Rosemary Ezra - On the African American freedom struggle and Civil Rights Movement in Chapel Hill
Interviewed by John Kenyon "Yonni" Chapman on April 26, 1996
“I guess I’d like to be remembered as someone who stood up for something she thought was right.”
- Rosemary Ezra
This interview is a part of a series conducted by Yonni Chapman that focuses on African American participants in the freedom struggle and civil rights movement in and around Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Rosemary Ezra, the daughter of Jewish immigrants, reflects on her activism within the Chapel Hill civil rights movement in the 1960s. She recalls various demonstrations including marching, picketing, and fasting, and she describes being arrested several times for the sake of ending segregation. She details the successes and failures of the movement, the interracial dynamics and gender roles within the movement, and tells the story of a grocery store sit-in she participated in. Ultimately, this interview gives deep insight into Chapel Hill’s various views on the movement.
