Civil rights activists who dedicated their lives to promoting individual freedom in Chapel Hill were remembered and honored Sunday.
The town added the names of Yonni Chapman, Rebecca Clark, Rev. Charles Jones and Dan Pollitt, to a granite plate in front of the post office at the Peace and Justice Plaza.
“Some memorials are set to remember the people, but other memorials, like the one here today, are dedicated to remember the movement made by the people,” said Rev. William Barber, president of the N.C. chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
The recipients were honored posthumously.
“They have left an extraordinary legacy for us,” said Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt. “Not one of them stopped working, even when they reached some success.”
One of those honored, Pollitt, a UNC law professor, worked to desegregate businesses and the University. He also helped recruit UNC’s first black basketball player.
“It is easy for us to recognize these people, but we have to remember it was not easy for them,” said N.C. Sen. Ellie Kinnaird, D-Orange, Pollitt’s wife.
Clark lived and worked in the town as one of the University’s maids. She was discriminated against by Jim Crow laws, but became known for encouraging black residents to vote.
“She knew how to support you, how to stand behind you, how to love you, but also she knew how to hold you accountable,” said Reginald Hildebrand, an associate professor for African and Afro-American Studies.
