BLACK HISTORY MONTH.
3 WE ARE TAKING A DEEPER LOOK AT A SMALL CITY WITH A HISTORIC NATIONAL FORCE THE ROOTS OF WHAT? WINSTON-SALEM BIRTH INNOVATORS TRAILBLAZERS AND LAID THE FOUNDATION WITH LANDMARK LOCATIONS THAT CHANGE THE COURSE OF HISTORY FOR ALL OFTEN AGAINST ALL ODDS. BEYOND THESE WALLS THERE IS A LEGACY WINSTON-SALEM HAS A RICH BLACK HISTORY DATING BACK TO THE FOUNDING OF SALEM THE VERY FOUNDATION THAT REMAINS IN OLD SALEM TO THIS DAY CREATED BY AFRICAN MEN AND WOMEN WHEN WE THINK OF THE FOUNDING OF WINSTON-SALEM; WE DO THINK OF THE MORAVIANS, BUT WHAT WE DON’T THINK IS THAT SOME OF THOSE MORAVIANS WERE BLACK MERIDIANS OR PEOPLE OF AFRICAN DESCENT THAT ACTUALLY JOINED THE MORAVIAN CHURCH? AND AND BECAME MEMBERS IT WAS UNHEARD OF AT THE TIME A DESEGREGATED CONGREGATION INSIDE SAINT PHILIP’S CHURCH, AND IF THESE PEWS COULD TALK THE WHISPERED. LAYERS, THEY WOULD TELL OF ENSLAVED MOTHER’S CHILDREN AND THEIR DADS HOPEFUL FOR FREEDOM WE HAVE THIS. ARTIFACT THIS HUGE ARTIFACT RIGHT HERE IN OUR CITY THAT PEOPLE DON’T EVEN KNOW THAT THAT’S THE PLACE WHERE THE ENDING OF SLAVERY WAS ANNOUNCED IN IN THIS AREA FOR THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA. WE ALL KNOW ABOUT JUNETEEN THAT YOU KNOW CELEBRATE JUNE TEAM VIGOROUSLY. JUNE 19TH DATE BUT EVEN A MONTH PRIOR TO THAT HERE ON MAY 21ST, 1865 BLACK PEOPLE IN THIS AREA HEARD THAT THEY WERE FREE THAT SLAVERY HAD ENDED AND IT’S RIGHT IN THE CHURCH IN IN OLD SALEM THE SAINT PHILLIPS AFRICAN ARABIAN CHURCH THAT STILL STANDING AND INSIDE THE OLDEST AFRICAN AMERICAN CHURCH IN NORTH CAROLINA, AND HOME OF THE ONLY HISTORIC BLACK MORAVIAN CONGREGATION IN THE UNITED STATES. ARE THE STORIES OF THE COURAGEOUS AND BARRIER-BREAKING MEN AND WOMEN THERE WERE BLACK PEOPLE HERE ENSLAVED BLACK PEOPLE SOME SOME FRIEDMAN THAT WERE WORKING AS A CARPENTERS IS ROOFERS TEMPS TEAMSTERS. THEY WERE DOING DOMESTIC WORK. THEY’RE INVOLVED IN ALL KINDS OF WORK THAT HELPED BUILD THE CITY WHAT WE NOW KNOW AS WINSTON-SALEM. IT IS ON THEIR BROAD SHOULDERS. EDUCATORS DOCTORS MUSICIANS ARTISTS AND CHAMPIONS EMERGED ACROSS THE CITY LIKE CARL WESLEY MATTHEWS WHO WITH ONE INCREDIBLE ACT OF COURAGE IN WINSTON-SALEM STARTED THE SIT-IN MOVEMENT AT THE SH CREST LUNCH COUNTER SIMILAR TO THE A&T 4. MATTHEWS WAS LATER FOLLOWED BY 21 STUDENTS FROM WAKE FOREST AND WINSTON-SALEM TEACHERS COLLEGE SITTING IN AT LUNCH COUNTERS IN 1960 WHERE THE INGREDIENTS OF THIS REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENT WAS NON-VIOLENCE AND A STANCE IN THE NAME OF EQUALITY. DIGNITY AND RESPECT MAKING WINSTON-SALEME THE FIRST CITY IN THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA TO DESEGREGATE LUNCH COUNTERS WITHIN THE SAME YEAR. I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT THAT WE DO STOP AND PAY HOMAGE TO THESE INDIVIDUALS. BLACK HISTORY, OF COURSE. IS AMERICAN HISTORY ON FORTUNATELY THE HISTORY HAS NOT BEEN GIVEN THE ATTENTION. IT SHOULD BUT THERE IS A TIME THAT WE HAVE TO STOP. AND CELEBRATE AND OBSERVE THESE ACCOMPLISHMENTS SO THAT WE DON’T FORGET AND THAT WE CAN PASS THEM ON DOWN TO OUR CHILDREN AND THEY CAN PASS THE ONE DOWN AND IT BECOMES YOU KNOW, A PART OF THE SYSTEM AND WE JUST AREN’T THERE YET. SO BLACK HISTORY MONTH IS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE LIKE YOU SAID A LOT OF PEOPLE CURRENTLY DON’T EVEN KNOW THEIR HISTORY HERE IN WINSTON-SALEM AND THERE ARE SO MANY MORE SEEN AND UNSEEN WHO HAVE AND CONTINUE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE NAME OF EQUALITY FOR ALL WE WOULD LOVE TO CONTINUE TO HEAR YOUR STORY. SO PLEASE R