The President of the African American Heritage and Culture Center was welcomed into the home of Mrs. Barbara Lee to interview her about what it was like growing up in N ew Bern and hearing her reflect on her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement in the New Bern community. She shares her experiences being trained in non-violent tactics by youth leaders Rev. Leon “Buckshot” Nixon and Rev. Willie Hickman. How they marched to A & W Root Beer, Clarks Drug store, and Kress Dept.

Our panel shares powerful reflections from members of the last segregated graduating class of J.T. Barber High School in 1970, along with students who integrated New Bern High School during a pivotal moment in our city’s history. Though Brown v. Board of Education was decided in 1954, meaningful desegregation in New Bern unfolded slowly and with challenge. From limited resources to lasting resilience, J.T. Barber High School produced graduates who went on to excel in medicine

In the early 1960s, Oscar Dove firmly supported New Bern’s Civil Rights Movement. A respected mortician, community leader, active NAACP member for twelve years, and participant on the local Bi-Racial Committee, Dove was a strong advocate for integration and equal rights. His leadership made him a target of racial violence—his mortuary was attacked, crosses were burned, and the building was bombed by members of the Ku Klux Klan. In this powerful Oral History Library interview,

New Bern historian Bernard George sits down with Rev. Mrs. Ethel Sampson for a powerful and personal oral history. A lifelong resident of New Bern, Mrs. Sampson shares her firsthand experiences participating in marches, sit-ins, and boycotts during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Hear her reflect on the courage it took to stand for justice—the hopes that sustained her, the fears she faced, and the deep pride she carries today. She also recounts attending the historic

On November 30, 2022, historian Bernard George interviewed fellow New Bernian Rick Fisher about St. Joseph's Missionary Church and School . This remarkable interview was conducted at the New Bern Civic Theater's Studio with a live audience. Rick spoke of his childhood and experiences as a St. Joseph's student. Their interaction included Rick and Bernard's personal stories of a segregated community as it worked toward integration.

Ben Watford, founding President of the James City Historical Society discusses the James City Crockett-Miller Slave Quarters with Nelson...

Joseph George, Arthenea Mann, Dorothea Williams, Samuel Coombs, and Earl Murphy discuss the history of St. Peter's AME Zion Church with...

Retired educators Mark Best and Nancy Allen join Alderman Barbara Best in February 2020 to share stories about the first five families who lived in Pleasant Hill, the unique history of this area of New Bern NC, and what it was like growing up there. AAHC ORAL HISTORY LIBRARY - Pleasant Hill

Often referred to as North Carolina’s “Mystery Tribe", the Neusiok people lived south of the lower Neuse River within Eastern North...

An attorney and politician born into slavery, George Henry White was elected to the US Congress and served from 1897 to 1901. He was the...

Funded by negro parishioners of Christ Church, St. Cyprian’s is one of twenty historically Black Episcopal Churches in NC. Originally a...

Mark Twain’s “Aunt Rachel”, written in 1874 as “A True Story Repeated Word for Word As I Heart It”. This story is based on a NC...

An agricultural tribe related to the Iroquois, the Tuscarora inhabited the NC Coastal Plain and lived in villages scattered throughout...

James City was established during the Civil War. It was founded as a resettlement camp for freed, fleeing and never enslaved people....

Walter Jones Bellamy is widely known as a professional basketball player. As a player for Indiana State, he was a four-time NBA All-Star....

John Thomas Barber was raised in Jones County, North Carolina and educated at Shaw University. JT Barber was a highly respected and much...

Blanche Rivers was a member of New Bern's Rivers family. She served the Rivers Funeral Home as its treasurer for over 80 years. She was...

Kitty Green Stanly was born into slavery and emancipated by John Caruthers Stanly whom she married in 1805.With her prominent husband,...

One of New Bern’s “Forgotten 29”, 16 year old Alfred Barfield sat down at lunch counters during segregation and asked to be served. AAHC...

King Hancock was a famous leader of the of the Tuscarora tribe of North Carolina. He resisted the encroachment of settlers on his land...