Robert F. Williams

Roberts F. Williams was born February 26, 1925 and died October 15, 1996. Robert F. Williams is known for his work as a civil rights leader. When the world was filled with a lot of racial tension Robert F. Williams was the voice of promoting black self defense in the United States. Although standing up for integration is what got him started his vision of all black people being able to bear arms was most important.Roberts F. Williams was born in Monroe, North Carolina. With his Grandma a fomer slave and watching black women be beaten by police officers, and witnessing brutal racial riots in Detroit in 1943, Robert F. Williams dedicated his like to the African American social justice. In 1944 Robert F. Williams was drafted into the segregated services where he served for 18 months. From 1950-1960 he served as the president of Monroe North Carolina NAACP chapter. Roberts F. Williams began his work wit the NAACP as a community organizer. One of the first cases he helped defend was involving two black boys that were accused of kissing a white girl. The next couple of issues addressed through the NAACP were involving swimming pool integration. Much of the demonstrations began as peaceful ones and turned into conflicts met with gun fire. Even though the police was involved nobody was ever arrested. This was when began the black armed gaurd. Williams believed that all black people had the right t use advanced powerful weapons especially when the Klu Klux Klan would harm black families in the middle of the night in their homes. Around 1961 a white couple was traveling through North Carolina and found them selves in a black section of Monroe. The black people were very upset to see white people in thier neighborhood and began to attack them. The white couple was brought to the Williams home and was kept in a safe house until the middle of the night when they could travel safely. North Carolina law enforcement accused Robert F. Williams with kidnapping. He did not believe he would be treated fairly by law enforcement so he took his family and fled to Cyba. Robert F. Williams was placed on the FBI wanted list and was considered to be armed and dangerous. In Cuba Robert F. Williams was involved in radio broadcasts that supported African Americans and served as a voice against oppression and he supported all blacks bearing weapons. He and his wife also started a newspaper called the Crusaders and also Negroes with Guns. A group called the Black panthers listened to everything Robert F. Williams preached about and often took matters into their own hands using guns.

In 1965 the Williams family left cuba and settled in China. The family stayed in China until 1969 when they returned to the United States. Upon returning to the United States he was immediately brought to North Carolina to stand trial. Because Robert F. Williams was well liked by the chinese the United States used his influence to help relations between them. Eventually all charges against Robert F. Williams were dropped. Robert F. Williams died October 15,1996 from Hodgkin's disease.

By:Graceann Tine

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee

On february 1, 1960 in Greensboro NC, a group of black university students refused to leave a lunch counter at Woolworth's where they were being served. This started many more groups of black people across the south to refuse to leave from places they were not allowed to be, called "sit-ins". A few months later Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina created the SNCC, (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) pronounced "snick" program.
This committee's philosophy was to protest civil rights by using no violence. They stood up for many issues such as race segregation, Vietnam War, voting rights and the feminist movement. The SNCC viewed racism and prejudice actions as a major social problem.
The committee was lead by John Lewis who stood tall for the civil rights of blacks in America. He played a major part in the Freedom Ballot, as well as speaking at the March in Washington in 1963.
The SNCC sought and made changes in American society. In the 1970's it was no longer the large organization it had become since they had achieved their goal.

By: Hudson Wyman

Nina Simone

Nina Simone was a musician. She was born on February 21, 1933 in Tryone, NC with the name Eunice Kathleen Waymon. She was also known as High Priestess of Souls or Dr. Nina Simone. She loved jazz, Soul, Folk, R&B, Gospel and a little bit of pop songs. She was a pianist, a singer, a song writer, and a civil rights activist. She also began playing piano at her local church and showed her talents on her piano. Although she hated being categorized[to be put into a large group of people] she is classified as a Jazz musician. As a kid, Nina always loved music and always clapped to the beat at her church. Nina has recorded at least 40 live and studio albums. She won 2 honorary degrees in music and humanities.

