Theme
Food
Food is nourishment. Food is family. Listen to the ways people do, think, and experience food and you’ll learn about how food makes community, sustains families, and shapes identities. Search for food and foodways—and you may also find out how to kill a chicken or to make Mama Kat's incomparable poundcake. For a little inspiration, listen to Brentton Harrison’s audio-documentary, "Do You Want It."
Food is also work and service. It unites and divides. Listen to neighbors about the importance of farming and gardening. Search for Heavenly Groceries and learn about a radical response to regional food insecurity at St. Joseph C.M.E. Watch The Lenoir Strike and see how women in food service on the UNC campus stood up for improved working conditions. Consider how the right to eat at a lunch counter or in a booth at Colonial Drug was at the heart of the early freedom or civil rights movement in Chapel Hill.
To learn more...
Amanda Ashley - On food during her childhood and learning to cook
Amanda Ashley describes her experiences with food in her childhood as the interviewer introduces the Food Ministry. Amanda shares how her mother’s occupation as a nutrition teacher influenced her food intake. Food in her household was less processed. Amanda describes her learning experiences in…
Amanda Ashley - On food during her childhood and learning to cook
Anita Spring Council and Annette “Neecy” Council - On Their Family History and Family Businesses
"Yeah our friends would be going to the ball games and going here and then we had to go to work. But then when it came down to going to McDonald’s or whatever we had the money to buy it and they didn’t, so that was the good part about it."
- Annette "Neecy" Council
Anita Spring Council and Annette…
Anita Spring Council and Annette “Neecy” Council - On Their Family History and Family Businesses
Brentton Harrison - On his time at the Jackson Center
“It doesn’t feel like work, it feels like a calling, a mission, or a purpose."
- Brentton Harrison
Mr. Harrison is bidding farewell to the Jackson Center after 10 years of service to join the Hargreeves Community Center. With the whole staff bidding him farewell and asking questions, it leads to…
Brentton Harrison - On his time at the Jackson Center
Cecilia Massey-Fike - On her family, faith, and community
Cecilia Massey-Fike is an important member of her community in Chapel Hill, NC taking particular prominence among her family and her church, Saint Joseph’s Methodist Episcopal Church. During her life in Chapel Hill she has worked as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) at Chapel Hill Rehab, worked in…
Cecilia Massey-Fike - On her family, faith, and community
Clayton Weaver - On his parents, education, and Northside
“I tell you young people, stay up with your peers. Never lose track of them.”
- Clayton Weaver
Weaver was born and raised in Chapel Hill, NC on Cameron Avenue. His great-uncle bought their family home in 1929 for $3000. He went to school at Northside Elementary. Weaver provides background on who…
Clayton Weaver - On his parents, education, and Northside
Donny "Hollywood" Riggsbee - On his childhood, food memories, and working at UNC
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…
Donny "Hollywood" Riggsbee - On his childhood, food memories, and working at UNC
Euzelle and R.D. Smith - On food and cooking
R.D. and Euzelle Smith have lived in Pottersfield in Chapel Hill since the 1940s. Both worked as educators in Chapel Hill for decades, and R.D. served as a member of the Town Council. They then became the namesakes for Smith Middle School when it was constructed. This interview was done as part of…
Euzelle and R.D. Smith - On food and cooking
Frances Hargraves - On childhood, family, education, and teaching
"I remember my mother always told me, 'Whatever job you must do, be sure you give it your best.' She said if it’s sweeping the floor, washing dishes, anything, do it your best. And as I grew, that was her philosophy - always give it your best. And I still carry that philosophy."
- Frances…
Frances Hargraves - On childhood, family, education, and teaching
Freddie Mae Mitchell - On her family and food
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…
Freddie Mae Mitchell - On her family and food
Gracie Webb - On her family, growing up in Northside, and changes in Northside
“On Sundays everybody would come after church and come there and eat, the pastors and all [of them]. We weren’t the wealthiest, but we were always full.”
- Gracie Webb
Throughout Gracie Webb’s life she has seemingly always been in the Northside and Cedar Groves area of Chapel Hill-Carrboro.…
Gracie Webb - On her family, growing up in Northside, and changes in Northside
Joyce Long - On the connections between food, family, and memory
Having lived in New York City before moving to Chapel Hill, Joyce Long has seen firsthand the differences between Northern and Southern cooking. Her father owned a restaurant in Harlem, but she and her mother did most of the cooking in the home. Her mother taught her to be a creative cook, and…
Joyce Long - On the connections between food, family, and memory
Judy Nunn Snipes and Gertrude Nunn - Speaking about the Rogers-Eubanks community
“I just have to say it was two proud families that basically loved the land and raised their families and contributed to the economy. There were lots of talents on both sides of the family- there was nothing her brothers couldn’t do.”
- Judy Nunn Snipes
This interview is part of an SOHP project…
Judy Nunn Snipes and Gertrude Nunn - Speaking about the Rogers-Eubanks community
Katherine Council - On food, cooking, and recipes
In this interview, Mama Kat, a cooking and baking extraordinaire, shares some of her kitchen expertise including tips and favorite recipes. Mama Kat learned how to cook from her parents and grandparents, and now writes down her recipes in cookbooks for others to follow. She discusses how products…
Katherine Council - On food, cooking, and recipes
Katherine Council - On her pound cake recipe
In this interview, Mama Kat gives us her coveted pound cake recipe, which she knows from memory because she makes it so often.
