University is a historically Black public university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded as Slater Industrial Academy in 1892, it was renamed Winston-Salem Teachers College in 1925. The addition of a school of nursing in 1963 led it to be renamed Winston-Salem State College…

Work and Labor

Working at the University has been a source of pride and resentment for Northside neighbors who built the early dorms, hospital, South Building, laid the brick walkways, hauled washing water from the “old well” to students in Old East, did copious amounts of laundry 7 days/week for $14 (which could…