The Civil Rights Era in New Bern with Dorothy and Eileen Dove

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, conducted by New Bern historian Bernard George, Mr. Dove’s daughters, Eileen and Dorothy Dove, reflect on their father’s courage and steady commitment to justice. They also share their own memories as teenagers participating in, witnessing and living through this turbulent chapter in New Bern’s history. This moving account offers a deeply personal perspective on resilience, faith, and the sacrifices made by local families in the ongoing struggle for civil rights.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSF0HIjyBXY