The Town of Chapel Hill is collecting the stories of people who lived in Chapel Hill during the 1960s and experienced the Civil Rights Movement.

The Historic Civil Rights Commemorative Task Force, created by Mayor Pam Hemminger in 2017, is seeking to create a timeline that identifies people, places and events that should be remembered for their part in the African-American struggle for civil rights in Chapel Hill.

“We are trying to document our civil rights history and then be able to display it and capture it in a way that resonates with folks,” said Hemminger. “I don’t know what those ways are yet, but right now we are reaching out to capture the stories of the people who were here.”

Several events that took place in Chapel Hill during this time, such as the sit-in at the Colonial Drugstore, played a major part in the national Civil Rights Movement.

Hemminger said this task force is meant to help share these stories with the rest of the world, although no concrete plans have been made yet.

“We’re talking about some more markers downtown; we’re talking about an audio-visual display; we’re talking about a future Town of Chapel Hill Museum that would incorporate some of these materials and stories,” said Hemminger.

Learn more about the project here.

Related Stories
‹
Thanksgiving Holiday to Affect Local Government Services in Orange County
Thanksgiving will fall on Thursday, Nov. 28 this year, and the holiday will affect several local government services around the Orange County community. Here’s a rundown of what residents can expect: Town of Chapel Hill Thursday, Nov. 28 and Friday, Nov. 29 are both town holidays. Residential trash collection will not be affected. However, there […]
Chapel Hill Public Library Names Atlas Logan as New Director
The Town of Chapel Hill has selected Atlas Logan as the next director of the Chapel Hill Public Library and Chapel Hill Community Arts & Culture following a nationwide search. Logan’s tenure begins on April 29. “Working within the library allows me to spend my life in service to others by helping community members in […]
Easter Weekend to Affect Local Government Services
The observation of Good Friday on March 29 will alter several government services around Orange County. Here’s what residents can expect: Town of Chapel Hill Good Friday is an official town holiday. Residential trash collection will not be affected, but collection of yard trimmings, curbside recycling and commercial trash will not occur on Friday. Recycling […]
Local Government Closures for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (2024)
The observation of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, January 15 will affect several local government services around the community. Here’s what residents can expect: Town of Chapel Hill Residential trash will not be collected. Monday’s routes will be serviced on Wednesday, January 17. Curbside recycling will also not be collected on Monday, with […]
Civil Rights Leaders Visit Chapel Hill, Advocate for SCOTUS Expansion
As the country awaits a ruling on the future of affirmative action in higher education, civil rights leaders visited Chapel Hill.
Voices From the Violent Civil Rights Era See Attacks on Voting Rights as Part of Ongoing Struggle
Written by GARY FIELDS They are part of a small, vanishing group who lived at the epicenter of the struggle for voting rights six decades ago, an era driven by segregation, violence and the yearning for equality that eventually led to laws bringing the U.S. closer to its promise of democracy for all its citizens. […]
Chapel Hill Library Now Offers Free Period Products to All Patrons
The Chapel Hill Public Library is known for the variety of free services it offers to community members. This week, it unveiled a new one to those who visit its restrooms: free menstrual products. The library unveiled new dispensers for tampons and pads on Tuesday, which are in each of the building’s restrooms and do […]
Chapel Hill Historical Society Looks for Options Before Its Move
The Chapel Hill Historical Society was founded in 1966 and is still going strong. Now, the nonprofit is searching for a new home.
Chapel Hill Public Library Expanding Hours of Operation
The Chapel Hill Public Library is expanding its hours and adjusting its meeting room policies as part of its COVID-era Path to Reopening, director Susan Brown announced via newsletter last week. The library’s new hours, which were decided upon with input from both community partners and users, will be 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday […]
Local Services To Be Altered During Fourth of July Weekend
July 4th falls on a Monday this year, meaning people around the country can enjoy a long weekend. Of course, that also means various government services here in the Orange County will be interrupted from their regular service patterns. Here’s a list of what services will be altered this weekend throughout Orange County: Town of […]
›