Katherine Council - On her pound cake recipe
Kathy Atwater - On food
Ms. Atwater gives an overview of food access in the community when she was growing up and how her family’s attitudes toward food have developed over the course of her life. Starting with a discussion of her mother’s kitchen and garden, she describes the role of food in her family and in the…
Kathy Atwater - On food
Keith Edwards - On growing up in Carrboro and the role of teachers
“The thing I remember the most coming up in the Black community, the Black community supported the schools, not only financially, but they also supported the schools by parents having involvement in the children’s schooling.”
- Keith Edwards
Keith Edwards was born in 1950 and grew up in Carrboro and…
Keith Edwards - On growing up in Carrboro and the role of teachers
Keith Edwards - On the importance of food
“Sundays were always a special day. That whole day was made into just like a holiday.
- Keith Edwards
This interview includes Keith Edwards’s viewpoint on the importance of food in the home and in the community. She recalls specific recipes in the interview. Edwards was born and raised in Carrboro…
Keith Edwards - On the importance of food
Lavisha Williams - On food, cooking, and eating
Lavisha Williams grew up with her maternal grandparents as part of the household, and learned to cook watching them and her parents. Most of the foods and meals she grew up with had been passed down from her great-grandparents without cookbooks or precise recipes. Most of what she ate with her…
Lavisha Williams - On food, cooking, and eating
Lillie Edwards and Juanita Washington - On food and cooking
Lillie recounts on her first experiences with cooking bread as a young girl. She was the designated cook of the family. She also talks about her mother’s cooking style since her mother does not use standard recipes to cook. Juanita speaks about Mama Dip (her aunt) being the head cook in her family.…
Lillie Edwards and Juanita Washington - On food and cooking
Martrina Morrow - On food and food accessibility
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…
Martrina Morrow - On food and food accessibility
Mildred Council - On food, business, and Mama Dip's
Food is inextricably woven into Mildred Council’s life story. She grew up on a farm outside of Chapel Hill and cooked mostly out of necessity, and her main concerns were cost and practicality. She started learning from her father when she was nine years old, and as she grew up she held different…
Mildred Council - On food, business, and Mama Dip's
Mildred Council - On her family, segregation, restaurant business, and Head Start
"“[I don’t think] that there would be anything that I would have done differently. I really don’t."
- Mildred Council
This interview was recorded in 1994 for the Southern Oral History Program. Mildred Council, born in Chatham County in 1929, is the owner of Mama Dip’s Kitchen in Chapel Hill. She…
Mildred Council - On her family, segregation, restaurant business, and Head Start
Minister Robert Campbell - On Black Builders
"It’s good to talk about what it took to generate economics for the community itself. It was always teaching the new guy on the block. This is what it’s going to take for the future."
- Minister Robert Campbell
Within his interview, Minister Robert Campbell’s lively spirit and storytelling ease…
Minister Robert Campbell - On Black Builders
Regina Merritt - On food bringing people together
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.…
Regina Merritt - On food bringing people together
Regina Merritt and Mary Cole - On land ownership, integration, and racism
“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…
Regina Merritt and Mary Cole - On land ownership, integration, and racism
Robert Revels - On working in the food industry
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…
Robert Revels - On working in the food industry
Roberto Gonzalez - On food, immigrating, and his relationships with Northside neighbors and the Chapel Hill Latino community
This interview is part of the Marian Cheek Jackson Center’s A Place at the Table Series. Roberto Gonzalez, a resident of the Northside neighborhood and tenant of St. Josephs CME church, immigrated from Mexico to Chapel Hill when he was about 26 years old. After arriving in 2007, he was introduced to…
Roberto Gonzalez - On food, immigrating, and his relationships with Northside neighbors and the Chapel Hill Latino community
Stephanie Barnes-Simms - On growing up in Baltimore during the 1960s, family, and education
At the time of the interview, Stephanie Barnes-Simms worked at Self-Help Credit Union. Simms grew up in Baltimore and has lived in NC twice. Her father is from Asheville, NC. Her mother is one of six children. Her maternal grandfather was from High Point, NC and her maternal grandmother lived in…
Stephanie Barnes-Simms - On growing up in Baltimore during the 1960s, family, and education
Walt Riggsbee - On his restaurant, military service, and Chapel Hill
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…
Walt Riggsbee - On his restaurant, military service, and Chapel Hill
Walter Durham - On school integration, his childhood, and race
“[Lincoln] was a school that you could go in and… no paper on the school campus. Hallway shines like new money all the time. You could drink out of the commode in the bathroom. And it was kept just that clean.”
- Walter Durham
Walter Durham discusses growing up as part of a large family on his…
Walter Durham - On school integration, his childhood, and race
Willie Mae Patterson - On cooking and food
As a part of the Jackson Center’s food ways project, Willie Mae Patterson speaks to her experience with food and cooking. White Patterson grew up with a very small kitchen, her grandma taught her how to cook and always had lots of vegetables in her garden. Some of Patterson’s most popular dishes…
Willie Mae Patterson - On cooking and food
Willistine McClain - On her childhood, parents, food, and farming
Willistine McClain begins the interview by sharing her childhood background of living in Darlington, SC with 12 siblings. She also includes her battle with cancer and having to attend UNC Hospitals for treatment. Willistine describes her parents’ relationship; her father was in his 20s and her…
Willistine McClain - On her childhood, parents, food, and farming
"We’re writing our own history, thank you!"
Ms. Esphur Foster
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