Twentieth and Twenty-First Century
Pauli Murray and the Long Civil Rights Movement, a conversation with Rosalind Rosenberg, professor of history emerita, Columbia University
The brilliant legal writings of Durham’s Pauli Murray challenged civil rights barriers not only for African Americans but also for women and people with disabilities. In her book, Jane Crow: The Life and Times of Pauli Murray, Rosenberg discusses how Murray’s contributions continue to resonate within the legal community and our country’s quest for social justice. Approximate run time: 32 minutes.
Toy Boom! Toys from the 1950s and '60s, a conversation with Katie Edwards, Curator of Popular Culture for the North Carolina Museum of History
Learn about the museum's new exhibit, Toy Boom!, and how toys of the Boomer generation reflected American society and culture during the 1950s and '60s.
A Personal Connection to HBCUs, a conversation between Taneya Thompson, undergraduate at North Carolina Central University, and André Vann, coordinator of University Archives and instructor of Public History at the university.
Taneya Thompson, a 2018 summer Museum of History intern, hosted this podcast—which explores her experiences as a student at NCCU, one of 11 Historically Black Colleges and Universities in North Carolina—with André Vann, whose own higher education is deeply intertwined in the culture and mission of HBCUs. Approximate run time: 28 minutes.
Ernie Barnes and the Merger of Art and Athlete, a conversation with Luz Rodriguez, trustee of the Ernie Barnes Estate
Noted for his unique style of elongation and movement, artist Ernie Barnes was the first American professional athlete to become a noted painter. His work as an artist led him far from his home in Durham, yet his childhood roots remained a constant influence as shown in an exhibition at the North Carolina Museum of History, The North Carolina Roots of Artist Ernie Barnes (June 29, 2018–March 3, 2019). Approximate run time: 29 minutes.
WWI’s North Carolina, a conversation with Mary Ames Booker and Ken Rittenmeyer, Battleship North Carolina State Historic Site
The third of four US Navy ships named for the state of North Carolina was commissioned in 1908: the USS North Carolina (ACR-12), an armored cruiser. Mary Ames Booker, curator, and Ken Rittenmeyer, docent and volunteer, discuss its role in World War I—before, during, and after. Approximate run time: 31 minutes.
North Carolina and World War I, an interview with Jackson Marshall.
Jackson Marshall, deputy director of the North Carolina Museum of History, grew up hearing his grandfather’s recollections of WWI. He later collected oral histories from WWI vets while working on his master’s degree in history. His lifelong interest in the subject recently led to curating and serving as project manager for an exhibition that marks the centenary of the “war to end all wars.”
James R. Walker Jr. and North Carolina's Literacy Test, an interview with professor of history at Davidson College, John Wertheimer.
Professor John Wertheimer discusses how he worked with his undergraduate students to research and write the story of a small town lawyer whose battles for Civil Rights led to challenging the State’s literacy test—all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Approximate run time: 50 minutes.
Academic Freedom and Liberalism at UNC, an interview with historian and author Charles Holden
Historian Charles Holden discusses The New Southern University: Academic Freedom and Liberalism at UNC, his book about how changes at UNC–Chapel Hill during the 1920s, '30s, and '40s transformed UNC into one of the South’s premiere universities and fostered a progressive and liberal orientation within a conservative region. Approximate run time: 29 minutes.
Biotechnology and the Challenges of Agriculture, a conversation with Dr. Mary-Dell Chilton, World Food Prize Laureate and founding director and distinguished science fellow at Syngenta Biotechnology, Inc.
Dr. Chilton talks about spending part of her childhood growing up in North Carolina, her work producing the first transgenic (genetically engineered) plants, and her role in creating a world-class research facility at Research Triangle Park. Approximate run time: 36 minutes.
Cotton Mill Colic: Songs of Labor from the North Carolina Piedmont, a talk and performance featuring Gregg Kimball, Sheryl Warner, and Jackie Frost
Historian and musician Gregg Kimball, guitarist and singer Sheryl Warner, and singer Jackie Frost discuss the history of mill songs and perform selected songs by North Carolina mill workers. Approximate run time: 1 hour.
Cruel Summer: The Attack on Camp Summerlane, an interview with writer and author Jon Elliston
Jon Elliston discusses his award-winning articles and an upcoming book about Camp Summerlane. In the summer of 1963, what was envisioned as an experimental camp and school in western North Carolina was violently attacked and closed just one week after opening by an angry mob from the nearby town of Rosman. Approximate run time: 32 minutes.
The Durham Manifesto, a conversation with Ray Gavins, professor of history, Duke University
Gavins discusses the historic Southern Conference on Race Relations (held in Durham in October 1942) and its platform statement, which became known as the Durham Manifesto—one publication that became a catalyst of civil rights initiatives for the American South. Approximate run time: 26 minutes.
The Eugenics Movement and North Carolina,an interview with historian and author Rebecca M. Kluchin, California State University, Sacramento
Rebecca M. Kluchin, historian and author of Fit to Be Tied: Sterilization and Reproductive Rights in America, 1950–1980, discusses the troubling history and legacy of the eugenics movement and the approximately 7,600 people forcibly sterilized in North Carolina from 1929 to 1977. Approximate run time: 24 minutes.
Freemasonry in North Carolina, an interview with Michael Brantley, Grand Historian of the Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free & Accepted Masons of North Carolina
Brantley discusses Freemasonry in the Tar Heel State and describes two large murals by artist Allyn Cox in the Grand Lodge that depict key events and figures in its history. Approximate run time: 26 minutes.
