Re/Collecting Chapel Hill

The James Cates Scholars is a youth-led, elder informed program dedicated to centering, exploring and sharing marginalized Black history in Chapel Hill. The Scholars range in age from middle school, high school, college and beyond. Find out more and support the program at Bridging the Gap with Danita Mason-Hogans.

CJ Suitt (he/him/they/them) is a performance poet, arts educator, and community organizer from Chapel Hill, N.C., whose work is rooted in storytelling and social justice. CJ most recently was appointed as the first Poet Laureate of Chapel Hill. He is committed to speaking truth to power and aims to be a bridge for communities who can’t always see themselves in each other. This episode was produced...

Join Chapel Hill Public Library staff and community members as we uncover the untold histories of Chapel Hill, from the inside out and bottom up. In this episode we dive into Chapel Hill's musical history, starting with one of its most beloved artists, Elizabeth Cotten. We search for signs of Chapel Hill in Cotten's music and learn about life for a young Black girl growing up in the turn of the ce...

In August, 2018 student activists toppled UNC's confederate monument, Silent Sam. In our final part of our 3-part series exploring the history of the statue, we dig into the question: what comes after Silent Sam?

Part 2, in our 3-part Silent Sam series. In this episode, we share the story of James Cates. James was born and raised in Chapel Hill. In 1970, when he was just 22-years-old, he was murderd on UNC campus. Journalist Mike Ogle has spent years researching the life and death of James Cates. We'll share his work and hear from community members who knew Cates, including those with him when he died. Sea...

What was the meaning of the American Civil War? And why are we still arguing over this some 150 years later? In this, the first of our 3-part series on Silent Sam, we explore the purpose of confederate monuments and their impact on the African American community in Chapel Hill. From the work of United Daughters of the Confederacy in the early 1900s to spread their version of history throughout the...

Public memorials are embedded in our landscape. In this episode we learn the history behind two public memorial benches that bookend the Bolin Creek Trail in Chapel Hill. Learn how two men devoted their lives to making our public spaces more open and accessbile for all of us...and how one man tried to stop such work from ever happening. This episode was produced and edited by Molly Luby, with help...

We explore the ways that cemeteries act as memorials and markers. How do Chapel Hill’s cemeteries help us remember the people who came before us? How have they obscured the past? Join us and our special tour guide, local historian Ernest Dollar, as we walk through four Chapel Hill burial sites. In this episode, you also meet associate producer, Mandella Younge. Mandella works behind the scenes on...

Join Chapel Hill Public Library staff and community members as we uncover the untold histories of Chapel Hill, from the inside out and bottom up. In our first season, we are exploring the histories behind the monuments and markers of Chapel Hill. In June, 2019 we honored the lives of two Chapel Hillians whose names were added to the Peace and Justice Plaza marker in downtown Chapel Hill. Mama Dip....

Join Chapel Hill Public Library staff and community members as we uncover the untold histories of Chapel Hill, from the inside out and bottom up. In our first season, we are exploring the histories behind the monuments and markers of Chapel Hill. Our first stop: Peace and Justice Plaza. "The Peace and Justice Plaza honors the energy and spirit of the thousands who have stood in the shadow of the C...

For the past year, Chapel HIll Public Library has been taking a deep dive into local history, uncovering untold stories and telling them from “the bottom up and the inside out.” These stories are the basis of the Library’s new podcast, Re/Collecting Chapel Hill. The first season of Re/Collecting Chapel Hill focuses on the community’s history and connections with historical monuments and markers. L...