Born in 1940, Richard Brooks grew up in Washington, North Carolina. As the oldest of six siblings, he grew up fast. While other children were outside playing, he was learning how to cook, working in the garden, and helping put food on the table. At 12, his uncle taught him how to do cement finishing. …
To say it has been an interesting life for Washington, North Carolina native Nancy Burroughs would be an understatement. When she was two weeks old, her mother gave her up to her sister, who was only 15 at the time. She went on to work in the banking industry for over 30 years in New …
Mima Dixon was born in the small community of Ransomville, North Carolina on February 21, 1947. “Blink and you would miss it,” said Dixon. She went to business school in Durham, NC, and returned to Washington, NC, where she worked as a secretary at the Beaufort County Technology Institute for over 20 years. But inside, …
Born on March 7, 1943, in Washington, North Carolina, Ray Northern never shies away from the fact that his family was poor, but he and his five siblings never knew it. They never went for want of food on the table or a roof over their heads, even though his father only made $37.50 per …
Fannie Willis was born in a small rural area just east of Washington, North Carolina, in 1956. She grew up in a large, tight-knit family. One of their common threads was their love of music. At a young age, she sang with the family gospel group, the Harding Gospel Singers. After many years, she would …
Terry Sneed Brown was born in Washington, North Carolina, in 1951. A time when the racial divide in this small rural Eastern North Carolina community was very evident. From being kicked off an all white outdoor tennis court at the age of 8, to being refused service at the counter in Woolworth’s, to having the …
Born in the early 40s, first cousins Shirley Tyre and Preddy Stilley come from humble beginnings in rural Beaufort County near Blounts Creek, North Carolina. Their families were sharecroppers, and each worked the fields, primarily corn and tobacco, from six in the morning till six in the evening. It wasn’t an easy life, but there …
It has been a pretty amazing life for 95-year-old Emma Howard. Born in 1930 in Belhaven, NC, she has spent her life touching the lives of many and trying to make a difference in the world. As a teacher, she always tried to instill a sense of worth and dignity in her students, always telling …
Blanche Gibbs was born in Washington, North Carolina, in 1951. She credits her life experiences as a child for laying the foundation for who she is today. From experiencing segregation firsthand, to her teachers at P.S. Jones, an all Black high school, who prepared her well for the journey ahead, and working for her Uncle …
Born in Martin County, North Carolina, Georgina Smallwood grew up on a farm. Her father was a sharecropper, and she and her siblings helped to work the fields. It wasn’t an easy life, but they always got by. Her father made sure that she and her other sisters would be able to attend college, which …