Jim Hunt: A Biography, a conversation with author Gary Pearce
In the late 20th century, no one dominated North Carolina politics like Governor Jim Hunt. Author Gary Pearce, who served as Hunt’s press secretary and a close political adviser, discusses his new book and provides lucid insight on Hunt’s life and career. Approximate run time: 27 minutes.
The Life and Times of Robert Rice Reynolds, an interview with historian and author Julian Pleasants
Before his controversial ideas and dramatic lifestyle made him unpopular with voters, Reynolds was a colorful and suave Senator who represented North Carolina from 1933 to 1945. Approximate run time: 30 minutes.
Lewis Hine and Child Labor in America, a conversation with Hugh Hindman, professor of labor and human resources, Appalachian State University
Professor Hindman discusses the history of child labor in the United States, the recruitment of families by textile mills in North Carolina, and the impact of Lewis Hine and other progressive activists on child labor legislation. Approximate run time: 25 minutes.
Lewis Hine as Social Critic
In the most thorough examination of Lewis Hine and his photography to date, historian Kate Sampsell-Willmann’s recent book, Lewis Hine as Social Critic, examines Hine’s work as art, history, philosophy, and social commentary and provides new insights into Lewis Hine as activist, social commentator, and photographer. Approximate run time: 27 minutes.
Lumbee Indians in the Jim Crow South: Race, Identity, and the Making of a Nation, a lecture by Malinda Lowery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
On November 21, 2009, historian Malinda Lowery presented a talk in conjunction with the museum’s 14th annual American Indian Heritage Celebration. An associate professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Lowery is the author of several books and worked as a producer and director on several award-winning documentary films. In her talk, she discusses the history and struggles, including the longtime pursuit of federal recognition of the Lumbee tribe. Approximate run time: 1 hour 4 minutes.
Lynching in North Carolina, an interview with Vann Newkirk, assistant provost and dean of graduate studies, Alabama A&M University
Newkirk discusses his book Lynching in North Carolina: A History, 1865–1941, and the impact of lynching and mob violence in North Carolina from just after the Civil War to the mid-1900s. Approximate run time: 34 minutes.
On Earth’s Furrowed Brow, a conversation with Tim Barnwell, photographer and author
Tim Barnwell discusses his experiences photographing small family farms and the individuals that work them in the mountains of western North Carolina. Barnwell’s photos are featured in the exhibit On Earth’s Furrowed Brow: The Appalachian Farm in Photographs. Approximate run time: 25 minutes.
Rising to the Challenge: Women in Public Office, a panel discussion moderated by Melissa A. Essary, dean of the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law, Campbell University, Raleigh
The program highlighted the current status and future for women in public office. Panelists discussed how things have changed over the past several decades and the keys to women's future success. Approximate run time: 1 hour 6 minutes.
Sam Ervin and Watergate: 40 Years Later, a panel discussion examining the role and legacy of North Carolina Senator Sam Ervin
Author and historian Karl Campbell (Appalachian State University), moderator, leads two distinguished guests in trading stories about senator Sam Ervin and his central role in the Senate Watergate Committee hearings. Panelists include Rufus Edmisten (former Sam Ervin staffer and deputy chief counsel for the committee) and Sam Ervin IV (Court of Appeals judge and grandson). Approximate run time: 59 minutes.
Shattering White Solidarity: A History of the Southern Tenant Farmers’ Union, a Perspectives on History lecture by Elizabeth Anne Payne, University of Mississippi
Payne examines the history of the Southern Tenant Farmers’ Union (STFU) through the story of white sharecropper and activist Myrtle Lawrence. In September 1939, journalist Priscilla Robertson and photographer Louise Boyle spent 10 days documenting Lawrence’s life and the harsh and deplorable living and working conditions of white and black sharecroppers in the Arkansas cotton belt. Approximate run time: 1 hour 14 minutes.
Sugar of the Crop, a presentation by Sana Butler
Journalist and author Sana Butler spent nearly ten years crisscrossing the country locating the last surviving African Americans whose parents were born in slavery. In this poignant and moving presentation, Butler discusses and reads from her book Sugar of the Crop. Approximate run time: 44 minutes.
Unspeakable: The Story of Junius Wilson, an interview with author and historian Susan Burch
Historian Susan Burch discusses her 2007 book (which she coauthored with Hannah Joyner) about a deaf African American man, who was unjustly labeled as insane and confined to an asylum in Goldsboro, NC, for nearly 70 years. Approximate run time: 30 minutes.
Watergate: Political Scandal & the Presidency, an interview with historian and author Stanley Kutler
To mark the 40th anniversary of the Senate Select Committee hearings that investigated President Nixon’s 1972 reelection campaign, Watergate historian Stanley Kutler discusses the lasting historical and political significance of America’s most noted and studied political scandal. Approximate run time: 29 minutes
What the Negro Wants: The Unified Call to End Segregation in America,a conversation with Kenneth R. Janken, professor of Afro-American and Diaspora Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Published in 1944 by UNC Press, the book What the Negro Wants was the first united call by African American intelligentsia to end segregation. Janken discusses the book’s history, its contents and immediate impact, and its lasting significance. Approximate run time: 27 minutes.
Workboats of Core Sound, a conversation with Lawrence S. Earley, photographer
Earley traveled throughout the Core Sound region of North Carolina taking photographs of fishermen and the boats that have supported a way of life for generations. He discusses the struggles, rewards, and future of a community whose fate is tied to the ocean. Earley’s photos are featured in the exhibit Workboats of Core Sound. Approximate run time: 24 minutes.