African American Heritage Initiative(AAHI)  Collection Teams

The African American Heritage Initiative Committee is looking for volunteers to serve on the collection teams it has set up to better accomplish its mission of capturing the memories of African Americans who lived in Winston-Salem through the years of segregation and desegregation.

Team members reach out to folks they know and guide them through the process of submitting photos, stories, documents and interviews to the initiative’s online archive.

There are nine collection teams, each led by a member of the AAHI committee. To serve on a team, email the team leader listed below:

Churches & Religious Institutions Team

This team will concentrate collecting the history of our houses of worship and related institutions.

Team Leader:
Email Donald Scales         

Neighborhoods Team

This team will chronicle life in African American neighborhoods, such as Boston-Thurmond, Reynoldstown, Happy Hill and many others.

Team Leader:
Email Beverly Williams  

Education Team

This team will preserve the history of schools for the African American community. This includes schools no longer here, such as 14th Street, Skyland and Anderson, and schools such as Carver and Kimberley Park that continue to operate.

Team Leader:
Email Jane Penn

Civic & Service Groups Team

This team will document the history of the many civic and service groups that served the African American community in Winston-Salem, such as the Prince Hall Masons, the Pan Hellenic Council, the Sportman’s Club and the Winston-Salem NAACP, to name a few.

Team Leader:
Email Annette Wilson

Government Team

This team will collect the history of African Americans in government — not just elected leaders and those who made it to the executive suite, but those on the front lines who ensured that government operations were well run and maintained.

Team Leader:
Email Joycelyn Johnson

Arts & Culture Team

This team is responsible for collecting the history of local black writers, artists, and musicians, as well as the arts and cultural organizations and events that served the African American community. To name a few examples: the Lyceum Series at Winston-Salem State, debutant balls, Gore’s Band, the Bill Bright Combo & the Five Royales.

Team Leader:
Email Cynthia Villagomez

Businesses Team

This team will concentrate on black-owned business in all forms, from mom & pop corner stores, to Winston-Salem’s black downtown business district, to black-owned companies such as Safe Bus and the Camel City & Harris cab companies.

Team Leader:
Email William Fulton

Professionals Team

This team will preserve the history of African American doctors, lawyers, dentists, teachers, nurses, social workers, photographers and other professionals.

Team Leader:
Email Robert Durrah

Oral Histories Team

Not everyone has photos or documents, but everyone has a story! The Oral Histories team will concentrate on capturing memories of the years of segregation and desegregation in Winston-Salem before they’re lost forever. It’s essential to our collection.

Team Leader:
Email Linda Dark