OovM M. Moor*, for /off, propore* food during Sunday'% pknie at Tanglawodd Park.
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Moore
from page At
But, after more than 100 years,
Dawson Moore's stories of a legisla
tor father were eventually proven
true. And this year, for the first time,
six generations of the family heard
the true story of Alfred Moore.
"It's shocking," said Juanilla
Moore Gwyn, a Winston-Salem
native and a great-granddaughter of
Alfred Moore "I had never heard
all of this before. And if I had, I
probably wouldn't have believed it.
Who would have thought a black
man could do anything in South
Carolina back then?"
A secret history
According to the stories told to
Reed by her father, Alfred Moore
was elected to the S.C. General
Assembly in 1872 and served until
1876. Dawson MoOre told his
daughter that her grandfather was a
farmer and the first black man to
serve as a senator in the S.C. Gener
al Assembly. Dawson Moore said
his father was not elected but
appointed to serve in the General
Assembly because his fair skin
allowed him to "pass" for white.
Over time, Reed forgot about the
stories of her fabled grandfather. As
a youth, she was taught nothing
Ibout African American history in
school, and living in a South scarred
with hundreds of restrooms and
water fountains clearly marked
black or white, that a black man
could have once been in control
seemed unfathomable.
"At that time I didn't under
stand what it meant," she said. "I
looked around me and I didn't see
anything like that. If you told some
body, they would laugh at you and
ask how you could have a black sen
ator back then."
It wasn't until the Civil Rights
Movement began to build steam in
the 1950s that the childhood stories
began to take on new meaning. As
she began to learn more about black
people's struggles, she began to
think more about her family's past.
"A cousin of mirie told me what
it meant to have a grandfather that
served in the General Assembly,"
she said. "Then I got together with
some of my other cousins, most of
all have gone on to glory, and they
gave me all the information. And I
decided that I wanted to share it
with my family and let them pass it
on to their children."
Reed began to jot down the sto
ries, but she still had no proof. Hob
bled by a stroke that forces her to
use a walker, she had a difficult time
traveling from her home in Chester
to the state Capitol in Columbia to
look up information.
But she still tried to piece togeth
er a family tree. She told the stories
to whomever would listen and
would jot down notes. Several times,
she's told her story to reporters,
hoping someone would find defini
tive proof. While several stories
appeared, none gave Reed the proof
she so desperately wanted.
"I wanted to know what hap
pened, but I didn't know how to find
it," she said. "Before 1 died, I just
wanted to know what really hap
poied."
Family members across the
nation joined in the search. After a
story that appeared in The (Chester)
News & Reporter was sent to rela
tives across the country, several fam
ily members began to search in
earnest for information.
"That was the first I heard of it,"
Gwyn said. "I tried to find informa
tion about it on the Internet. But 1
couldn't find anything at all about
him. It was just frustrating."
The real story of Alfred Moore
was hidden deep within South Car
olina's countless historical docu
ments and is a shade different from
family lore.
According to militia and census
records, Alfred Moore was born a
slave in 1834. His race is listed as
mulatto. He was literate. In 1870, he
had a personal fortune of $165 - no
small amount for a former slave.
And though he wasn't the state's
first black senator, Alfred Moore
did serve as a member of the House
of Representatives during a special
legislative session from 1870-1872.
Moore was part of South Car
olina's buried history. From 1868 to
1872, the majority of South Caroli
na's representatives in both houses
were black men. Blacks would reach
their peak in 1872, the year Moore
left the House. Of the General
Assembly's 155 representatives, 96
were black. It was the first and last
time in American history that blacks
held the majority of any state legis
lature.
After his tenure at the state
Capitol, Moore bought property
and became a minister.
Though the records point out
inconsistencies in the family's oral
history. Reed's son Cleveland, part
or a large delegation of Moores
who call Winston-Salem home, says
he's still proud of his great-grandfa
ther.
"This doesn't change a thing,"
he said. "I'm still proud of him. I'm
just glad we finally know what actu
ally happened."
? '?
The Lost Years
The family's frustration at find
ing information is understandable,
says Sherman Pyatt, archivist at the
College; of Charleston's Avery
Research Center for African Ameri
can History and Culture.
Almost every day, historians and
archivists make new discoveries
about the early years of Reconstruc
tion.
"It was difficult to find informa
tion about the period 15 pr 20 years
ago," Pyatt said. "But now histori
ans are writing more about it. It's
almost a, lost period for a lot of peo
ple. They simply don't realize what
happened during that period and
the tremendous strides made by
blacks. In our history this marks the
Only , point where blacks had that
sort of power."
Reconstruction is the name
given to the years immediately fol
lowing the Civil War. During that
time, the South found itself knee
deep in debt and and nursing
wounds - both mental and physical
- from the war.
Economically the. South was
decimated as well. Gone was the
institution of slavery, and many
planters had lost their land to
Northernefs.
1*
Aided by Northern white
Republicans, blacks, who made up
the vast majority of the state s pop
ulation, began to make strides.
