Chapel Hill to Recognize the Remarkable Women of the Civil Rights Movement

Chapel Hill honors women who fought for equality during the local civil rights movement this Saturday as part of the Chapel Hill 1819/2019 series. The community is invited to attend Women in the Movement on Saturday, November 9th, from 3:00 pm to 5:30 pm at Chapel Hill Public Library. The program celebrates the women who pushed for social change in Chapel Hill and will feature a screening of a mini-documentary as well as remarks from the women, their daughters, and other members of the community. It is presented by the Lincoln High School Alumni Association in partnership with Chapel Hill Public Library.

The Civil Rights Era is a significant period of our community history, and topics related to that time continue to generate discussion and discovery. A permanent commemorative marker is currently being constructed to remember the Chapel Hill Nine, a group of Lincoln High School students who sparked a decade of civil rights demonstrations by organizing a sit-in at Colonial Drug in 1960. The marker will be installed outside of the West End Wine Bar, former site of Colonial Drug, in February.

Young men weren’t the only ones fighting for equality at that time. Several women also inspired action. The Women in the Movement event will shine a light on these unheralded voices of Chapel Hill’s history. Community historian Danita Mason-Hogans, who is helping to coordinate this event, says, “The stories of these women are inspiring and I want the public to know how these women have impacted and educated our local civil rights history.”

The Women in the Movement event seeks to educate the public through a mini-documentary series. The first of three parts premieres on Saturday. The first film, titled I Was Still Singing, highlights seven Chapel Hill women who inspired social justice. It showcases their first-person accounts of the tremendous efforts taken to push for change. The title itself is part of Betty Baldwin Geer’s story.  She was part of Chapel Hill demonstrations in the 1960s and explains that during this demonstration many people passed out because of the heat but she kept protesting; “…I was still singing.”

 To learn more about Women in the Movement or to see other historical events celebrating Chapel Hill’s history, visit chapelhill1819.org.