Judy Nunn Snipes

Darius Scott (DS): So, before you married Mr. Nunn, you were living over on Rogers Road?

Judy Nunn Snipes (JS): Yes.

Gertrude Nunn (GN): Exactly.

DS: And at that time, it was still the wagon trail?

S: Yes.

GN: Yeah, uh-huh.

DS: And could you talk a little bit about ?

GN: I know nothing about a car!

DS: [Laughs]

JS: [Laughs]

GN: why we called it a wagon road.

DS: A wagon road.

JS: Yeah, um-hmm.

GN: W-A-G-however you spell it. [Laughs]

JS: G-O-N.

DS: right. [Laughs]

GN: Horse and buggy.

DS: And what was your daily life like living on Rogers Road?

JS: Rogers Road, yeah.

GN: Good! My mother we had to gather all the vegetables in the field, set up half of the night, shell those beans and peas, and my daddy would go to sell them in Durham.

JS: Yeah, we talked about that already.

GN: And so I...

JS: Tell him, well, like as ten children, what it was like then.

GN: Okay. Well, anyway, my mom cooked on a wood stove.

DS: Okay.

GN: a bit more know nothing about no electricity, no lights. know nothing. We had lamps.

JS: Lamps, oil lamps.

GN: got one right there, keeping it for memory. I keep oil in it, in case the electricity goes out now. [Laughs]

JS: Goes out. [Laughs]

GN: But anyway, she would cook on an iron cast stove. And she kept water boiling on the stove to make the coffee.

“The connection is that the faith that backs me is my support and my strength. The you don’t give up. You keep fighting.”

- Judy Nunn-Ellison Snipes

Judy Nunn-Ellison Snipes has been an important member and leader of Chapel Hill since growing up and living in the community for most of her life. She speaks of the family history of the Nunns and Rogers and talks about their connection to the land in Chapel Hill and the fight and effort that went into preserving that land. She speaks of her life, talking about her educational experiences, activism efforts, community leadership, career advances, and the role faith has in her life. The interview continues to talk of the troubles her family had in protecting their land including fights with utility companies, disruptions from the creation of landfills, issues with ordinances, and the people of Chapel Hill trying to take their land. She speaks of her family history and the influence they had in shaping her involvement and efforts in contributing to the Chapel Hill community. Judy discusses the significance of preserving land and having pride in family history and heritage. Her leadership and activism come from her desire to honor and maintain the history of the land and the people of Chapel Hill.

This interview is part of a project done from 1993-1998, concentrating on the experiences of women leaders and attempting to redefine leadership to encompass women's efforts in grassroots movements, especially in environmental movements, community development, and self-help organizations. This interview with Judy Nunn-Ellison Snipes was about Nunn and Rogers family history, especially as connected to the land. The discussion alluded to events as early as 1862, but concentrated mostly on the last forty years. The interview covered the following topics: the fight to protect nearly land from being used in ways disruptive to the community (landfill, extraction of fill dirt, electrical), conflicts with the town of Chapel Hill over zoning, Nunn family events, influence of older Nunn and Rogers family members on Judy's life, the importance of heritage and land, role of faith and church. We explored possible connections between heritage and activism.