Schools were set up to teach the.,
newly freed slaves to read. And for
the first time blacks made up the
voting majority. Whites were not
allowed to vote unless they took an
oath of allegiance, which most
refused to do, Pyatt said.
It wasn't a simple task to be a
black elected official.
Black politicians were highly
scrutinized. They faced death
threats and harassment by orga
nized groups of whites set on run
ning them out of office.
Local papers, run by Southern
Democrats, painted them as igno
rant, illiterate former slaves, which
was untrue. The vast majority of
black elected officials were literate.
Many owned property or were
tradesmen. And many of them were
actually born free. South Carolina
boasted a latge population of free
blacks who earned livings in various
trades.
"Southern - whites had a real
hatred of blacks," Pyatt said. "From
day one, whites were bent on being
deconstructive. Newspapers were
used to perpetuate a host of myths
about blacks."
Pyatt said a large number of the
elected officials, like Moore, would
have been of mixed heritage.
"That put him in a position to
move into power," he said. "Some
times mulattos would have had been
able to obtain their freedom a little
more easily than other slaves. They
were also more likely to be taught to
read and write and have access to
the white power structure than other
slaves.
For men like Moore, power
would be fleeting.
By 1890, the North had all but
pulled out of the South and white
Southerners had instituted codes
that limited blacks' freedom and
movement. Groups like the Ku
Klux Klan had come to power and
used intimidation and public lynch
ings to further undermine any steps
made by blacks.
Pyatt said it s not surprising that
most of the family didn't know
about their ancestor's accomplish
ments For men like Moore, talking
about their past accomplishments
would have been dangerous.
"Whites fought tooth and nail to
destroy blacks' inroads," Pyatt said.
"They literally took them to court in
effprts to steal their land. And after
serving, many of the black legisla
tors would have had a tough time
moving back into society as they
knew it. Most would have been
stripped of their land and pride.
That's a hard thing for a man to talk
about. Most would have simply
tried hard to foiget about their years
in the Assembly. It was the wisest
thing they could probably do."
And relatives believe that's what
Alfred Moore did.
Quietly, he lived out the years
until his death in 1913, hesitant to
talk about his years in the House.
But relatives vow to break the
silence. At each reunion they will
share more of the family's history
and Alfred Moore's legacy.
Cleveland Reed says though his
children may not understand the
significance of Moore's achieve
ments, they will someday.
"We're going to talk about it," he
said. "Our children will know what
really happened back then."
"You know, it does give us
hope," said Krystal McCullough.
18, a great-great-great-granddaugh
ter of Alfred Moore. "If he was
strong enough to do it back all those
years ago, then we should be able to
do it now."
LOP to hold town hall meeting with ambassador
Special to THE CHRONICLE
A historic town hall meeting is
one of many events the Liberian
Organization of North Carolina
will hold in honor of the visit of
Rachel Gbenyon-Diggs, the Liber
ian ambassador to the United
States, to Winston-Salem.
On Saturday, the group will
host a town hall meeting featuring
Gbenyon-Diggs at Goler Memori
al AME Zion Church. The town
hall meeting will be held from 12
p.m. to 3 pm. The event will be a
time for the public to ask the
ambassador questions about her
job, the country of Liberia or any
other relevant topics.
A soccer match will also be
held featuring Liberian players.
The kick-off time for the match is
Saturday at 4:30 p.m. The match
will be played at the Kennedy
Middle School Field.
A dinner reception for the
ambassador will be held Saturday
from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Win
ston-Salem Urban League. The
reception will feature entertain
ment. The cost of the reception is
$10, with proceeds going to fund
projects of the Liberian Organiza
tion of North Carolina.
Gbenyon-Diggs will also make
a special appearance on Friday at
the Black Leadership Round
table's Second Anniversary Bash
at the Urban League. LONC
encourages Liberians to support
the BLR event with their presence.
The group also strongly
encourages everyone to attend as
many events as possible.
LONC is made up of chapters
from Winston-Salem, Charlotte.
Salisbury and Greensboro.
CORRECTION
In last week's issue of The Chronicle there was an error in the editorial "Most black children
still not passing." One sentence stated that projected figures for the 1998-99 school year show that
54.5 percent of fifth graders and 50.8 percent of seventh graders were not proficient on the end
of-grade test. The sentence should have stated that projected figures will show that the students
"were" proficient on the tests.
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NOTICE MINORITY AND WOMEN-OWNED FIRMS ;
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The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is seeking minority and women-owned firms
(M/WBE) to bid on upcoming highway projects throughtout the State. The Locations of the projects are: *
| - !*? I ? ! . || ,
| o o >6 > 8 ? ? c #-ii
^ o tr oz h 3 a uj . ?
