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Civil Rights Story Circle - On their experiences in Chapel Hill in the 1960s

Interviewed by Hudson Vaughan and Alexander Stephens on March 24, 2012

Freedom fighters Euyvonne Cotton, James Foushee, William Carter, Linda Brown, Keith Edwards, and Marion Phillips gathered upstairs at St. Joseph C.M.E. to talk about their experiences as young people in the freedom movement in Chapel Hill 1960-1964. Spurred by the recent publication of Courage in the Moment: The Civil Rights Struggle, 1961-1964 by James Wallace and Paul Dickson featuring previously unknown images, the participants recall marches and non-violent protests as well as police harassment, arrests, and imprisonment. They also credit the support they received from friends, families, and churches for the strength it took to continue the struggle.

Civil Rights Story Circle - On their experiences in Chapel Hill in the 1960s

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Oral history interview of Cotton, Euyvonne conducted by Vaughan, Hudson on March 24, 2012 at Marian Cheek Jackson Center. Processed by Shannon, Leslie.

Citation: Marian Cheek Jackson Center, “Civil Rights Story Circle - On their experiences in Chapel Hill in the 1960s,” From the Rock Wall, accessed July 13, 2025, https://fromtherockwall.org/oral-histories/civil-rights-story-circle.

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In this Oral History

Marion Phillips

Euyvonne Cotton

William Carter

"And so, we started to talk—singing, organizing a little bit, marching a little bit, and then that’s when we started forming this executive committee." - William Carter

James Foushee

Keith Edwards

"You can only hold stuff in for so long." - Keith Edwards Keith Edwards is a native of Chapel Hill and has been a leader in the community for decades. Keith was one of the first black students to integrate Chapel Hill Junior High School in seventh grade. Ms. Keith later went on to work as a police…

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