” . . . the end is reconciliation; the end is redemption; the end is the creation of the beloved community. It is this type of spirit and this type of love that can transform opposers into friends. It is this type of understanding goodwill that will transform the deep gloom of the old age into the exuberant gladness of the new age. It is this love which will bring about miracles in the hearts of men.” — Martin Luther King, from “Facing the Challenge of a New Age,” 1956
Our Vision: Beloved Community
We see a world of creative reconciliation, hard-won rights, and abiding love and respect of which we may be a means.
Our Mission
To honor, renew, and build community in the historic Northside, Pine Knolls, and Tin Top neighborhoods of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, NC
Our Aim
To do justice by the legacies of vision, value, action, and example conveyed in oral histories on From the Rock Wall
Our Goal
To engage the power of civil rights history; the struggles and strengths of generations of long-term residents; the insights of all who work, live, play, serve, and worship in Northside neighborhoods; and partnership across multiple lines of difference to make community-driven change
The Jackson Center is a hub of creative action dedicated to preserving the future of historically Black neighborhoods in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, NC. Located in the heart of the Northside community, Center staff work in collaboration with Northside neighbors and friends to respect and to serve histories that, even as they are told, make new history out of Emancipation, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, civil rights struggle, and desegregation. Today Northside, Pine Knolls and Tin Top are among the most racially, ethnically, and economically diverse neighborhoods in the region.
Our primary aim is to listen well: to hear and to carry forward histories shaped by abiding values and visions for vibrant community. We want to make sure that the histories of everyday, courageous and faithful leadership that we are privileged to hear—and to hold in the Jackson Center Oral History Trust–make a difference in our communities now and for generations to come. This is the work of legacy-making. It is multi-generational, community-first work. For the Jackson Center, it is the joy of continuing to be led by the wit and wisdom of all of those who work, worship, play, serve, and live in Northside, Pine Knolls, and Tin Top—and of those who remember the everyday history-making and artful neighboring that make our neighborhoods models of abundant community.