Oral Histories

Ms. Pledger describes her friend Susan Perry working as a lifeguard at the pool while she worked the front desk for several summers in the 1970s. She also discusses learning how to swim.

This interview is part of a group of interviews conducted by Susan Simone exploring the lives and struggle of various members of the Northside community: a historically black and primarily residential neighborhood located immediately northwest of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and…

"I think a lot of [being an ally to black educators] is leaning on the fact that I am a white educator and that I am learning and that knowing that learning is a process. Knowing that I don’t know everything, knowing that I will make mistakes and will continue making mistakes, but knowing that I…

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 includes the interviewee’s background and his occupational history with food. He considers his first kitchen to be at the Carolina Inn in the 1940s and 1950s. His favorite dish to cook at the Carolina Inn was roast beef. Revels states that his favorite place to cook at was the Zoom…

Throughout this interview, Mr. Revels discusses the most influential people in his life as being the Danziggers, his mother and father, and his grandmother. He touches on a lot of lessons he’s learned from each of these individuals throughout the interview, such as the importance of work and…

Donny Hollywood Riggsbee, a bachelor, gemini, grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He remembers the last few decades in North Carolina, reflecting on the fond memories of his family and friends. He reflects on his time at UNC, working in housing and Lenoir dining hall. He shares his entertainment…

"...we called it Tin Top, because all the houses that were on top had [roofs] with tin on it." - Donny "Hollywood" Riggsbee This interview provides insight into the background of Donny “Hollywood” Riggsbee, a long-term Northside neighborhood resident. He shares his experiences living with 12…

Donny ‘Hollywood’ Riggsbee, resident of Chapel Hill, gives his biography during his time in in the town. He describes his youth, growing with 10 siblings, how his mother worked in a kitchen and how the kids worked while growing up. He talks about racial experiences in the form of his employer (Big…

We conducted this interview as a part of the Marian Cheek Jackson Center’s Oral History series. Bobby Riggsbee, commonly referred as Walt own his own restaurant named Walt’s Grill. Walt was born and raised in a segregated Chapel Hill and attended Lincoln High School located in the Northside…

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.

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…

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.

"If people from the Jackson Center ever had a question or even other neighbors would text me with questions, I was always really glad to help." - Dr. Whitney Robinson Rivers Dr. Whitney Robinson Rivers speaks about her experiences living in Northside, primarily relating to the topics of healthcare…

In this interview, Collene Rogers begins by explaining the importance of working together as a community, standing up for oneself, and always working to improve one's own life. She then tells her experiences working for New York City banks, in which every branch had its own environment and diverse…

“At his (Walter Riggsbee) funeral, Reverend Manley said, “How many people had to call him at 1 o’clock in the morning, 2 o’clock in the morning, and he came?” I think every hand in the church went up.” - Collene Rigsbee This interview is part of the Marian Cheek Jackson Center’s Builders Series.…

Collene Rogers: Well, I never considered, I always considered my father to be a plumber, you know? That was his passion. But he did build all three of the houses that he owned, he built, and the building. And for, he worked with other builders, Mr. Charles Brooks and Tate, and he would do the…

Collene Rogers: Well, the only thing he did, I think the books he got, was like twelve of them. He was still working, and he was still going out and working during the day. And after dinner at night is when he would go out in his car and read the books. And so, he did that I guess, for about a, had…

Collene Riggsbee Rogers: It was his passion. He did everything. He was a licensed electrician and he was a carpenter. Upstairs in the building is where he had his workshop where he made his cabinets and stuff. And I guess he did whatever needed to be done because he was actually doing all of the…

Kathryn Wall: Your said plumbing was his passion. Do you know why he liked that better than the other….? Collene Riggsbee Rogers: I really don’t. I don’t. Because I didn’t. I don’t. I don’t know. I guess maybe it was just something that he knew that people needed more and that’s what he focused on…