5.4411210 Cumberland 6 Milling. Resurfacing. Thermoplastic From SR-2283 to Rockfish Crock- hndge Knglish 5* 59fc -
\ " PVMT Markings A PVMT Markers South of FayeOeviUe
6.349003T Wilson 4 Grading. Clearing and Grubbing. Mowing. 89 acre Wiggins Mill Wetland Mitigation English Not
Ripping. Discing & Drainage - site located between Wiggins Mill Road to estab
tfr North and Rnpooed US-264 Wfem bypass to tr Sctfh
6 498004B Guilford 7 Grading. Drainage, living. Uwg-hfr 1-85 (Greensboro Bypass) hum North of SR Mctnc 10SL 5
PVMT Markings Pavement Markers 3314 (Wiley-Lewis) to South of SR 3000
Signing. Signals A Structures (McConnell Road) East of Greensboro
6.349004T Wilson 4 Grading. Drainage. Paving. Signing US-264 Wilson bypass from East of US 301 Metric 10* 5*
Signals. 1 .ong-life PVMT MRK. to existing US 264 East of NC 58 South of Wilson '?
Culvert, Structure A Pavement Markers r
6.939004T Graham 14 Grading & Draining. Tutulji Creek WAland MiUgatHm site. North English Not . ,
3'' t^US 29, North of Topton, East of SR 1201 estab. ,
' ?????? ?? 1 ' ?? ?? ??? r
7.9411101 Haywood 14 Resurfacing shoulder construction and I section of primary road English 5* 5* '
Thermoplastic Pavement Markings
7.9811100 P>lk 14 Milling. Resurfacing A Thermoplastic 6 sections of primary mud English 4* 4*
PVMT Markings
???? ?????? ??? ???????????? ? i. ? ? ?? . 4
8.1051903 Dare " I Safety (iaurdraiI Improvements US 264 from SR 1100 (Stumpy Kant Road) English 10*
to US 64 intersection North of Englehan r?"
8.1241802 Bladen 6 (trading. Discing and Drainage Dowd Dairy Farm Wetland Mitigation site English 0* ?{
, of White Oak ^
8.1251201 New Hanover 3 Grading. Drainage. Paving Intersection of US 74 & US 76 in the English 10*
Thermoplastic PVMT MRKS. vicinity of PI a/a East Shopping Center in
Pavemeni Markings & Signals Wilmington
8.1321701 Nash 4 Grading. Drainage. Paving. NC 97 (nan US 301 to SR-I7I4 in RockrMount English 10*
Thermoplastic IWMT MRKS A t
Pavement Markers A Traffic Signals ? jj
8.1360701 Franklin ' 5 Wnlenutf. Grading. Drainage. Paving I 'S-4f)l From SR-1700 (Fox Park Rood) to Metnc 10* J
Thermkiplasuc Pavement MRKS. NC-39 in Uanshurg . j
Pavement Markers. Signing. Signals,# .. _
Culvert ^
8 1530401 Hoke 8 Widening. Grading. Resurfacing. On NC 2 M from SR 1318 (Old NC 211) to English 10*
Paviiw. Drainage. ThermuplastK SR 1203 (Turnpike Road) North ol Raetonl. \
PVMT MRKS A Pavemery Makings 7.Sections and I -Section of Uttaan roads & intersccuons
8 1870210 McDowell. 13 Grading. Dranage. Pavement 2 Sections of Pnmm Roads English 10*
Burke rehaNlitation. Signing. Long-life
PVMT MRKS. Pavemeni Markers A ? /
Structures ' r
8 2461201 Robeson 6 Paving. Grading. Drainage. Pavement Hndge over launber River and Approaches English 6*
Markers & Structures i*i SR 2202 inlaimberton
??? ' ?????????????? ? ?? ??
8.2741101 Surry II '' Widening. Grading Drainage. Paving. SIR 113&.(CC Camp Road) from 21 Metnc ?10*
Signmg. ThermopiastK PVMT Bypass to 1-77 !)kwtKcast of Elkin
MRKS & Pavement Markings , ^
8.2791601 Catawba 12 Grading. Drainage. Paving. Pavement Hndge over McLin Creek and approaches English 10*
Mafkers A Structures on SR 1722 West of Catawba V
8.2843401 Buncombe 13 Grading. Draining. Paving A Culvert Culvefl on Beavcrdam Creek and English 10*
approaches on SR 1674 in Ashevillc
9.8100352 Union 10 Grading. Draining. Paving. Signalv Rea Road extension from NC 16 in I nam Metnc 10* 5*
Mecklenburg Thermoplastic PVMT MRKS. County to North trf Hallantyne Commons ??
Pavement Markers. Culvert A Parkway in Mecklenburg County South of
??? ?????? ?? Structure Charlotte ???? ? ? ?
i
LETTING DATE:Tuesday, July 20, 1999 i
*** MONDAY, July 19,1999 6 P.M. - MIDNIGHT ***
North Raleigh Hilton - 3415 Wake Forest Road - Raleigh. N.C. ?
Prime contractors will be available on monday July. 19. 1999 to receive quotes for trucking. .
sub-contracting and materials. MAVBE's needing more information and/or technical assis- J
tance may come to Room 522 to meet with representatives from the Bennington Corp.,
NCDOT's Supportive Provider. (919)832-6027
NCDOT Office of Civil Rights & Business Development 1*800?522-0453
Certification of highway contracting firms Richard Chrisawn It * \7jLf g 1
Certification of supply/service/engineering firms: Robert Mathes V* (
Comments or concerns: Delano Rackard: Director ?