Fayetteville experienced rapid change in the decades following World War II, with Fort Bragg’s (now Fort Liberty) rapid expansion during the Cold War. The highway system was expanding, and by the late 1960s, businesses were starting to depart from downtown.
Perhaps most notably, the African American fight for civil rights was changing Cumberland County, culminating with the downtown Civil Rights protests in the spring and summer of 1963, where local African American residents battled for the desegregation of downtown businesses. This was the culmination of the time period’s struggle for civil rights.
The 555th Airborne Infantry Battalion, an airborne unit of African American soldiers founded during World War II, which became known as the “Triple Nickles,” was activated at Camp Mackall in 1944.
After World War II ended, President Harry Truman moved to desegregate the military in 1948, resulting in the integration of units at Fort Bragg. In 1956, Saint Ann’s Catholic School opened in Fayetteville, becoming one of the state’s first interracial schools. It was all-inclusive and admitted students regardless of their ethnicity or religious preference.
In 1960, the first sit-in took place in Greensboro. Protests against segregation intensified and in 1962, the Fayetteville public school system began integration. However, Fayetteville's downtown business establishments were still segregated.
Fayetteville State University students decided to try to change downtown segregation by holding protests and marches on downtown business establishments in 1963. A historic marker acknowledging the protest was added to the NC Civil Rights Trail in downtown Fayetteville last year.
Civil Rights stories of this time period are important, and the Cumberland County Public Library, with help from the River Jordan Council on African-American Heritage (and sponsored by the Friends of the Cumberland County Public Library Inc.) wants to preserve these stories of civil rights in Fayetteville and Cumberland County. We are conducting oral interviews with residents who have civil rights experiences from this important era.
Do you or a family member have a story to share from that time? Do you have experiences from the Civil Rights era? If so, we want to hear from you.
Contact the Cumberland County Public Library’s Local & State History Department at 910-483-7727 ext. 1365, or email lsh@cumberlandcountync.gov for more information or to set up an interview. You can also fill out our signup form here.
