History Notes

Part 2 continues the story of Holocaust survivor Shelley Weiner. We also hear from community and activist Victoria Milstein. Victoria is spearheading the development of "She Wouldn't Take Off Her Boots" a monument coming to LeBauer Park in Downtown Greensboro. Victoria and others connect the shared history of African American, and other marginalized, undervalued, and underrepresented people who have come together to fight for a more equitable city.

This episode looks at Greensboro's connection to the Holocaust through the story of Greensboro resident and Holocaust Survivor Shelley Weiner. Weiner discusses her family's escape from Nazi forces in Poland, in what is now Rivne, Ukraine. Holocaust scholars and descendants recount the stories and explain how their families were affected by the Holocaust. Host Rodney Dawson also discusses a monument honoring the Women of the Shoah, "She Wouldn't Take Off Her Boots," to be dedicated in Greensboro in spring 2023.

On November 10, 1898, white supremacists burned the offices of the Black-owned newspaper The Daily Record, murdered an unknown number of African Americans and overthrew the city government. Host Rodney Dawson talks to Chris Everett, director of the 2015 documentary film Wilmington on Fire, about how the Wilmington Coup and Massacre is remembered in the Port City. Historians LeRae Umfleet and Glenda Elizabeth Gilmore provide additional perspectives on the coup’s impact on North Carolina.

Host Rodney Dawson talks with some of the people involved in the Guilford County Community Remembrance Project. They are working to uncover the truth about the 1887 lynching of Eugene Hairston near Greensboro and document it for the National Memorial of Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama. Guests, including Dr. Deborah Barnes, Terry Hammond and Karen Skelton talk about the local and national legacies of lynching.

Greensboro History Museum Summer 2022 Education intern Alandya Warren explores disparities in who and what the monuments in our community mean. Combining conversations with her Generation Z friends, interviews, and voices from the GHM Education Webinar Series “Minding Our Monuments,” this episode explores perceptions about monuments and who is (and isn’t) represented.

Rodney Dawson speaks with Betty Jo Wilson, Yvonne Johnson, Roslyn Smith and Lewis Brandon III, who took part in Greensboro civil rights demonstrations during the 1960s. This episode was recorded live at Triad Stage on September 26, 2022, in connection with the world premiere of "Rebellious," a play about four Bennett College students during the 1960 Sit-Ins.  The interview with Dr. Willa B. Player was recorded by Eugene E. Pfaff Jr., December 3, 1979, as part of the Greensboro Voices Oral History Project and is copyrighted by the Greensboro Public Library. Find a transcript of the entire interview at https://gateway.uncg.edu/islandora/object/oh:112

Two storied North Carolina HBCUs – NC A&T State University and NC Central University – have nearly a hundred years of battling one another on the gridiron. We look at some epic match-ups and ask former stand-out Aggie players and band members about memorable scenes, plays, moments, coaches, and players. Plus, historians Dr. Arwin Smallwood (A&T) and Dr. Charles Johnson (NCCU) discuss the history or the rivalry.

A discussion with retired teacher Beverly Gibson, and how she trained with the best to usher the moon rock program in to Guilford County Schools from the 1980s to 1990s.  (Photo: Jimmie Jeffries/News & Record)