Amelia Thorpe

Although Amelia Thorpe, pictured above in 1946, has lived at 608 Dunbar Street in Durham, North Carolina for the majority of her life, her neighborhood and community have changed significantly since she was born in 1940. As a child, she grew up under the laws of Jim Crow. Ms. Thorpe remembers a time when she had to use the restroom before leaving home because she could not use the facilities while in downtown Durham. She also recounts an instance when she longingly looked into a restaurant, wondering what it would be like to be able to eat at the white establishment.

Although the rules of segregation were virulent and unjust, Ms. Thorpe described her community as stable, civic-minded, and family-oriented. She did not know anyone who grew up in a single-parent household, and almost all of the families she knew were involved in some type of community institution--whether it be church or the NAACP. Ms. Thorpe lived in one of the nicest parts of segregated Durham, the Hayti area, and her memories support the vision of Durham as the "Mecca of the Black Middle Class."

She recalls many neighbors who worked for the North Carolina Mutual, the black-owned insurance company that was the symbol of black achievement and self-sufficiency. She also stressed the importance of many community institutions, especially North Carolina College, active churches, the Stanford L. Warren Library, Lincoln Hospital, and a variety of black-owned businesses, including Page's Grocery run by her aunt, Pearl Page.

Ms. Thorpe also had contact with other African-Americans outside of her neighborhood. She talked about her friends from the Walltown community , a more working class neighborhood in Durham. Although Walltown did not have prestigious institutions nor professionals among its ranks, Ms. Thorpe described the Walltown community as very civic-minded and family-oriented.

Many aspects of life in the Hayti community began to change in the 1960's. While a student at North Carolina College, Ms. Thorpe was active in the Civil Rights Movement and campus activities. She described the movement training sessions conducted by Floyd McKissick and marches to open up public accommodations.

As a young woman, Ms. Thorpe moved to San Francisco and worked as a social worker and a juvenile parole officer. She was also politically active while working in the city, especially with the local NAACP chapter. Ms. Thorpe liked San Francisco, partly because of its differences to the South. There were many more ethnic groups, so there were never just black and white issues. In addition, she described the atmosphere as more accepting and exciting.

While in San Francisco, a friend introduced Ms. Thorpe to a Japanese-based form of Buddhism that she now practices. Although Ms. Thorpe was raised in the traditional White Rock Baptist Church, she knew that she was meant to practice a different religion.

Ms. Thorpe returned to North Carolina after ten years in California when her father passed away. She remained in Durham to take care of her elderly mother. The Durham Ms. Thorpe returned to was quite different than the community she had left. "Urban renewal" was occurring, and the city tore down many institutions to build the Durham Freeway (Highway 147). Legal segregation no longer plagued the city, but concerns about poverty and employment were now of great importance. Ms. Thorpe believes these issues are still vital today.

interviewed by Julie Zwibelman

Excerpt 1 description
Excerpt 2 description
Excerpt 3 description

h o m e   |   i n d e x