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.
The first year schools in Chapel Hill were to integrate, my parents pulled their kids out of St.Thomas Moore catholic School because they were admitting white non-catholic students who were coming to avoid integrated schools. My mother asked that I go to Kindergarten at the previously all black school, so I was one of 4 white students in the school and the only white student in my class. At that age it seemed perfectly normal and I had a terrific year. Nearly 50 years later my mother and I still discuss that year. If that seems like it will fit with your project, we’d be delighted to discuss it.