Reliving the history of a Chapel Hill rock wall that's helped to break barriers

A wall helping to break barriers?

It sounds like an oxymoron, but there's a place in Chapel Hill where it's very much the case.

It's a wall only about knee-high, but it has loomed large in the stories and struggles of African-Americans in Chapel Hill.

To share those stories, a new interactive website features the voices of those who remember the wall as a gathering place and agent of change.

Kathy Atwater grew up in the neighborhood, and remembers the students from the Blacks-only Lincoln High School gathering at the wall, located at Cotton and McDade streets.

She remembers meetings to plan marches against segregation and equality that even resulted in jail time for some of protestors.

"They would meet on the rock wall to plan their strategy for the marches," Atwater said. "If these stones could talk, what would they say?"

From the wall, a neighborhood's youth made plans to crumble the white power structure.

You can listen to some of their voices on the website, 'From The Rock Wall, an oral history of Black life in Orange County.'

"Everybody has a story, and that's what we want people to realize," Atwater said. "Everybody has a story; everybody has a history."

It's a history celebrated at Chapel Hill's Marian Cheek Jackson Center, which produced the website. Executive director George Barrett says the stories will resonate with people far beyond the wall.

"I think you really get from the beginning, the spirit of this community and the abundance of this community," Barrett said. "You can sense the history of this place and how rooted people are here."

The rock wall made people stop and listen, and it remains a good place to sit down, think back and look ahead. The ironic changelessness about the wall remains a rock-solid testimonial to the neighborhood bonds and friendships that were forged there.

Atwater called the wall, "A living memorial."

"It's important to listen, because when you listen, you value that person," Atwater said. "That's what people want; to be valued."

The 'From The Rock Wall' website now features about 250 interviews but it remains a work in progress, with more voices and comments always being added.

You'll find it at fromtherockwall.org.