Black Oral HIstories of Beaufort County

Black Oral HIstories of Beaufort County


Latest Episodes

Nancy Burroughs: Overcoming life’s challenges
September 11, 2025

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

Mima Dixon: The Story Lady
September 04, 2025

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 Wa

Ray Northern: Growing up poor and not even knowing it
August 12, 2025

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

Fannie Willis: “Music Ministry is my Passion”
July 29, 2025

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 youn

Terry Sneed Brown: A Trailer Blazer in his own right
July 22, 2025

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 whi

The Life Journies of First Cousins Shirley Tyre and Preddy Stilley
July 17, 2025

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 eac

God has been good to me: Emma Howard reflects on her first 94 years
July 01, 2025

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 teache

Blanche Gibbs: If you can’t go back home where can you go?
June 03, 2025

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 h

Georgia Smallwood: Learning life lessons at a young age.
May 16, 2025

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 wasnt an easy life, but they always

The life story of James H. Smallwood
May 07, 2025

Born and raised in Beaufort County, North Carolina, James H. Smallwood continues to live on what remains of the ancestral piece of property that his great-grandfather purchased in 1871. As a child, he