Oral Histories

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…

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…

This interview is part of an oral history project called Southern Communities: Listening for a Change: Mighty Tigers--Oral HIstories of Chapel Hill's Lincoln High School. The interviewes were conducted from 2000-2001, by Bob Gilgor, with former teachers, staff, and students from Chapel Hill, N.C.'s…

“I was a member of the Black Student Movement. It was like a year old when I got there so I was very active in that. I was the off-campus minister. We would go to the football games and not stand for the national anthem…as a form of protest.” - Mae McLendonr In this interview, Mae McLendon sits down…

Ella Wise/Rachel Mossey (EW/RM): How have you seen Saint Joseph’s though – the role of Saint Joseph’s in this community? Virginia Medean (VM): They’ve always been a strong advocate for justice, social justice, and community means. They have a wonderful pastor now– EW/RM: Mhm. VM: –And [pause] I…

Virginia Medean: That place where I went to live for a few years in Halifax County was still as segregated as ever and was a very uncomfortable place to live. As a white person, it was very uncomfortable to be around other White people there because of their racism. They have learned not to say the…

Virginia Medean (VM): My husband, I said you know, he has serious healthcare needs, which will affect where he will be able to work. Ella Wise/Rachel Mossey (EW/RM): Mhm VM: And, so it’s sort of an enforced poverty, even though it was out of our control that it happened – and I have a lot of…

Virginia Medean: I think community takes people talking to each other and just finding what your similar needs are. I’ve met lots of people because I have a car, and I say to people, “Anybody need a ride to the other side of town?” Ella Wise: What else makes a community? So we talked about walking…

Virginia Medean provides a look into her experience of Northside as a white woman who is aware of both sides of town (Northside and Carrboro). She explains her concerns and her ideas of how the community could grow bigger and change. She also indulges in the present and how she spends her everyday…

This interview is part of an oral history project called Southern Communities: Listening for a Change: Mighty Tigers--Oral HIstories of Chapel Hill's Lincoln High School. The interviewes were conducted from 2000-2001, by Bob Gilgor, with former teachers, staff, and students from Chapel Hill, N.C.'s…

In this oral history, Regina Merritt discusses what her life was like growing up on a farm. From the beginning of the interview, it is clear that her grandmother was the centerpiece of her family. She cooked for not only her own family members, but also for anyone in the community who needed food.…

“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. And that stayed with me for years. Because people are going to talk about you, you cannot stop people from talking. They can say what they want to say to you, but you know who you…

"Know what history really is. Know what history is all about. Dig deep." - Thomas Merritt In this interview, Mr. Merritt gives an overview of his family history in Chapel Hill and Carrboro by sharing memories of his childhood while discussing larger social shifts at work. Starting with a description…

MCJC Staff: “So, could you tell us what [growing up on Church Street] was like - sisters, brothers?” Thomas Merritt: “Oh one sister older, one brother younger. We were pretty well off back then. My mother she worked for Danziger’s Old World gift shop. My father worked at different restaurants, and…

MCJC Staff: “At the same time, kids in town were fighting for civil rights?” Thomas Merritt: “Yes. They were fighting for civil rights because they wanted to go places and to be free to go places and do things. Dairy Queen [chuckle]. Down at the bottom of Franklin Street, in the dirt parking lot…

MCJC Staff: “So what happened to the land?” Thomas Merritt: “Well, a lady came by and she had some papers and she tried to get my grandmother to sign them. So she forged her signature on them and she took the land. And I think she felt guilty. And my brother knew the whole story about what had…

Ms. Freddie Mae Mitchell grew up on Graham Street, and as the oldest daughter in her family, she helped her parents by cooking for the rest of the family. Her cousins owned a farm, and her family would get food from them. When she got married she moved to Gomains Street, where she lived for ten…

Esta entrevista es parte de la colección del Marian Cheek Jackson Center para la serie de Encontrando a Nuestros Vecinos. Señor Andrés Morales-Castillo empieza la entrevista con descripciones del barrio donde vive ahorra, comparando lo con su barrio de Monterrey, México. El cuenta un relato de un…

This interview provides discussion of food, especially the process of getting food, and the amount of food you could buy. Furthermore, Morrow describes the change in money changes to affect how much food you can buy. She also demonstrates how money affects traditions. Her area had no farmers market…