Frieda Harlow saved community music in Ridgeway, North Carolina. She wouldn’t tell you that, but she invested in a crumbling music hall and insured the continuation of a community institution. Harlow grew up in the original opry house, singing and playing music. The Ridgeway Opry was a vital part of her childhood, and wanted to… Read More →
Inside NC: Birthplace of Environmental Justice
Warren County, North Carolina is considered by many to be the birthplace of the environmental justice movement. In 1982, after four years of unsuccessful litigation, Warren County citizens and protesters used principles of non-violent protest to oppose the dumping of toxin-laced soil into a Warren County landfill. 55 citizens were jailed. According to Wikipedia: The… Read More →
Inside NC: Stoney Creek
In this episode Marty Richardson, a youthful, dynamic community leader of the Haliwa-Saponi tribe in Halifax and Warren counties. Nearly 80% of the state-recognized tribe lives with a six-mile radius of the unincorporated town of Hollister. As a teenager, Richardson started Stoney Creek, a drum-circle and singing group you young male members of the tribe…. Read More →
Inside NC: WVSP Radio
WVSP were the call letters. Voices Serving the People was its philosophy. For ten years, from 1976-1986 Warrenton, North Carolina’s hometown radio station, WVSP broadcast a community’s voice, its interests, and its concerns. As Joshua Davis reported on the University of North Carolina’s Media and the Movement website: The station devoted its programming to progressive… Read More →
Inside NC: Rock Fish Stew
Anglers from around North Carolina converge on Roanoke Rapids, NC every spring. They come to take advantage of the running of the rock fish. The annual upstream migration of the striped bass brings fishermen to the Roanoke River in Halifax County to pull “stripers” over 18” to take home and prepare. In this episode, Carol… Read More →
Inside NC: The Warrenton Echoes
The Warrenton Echoes are Warren County, North Carolina’s premier African American gospel quartet. Since the group’s inception in 1957, the Echoes have served as a training ground for North Carolina gospel talent. In the group’s 60-year history, the Echoes have seen many personnel changes, but the mission of the group has remained constant. To “meet… Read More →