Marian Cheek Jackson

Marian Cheek Jackson has resided in Chapel Hill for her entire life. Much of the life she knows has involved her staying in, participating in, and protecting Northside. The Marian Cheek Jackson Center was named after her because of the vision she had to document the history that lies in the neighborhood. Jackson is a big believer in “without a past we have no future”, thus reflecting the image of the center itself. Jackson’s grandfather was a freed slave that worked as a brick mason for the university, and her father was a janitor for the university. Her father was also the creator of the Janitor’s Association at Chapel Hill, where he did great work in obtaining and protecting the rights of janitors on campus. Her entire family has been involved in making strides for the black community in Chapel Hill. Jackson is most concerned with keeping the land in Northside in the hands of the black community because she sees that it is being lost, therefore there is no place for these families to come back to. That is where the Jackson Center comes into place. The center has committees in place that go out and challenge legislation that may take land away from the black community. Additionally, the committees find ways for the black community to make the law work for them so that they can keep their land and make needed improvements to their homes. The vision that Marian Jackson has for Northside is that the entire community get back into getting to know and support each other. She thinks the community has lost that since more students have moved in, but she wants to work with the students to bring back the community atmosphere.

This interview starts with the occupational history for Marian Cheek Jackson. She worked in policy service, data processing, and underwriting for North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company for 22 years. North Carolina Mutual is the largest and oldest black insurance company in the country. In 1969, she went to work at the UNC Hospital as a secretary in the blood bank after working at NC Mutual. She worked at UNC Hospitals for 17 years until 1986. She worked in Granville Towers for almost 10 years (until 1997). She worked at a local funeral home while working part-time at UNC Hospital. The funeral home was originally called Bynum Weaver Funeral Home. Jackson recounts her family history beginning with her grandparents. Her paternal grandfather was a slave from Warren County, he was one of the people to lay the rock walls at UNC. His name was Ruben Cheek (a stonemason). Her maternal grandmother was a housewife and her paternal grandmother did laundry and other domestic services for professors at UNC. She didn’t know about her maternal grandfather. Her father was instrumental in community work and worked with others to find locations for Lincoln school and the community church. He also started the Janitors’ Association at UNC. Her mother worked for Dr. Coker for whom the Coker Arboretum is named. Dr. Coker’s wife’s father was a Venable. Her father worked in Venable Hall and her mother worked for Coker. She remembers going to Chapel of the Cross (her family was Episcopalian). She attended St. Augustine’s College in Raleigh. Ms. Jackson talks about some of the areas where African Americans lived and owned land.

"You have to keep going."

- Marian Cheek Jackson

Mrs. Marian Cheek Jackson begins with a description of prominent Black businesses that used to exist in the African American community, (including Mason's grocery store); St. Joseph's Christian Methodist Episcopal Church's role in civil rights protest; Martin Luther King, Jr.'s visit and the response of the local Ku Klux Klan; church march on 15-501 and fears of protests. Jackson describes her grandparents' ties to Chapel Hill and memories of her grandparents. Jackson also talks about how St. Joseph's emerged from other churches, growing out of Hamlet church. She also recalls the relationship between the University of North Carolina and the Black community. Jackson also discusses the visits of prominent politicians, (President John F. Kennedy and Franklin D. Roosevelt); black labor for prominent University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill professors; her husband's employment; St. Paul's Baptist; pending lawsuit with community developers; the impact of revitalization on black businesses and Bishop Hoyt. Jackson closes with a discussion on her work ethic and health and senior programs at the Senior Citizen.

In this interview, Marian Cheek Jackson describes the origins of St. Joseph's Christian Methodist Episcopal Church and her start as church historian. Jackson discusses the role of her father, Kennon Cheek, and Russell Edwards in establishing the church, the impact of the Quaker church school and St. Joseph's new building plan in 1946. Jackson also describes the racial geographies of Chapel Hill's African American Northside community in the early to mid-1900s; the role of Lincoln High School for the black community and reveals the loss of black businesses and homes due to urban renewal efforts of the 1960s and 1970s and the current revitalization efforts of Greenbridge condos. Jackson closes this interview with information about her work at the funeral home and a discussion of her childhood home and work as the church secretary of St. Joseph's Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.Chap