Thomas Bell
Thomas Bell is a longtime Northside community member, who grew up walking to high school football games in Carrboro and playing at Hargraves. He attended Lincoln High School before Chapel Hill public schools were desegregated. These days, he volunteers at Heavenly Groceries and is an active member of his church.
Thomas Bell - On growing up in Northside, involvement with the community, and the Civil Rights Movement
Thomas Bell, a long time Northside community member and employee at Hillsborough Prison, attended Lincoln High School immediately before the desegregation of Chapel Hill public schools. He reflects on growing up in the Northside (walking to high school football games in Carborro, playing at Hargraves, complying with segregation rules in Chapel Hill), his participation in sit-ins and protests of the Chapel Hill Civil Rights Movement, his time as the first black employee at Hillsborough Prison, and the neighborhood residency shift with the effects of gentrification. Bell discusses his family life and his experience working in the fields with his grandfather, his “kin” relationships with most community members, and his involvement with the community today as an church member and volunteer at Heavenly Groceries.
