In honor of Black History, Digital and Lifelong Learning will present a theatrical performance by acclaimed actor and playwright Mike Wiley. In Blood Done Sign My Name, Mike Wiley brings to life the recollections of author Tim Tyson surrounding the 1970 murder of Henry “Dickie” Marrow in Oxford, NC, and the events that followed. Marrow, who was black, was chased from a local store by three white men after he reportedly made a crude remark to one of the men’s wives. They brutally beat Marrow then killed him with a bullet to the head in view of multiple witnesses. Despite the eyewitness reports, an all-white jury acquitted the men. The town’s black community responded with an uprising that destroyed downtown businesses and several tobacco warehouses holding millions of dollars in harvested crops. Tyson, who was a ten-year-old child in Oxford at the time, recounts how the conflagration of events shaped his life and offers all of us an opportunity to examine our own roles in the complex and often confusing racial fabric of America.
Admission is free, open to the public, and recommended for school grades 7 and up.
Black History Month has been celebrated in the United States as far back as 1926 when American historian Carter G. Woodson established the commemoration to honor the contributions made to our nation by people of African descent. The second week of February was chosen for this commemoration to coincide with the birthdays of abolitionist/editor Frederick Douglass and President Abraham Lincoln. As part of the nation’s bicentennial in 1976, the weeklong celebration was expanded to a month. Ever since U.S. presidents have proclaimed February as National African American History Month.
Numerous events are held across campus (both virtually and in person) at UNC-Chapel Hill during Black History Month in recognition of the historical background that has shaped the contributions of African Americans to our country. These include panel discussions, lectures, discussions, and more.