PODCAST

Black Oral HIstories of Beaufort County

Odyssey for Democracy

Stories told by those who lived them––our hidden history unveiled

history

All Episodes

1:02:07

Reginald Willis: Always there with a helping hand

Black Oral HIstories of Beaufort County ·

2025/12/31

Born in 1948, Reginald Willis grew up in the rural community of Blounts Creek, North Carolina, where he still resides today. He says his work on the family farm as a child taught him how to survive, as it meant rising at 4:30 in the morning and not stopping until dusk. After graduating from the all-black SW Snowden School in Aurora, North Carolina, he went on to work as a welder at Hackney, a company that builds truck bodies and trailers, in Washington, North Carolina, for the next 49 years

en-US

2:01:28

The life story of Wayland Whitley

Black Oral HIstories of Beaufort County ·

2025/12/05

Listen to our latest interview for the Black Oral Histories of Beaufort County project. blackoralhistories.blubrry.com. Born on July 3, 1946, in Pantego, North Carolina, Wayland Whitley has pretty much seen it all in his life. As a child child he helped to work the land on his father’s farm, and he and his siblings helped … Read More Read More

en-US

58:22

“I though we were rich, but we were poor.” Ledell...

Black Oral HIstories of Beaufort County ·

2025/10/30

Born in 1933, 92-year-old Ledell Moore grew up in a small two-room house with her five other siblings in Blounts Creek, NC. She never wore shoes in the summer, and when the only pair she got for school in the fall wore out, her dad would use hog rings to patch them up. And, despite … Read More Read More

en-US

1:16:31

“As long as I have breath, I will stand up for what...

Black Oral HIstories of Beaufort County ·

2025/10/24

Born in 1949, Joyce O’Neal grew up in Belhaven, NC. As a child, she experienced segregation and racism firsthand and admits to being a bit rebellious at times with some of the things she encountered. She credits her success in life to those who recognized her potential and helped to get where she needed to … Read More Read More

en-US

2:09:11

“Nothing in my life was ever planned” The Life Story...

Black Oral HIstories of Beaufort County ·

2025/10/07

Luther Harvey was born in rural Beaufort County in 1946. He has seen and experienced so much in his first 79 years. He says nothing in his life was planned, “it just sort of happened.” Harvey says his parents and a lot of other good Black folks“taught him right,” but the one thing that changed … Read More Read More

en-US

48:57

Helping others brings joy to her heart

Black Oral HIstories of Beaufort County ·

2025/09/25

Mary Brooks was born in Greenville, North Caroloin, in 1942. After her father passed when she was only three months old, her mother brought her and her two sisters to Washington, North Carolina, where she has lived for the last 83 years. Her mother worked hard in the fields and in the homes of others … Read More Read More

en-US

48:33

How to lead when people need you the most: The life...

Black Oral HIstories of Beaufort County ·

2025/09/17

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. … Read More Read More

en-US

1:04:27

Nancy Burroughs: Overcoming life’s challenges

Black Oral HIstories of Beaufort County ·

2025/09/11

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 … Read More Read More

en-US

49:51

Mima Dixon: The Story Lady

Black Oral HIstories of Beaufort County ·

2025/09/04

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, … Read More Read More

en-US

1:28:15

Ray Northern: Growing up poor and not even knowing it

Black Oral HIstories of Beaufort County ·

2025/08/12

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 … Read More Read More

en-US

1:12:06

Fannie Willis: “Music Ministry is my Passion”

Black Oral HIstories of Beaufort County ·

2025/07/29

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 … Read More Read More

en-US

1:05:51

Terry Sneed Brown: A Trailer Blazer in his own right

Black Oral HIstories of Beaufort County ·

2025/07/22

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 … Read More Read More

en-US

1:14:54

The Life Journies of First Cousins Shirley Tyre and...

Black Oral HIstories of Beaufort County ·

2025/07/17

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 … Read More Read More

en-US

1:13:39

God has been good to me: Emma Howard reflects on her...

Black Oral HIstories of Beaufort County ·

2025/07/01

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 … Read More Read More

en-US

1:14:29

Blanche Gibbs: If you can’t go back home where can...

Black Oral HIstories of Beaufort County ·

2025/06/03

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 … Read More Read More

en-US

1:22:59

Georgia Smallwood: Learning life lessons at a young age.

Black Oral HIstories of Beaufort County ·

2025/05/16

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 … Read More Read More

en-US

51:14

The life story of James H. Smallwood

Black Oral HIstories of Beaufort County ·

2025/05/07

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 worked that land with his father and grandfather. He went on to graduate from P.S. Jones High School in 1962 and, in … Read More Read More

en-US

51:22

“Someone has always been looking over me.” The life...

Black Oral HIstories of Beaufort County ·

2025/04/30

75-year-old Frederick Hopkins lost his father at the age of three. He credits his mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother for their tireless hours in molding him into the man he has become. He played sports and pursued his love of music at the all Black P.S. Jones High School in Washington, North Carolina. He marched in … Read More Read More

en-US

1:24:18

Florence Lodge: A true trailblazer

Black Oral HIstories of Beaufort County ·

2025/04/22

At 88 years of age, Florence Lodge has spent a life questioning, and if something needed changing, she was always there. This meant helping others and trying to make positive changes in the world. She led the charge in Washington, NC, to have 4th Street renamed Martin Luther King Drive. The name of the Washington … Read More Read More

en-US

2:49:43

Betty Randolph: Seeing the world on both sides

Black Oral HIstories of Beaufort County ·

2025/04/08

Betty Jean Barr Randolph was born in the small rural town of Greelyville, South Carolina in 1942. As she said, “If you were Black, you were human, but you may not have had the same experiences as others. At a very young age, she saw chain gangs working across the street from her home. She … Read More Read More

en-US

24 results

Black Oral HIstories of Beaufort County

All Episodes

Similar Podcasts

The Old Front Line

Paul Reed

Today In History with The Retrospectors

The Retrospectors

جنود خلدهم التاريخ

ALSUMOOD PODCAST

Film History - Daily

Inception Point Ai

Madonna - Biography Flash

Inception Point Ai