The Tar River Center for History and Culture Foundation, Inc. has received a grant from the North Carolina Humanities Council, a statewide nonprofit and affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, to undertake an oral history of school desegregation in Franklin County. The project will be carried out by volunteers who are working with the Tar River Center for History and Culture at Louisburg College.

"This is a project of great importance," said Maury York, director of the center. "The desegregation of the public schools in Franklin County during the 1960s drew national attention, and the outcome of a court case involving our schools ended the 'freedom of choice' approach to integration," he said. "As we approach the fiftieth anniversary of the events that transformed our schools, it is important for people who participated in those momentous events to tell their stories."

During the project, volunteers will record interviews with twelve citizens from throughout Franklin County. "This is our story," York said. "We want students, parents, teachers, administrators, advisory committee members, or any other citizens of Franklin County who have recollections of the events involving the integration of the Franklin County schools to tell us their story."

Those who wish to be considered for an interview or to nominate someone else should send York a brief statement explaining why their story should be recorded. Statements can be sent via e-mail to myork@louisburg.edu or to his attention at Louisburg College, 501 North Main Street, Louisburg, NC 27549.

The interviews will be transcribed and made available on the Web site of the Tar River Center for History and Culture. Interviewees and other citizens will be invited to a public program this fall to share the outcome of the project. "Our communities have always centered around schools and churches," York said. "Some of these stories may have been shared in these institutions, but the members of the committee who are undertaking this project hope that the public program will bring people together to have a more collective and inclusive dialogue and to develop a better understanding of one another," he added.

For more information, contact York at (919) 497-3252.