Oral Histories

Russell Edwards grew up in Chapel Hill and has watched, as well as experienced, many situations that African-Americans dealt with both before, during, and after the civil rights movement took place. He resides in one of the historic African American communities of Chapel Hill and shares his opinions…

Russell Edwards grew up in Chapel Hill and has watched, as well as experienced, many situations that African-Americans dealt with both before, during, and after the Civil Rights Movement took place. He resides in one of the historic African American communities of Chapel Hill and shares his opinions…

"It was a chance for the students to say “look mom what I can do” and it gave them so much pride to be in a marching band, and everybody was just delightful. We all stepped together, we played music together, and it’s just a wonderful feeling. I just get goosebumps thinking about it right now. -…

RG: So you graduated North Carolina College in - CE: '55. '56. RG: '55. '56. And then you were at John R. Hawkins High School? CE: Warrenton - it was John R. Hawkins High School, it was called John R. Hawkins, in Warrenton, North Carolina. And that year was my first year doing band. So I had the…

CE: And there again, even with the band that I was working with, again I had the safety patrol, and I had a homeroom, and then they had the Maydays, which you are responsible for. And I was also the junior class advisor, which means that I had to be responsible for getting the junior prom together.…

RG: You know I hear so many people comment to me about how wonderful the marching band was. And you've touched a little bit on moving the instruments, maybe high stepping. Can you describe a little bit more what a parade was like for the Lincoln High School marching band? CE: Oh that was the top…

RG: Can you tell me about the teachers, your impression about the teachers at Lincoln High School? And - I' II just leave it at that. CE: Oh, I think they had a good set of quality teachers. I was impressed with the teaching staff that was there. I don't want to call any names, but I know you've…

RG: Did you feel that the students gained more than a musical education from being in the band? CE: Oh certainly. There are so many lessons to be learned being in the band situation, because you work together as a family, and so many of those students that I taught actually looked to me as their…

Esta entrevista es parte de la colección para el Marian Cheek Jackson Center que se llama Encontrando Nuestros Vecinos. Señor Benito Escovedo-Leal cuenta la historia de vida en la calle, sus experiencias con el racismo, y como evitó problemas cuando vivía bajo de un puente. La entrevista incluye…

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.

In this interview, Ms. Carolyn Evans speaks about her close relationships with Ms. Rebecca Clark and Ms. Francis Hargraves. Ms. Evans brought in a series of articles and newspaper clippings that provided more information about the two women she considered to be her role models. She speaks about…

"When we have these race conversations there’s this sort of false view, you know, that it’s 'tit for tat,' it’s even steven, that if a Black man says, 'I want Black power,' and a white man says, 'I want white power,' that it’s the same thing. It is not." - Carlton Eversley This interview highlights…

“I guess I’d like to be remembered as someone who stood up for something she thought was right.” - Rosemary Ezra This interview is a part of a series conducted by Yonni Chapman that focuses on African American participants in the freedom struggle and civil rights movement in and around Chapel Hill,…

Eugene Farrar: [Singing] “We came this far by faith, lean on the Lord.” My, my, my, that’s a great song. I don’t know all of the words to it, but I love to hear the song being sung because that’s how African Americans come through slavery you know, come this far by faith-leaning on the Lord. Even…

Eugene Farrar: Again this picture demonstrates some of the things that, that is very dear and near to my heart is the registering of people to vote. Because I think if you register to vote [it] is one thing, but then voting is another thing. You need to have people’s vote counted, it–it’s good to…

Eugene Farrar: Right now, I see a lot of work to be done. A lot of work to be done. You know in housing, you know we speak of – the most houses in Chapel Hill is public housing. You can’t live in Chapel Hill, where African-Americans really dominated this town, as well as all of your major urban…

"It’s good to be on the register as being a registered voter, but your vote only counts when you go out and participate and pull the levers in the voting booths, because voting speaks to power. - Eugene Farrar In this interview, Eugene Farrar reminisces on his time as a political organizer and…

"The only way our history can get told right, is that we have to tell it." - Eugene Farrar In this oral history, Eugene Farrar gives an account of growing up in Chapel Hill as well as his lineage of Black builders. Farrar discusses his uncle, James Blacknell, who was a rock mason at the University…

Eugene Farrar (EF): Yes, the family member in the photo is my uncle, who is my grandfather’s son, and what I know from growing up, he was a rock layer – he laid rocks – which was a really tough job. You had to break rocks and small rocks and things like that to fit – like a puzzle really. It was a…

Eugene Farrar (EF): I used to help when I was 12 or 13 years old, but I couldn’t handle big rocks like grown men could, but I would go out and give my hand every once and a while, and of course, I didn’t get paid, but it was a thing of family helping family. And of course, if I didn’t get paid,…

Eugene Farrar (EF): But those were days where they would start working in the morning before the sun came up and work till the sun went down in a lot of cases because they wanted to put in long hours – they were getting paid by the hour, not by the job. So – George Barrett (GB): And Mr. Farrar, you…

Eugene Farrar (EF): My daddy was a self-made cement finisher who did it for over 50 years. George Barrett (GB): What was your dad’s name? EF: Toy Farrar, Sr. And he worked in Virginia because there wasn’t any work in Chapel Hill, and he worked for the university when they were building the hospital.…

Eugene Farrar (EF): You know, like I say, doing this rock work was something to behold. My grandfather did – my family and I’m sure probably some other people did it – but I do know my family laid most of the rock down on the University. And they’re still there. George Barrett (GB): And by your…