Racism in Enfield

This chapter illustrates how racial discrimination appeared to be the accepted reality in Enfield, until the 1960s. Public facilities including restaurants, hospitals, and public schools in North Carolina were segregated. Black children who lived on the west side of Enfield rode the bus past the White Enfield Graded School to get to Inborden School. There were no Blacks serving in any elected or official positions in the town, county or state governments or in any administrative positions. Living in this segregated environment was simply the way of life for Black people. Blacks and Whites coexisted in the segregated, White-controlled state and in the White-controlled town. And racism was apparent in Enfield from the doctor's office to the playground. The chapter describes the separate seating rooms for “Whites” and “Colored” in Dr. William K. Craig's office, as well as the segregation in such places as the Harrison Drug, the Friendly Grill, and Rose's Five and Dime. It also looks at the curfew whistle, the segregation in the Enfield Public Library, and the creation of a park for Black children.