Beginning with her album "Nina Simone In Concert" in 1964, Nina Simone included messages in support of the civil rights movement in most of her songs. She continued to speak out against racial inequality for the rest of her career.

Nina Simone died in 2003 in France on April 21 of cancer. She died in her sleep when she was 70.

By: Patrick M.

Shaw University

My project6 is on Shaw University. Shaw University is a school for African Americans. It is located in Raleigh, NC. It was founded in 1960. The first founder was Dr. Henry Martin Tupper. Shaw University was the first collage for African Americans established in the south. It is the HBCU in the south. The university won a 5-year grant with University of North Carolina Chapel hill.And also got a 7-year grant with John Hopkins University. In 2007, Shaw University received a 2.5 million grant from the National Science foundation. It was made right after the Civil War. It was renamed Shaw Collegiate Institute. Shaw University is a private, bys and girls, collage. Shaw University has been called the mother of African-American colleges in North Carolina. North Carolina Central, and Fayetteville State Universities weer founded by Shaw graduates. The founder of Livingstone College spent his first two college years at Shaw before transferring to Lincoln University was located on Shaw's campus during its first year of existence. In addition, the Student Non-Violence Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was an outgrowth of a confernece on Shaw University campus.

By: Hannah M.

Charlie Scott

Charlie Scott was born on December 15, 1948. Charlie Scott was a basketball player at UNC. Charlie also played for ABA for two seasons and NBA for eight seasons.

Another fact about Charlie is in 1966 he was the first black man to get a scholarship for basketball to UNC.

When Charlie was playing basketball, he was the only black player on the team. In that time not many black players had played basketball with white players.

Some of the players on the team weren't comfortable around Charlie because he was black. In fact, Charlie was sometimes asking himself, "Why am I here?".

Another thing about Charlie is his Dad died when he was twelve and his coach, Dean Smith, was the closest family Charlie had. So, life has been hard for Charlie, but the main thing that came out of this story is a man with courage can make a difference in life.

By: Anna K.

Hiram Rhodes Revels

Hiram Rhodes Revels was born free on 9/27/1822 in Fayetteville, NC to a free half black and half white father and a white mother.

In 1838, Revels was taught by his brother to become a barber in Lincolnton, North Carolina. He left the barber shop to further his education.

Revels attended the Union County Quaker Seminary in Indiana in 1844 and finished in Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois.

Revels became a minister in 1845 by the African Methodist Episcopal Church. As a minister, Revels helped raise two black union groups during the Civil War in Maryland and Missouri.

In 1866 he was given his own ministry in Natchez, Mississippi where he setteled down with his wife, Phoebe A. Bass Revels, and their 5 daughters and founded schools for black children.

In 1870, Revels was elected to the United States Senate as the 1st African American member. His term was from february 1870-March 1871. After his senate term, he was named president of Alcorn College in Mississippi which was the states first college for African American students. He retired from Alcorn in 1882.

Revels died on January 16, 1901 in Aberdeen, Mississippi while attending a church conference.

As of 2009, Revels is one of only six African Americans to have ever served in the United States Senate.

By: Cody M.

Conrad L. Raiford

Conrad L. Raiford is an important person to people today, and especially to black people.

Conrad L. Raiford was a champion athlete, educator, good will ambassador and one of Greensboro, NC's first African-American police officers.

In, 1946, Raiford was one of the only six black men chosen by a then all white Greensboro Police Department. The officers weren't allowed to arrest anyone whose skin was not their color. Officers had to protect places with "colored police" written on their cars. That was to let other people know that they could only arrest black people. Shuffling up colored and white police officers during World War 11 was a big problem.

In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a crowd almost got out of control when black officers where hired; some even attacked them. Black officers were not allowed to wear their uniforms back and forth to work. They had to dress at Atlanta's black YMCA. "They built a 2nd bathroom in the cold rat infested basement of city hall because we were considered less than human," said Raiford, who was a star athlete with a college degree.

Raiford and an elementary school teacher, Myrtle Mary Francis Wright, were married for 54 years.

By: Aliza W.