Our Story: The African American Presence in Granville County, North Carolina Hardcover – October 1, 2014

The history of any area is a story of people - people who enter the territory, contribute to its development, andpass on leaving a vast heritage of memories and accomplishments for future generations to build upon. You willfind that this narrative is about the people, more specifically the Black people whose actions helped to shape theplace in which we live.The story of the African American (Black) presence in Granville County, North Carolina could be the story of the Black presence in any county or community in the United States. If you consider not only Granville County, DeKalb County, Richland County, or even Orange County, you will find that many of our schools and historical landmarks were destroyed, and the contributions of the minority presence were seldom acknowledged, frequently ignored, and mostly erased from history.Blacks played a major role in the development of Granville County with little archival recognition of their contributions. For example, the E. E. Toney Rest Home of Oxford was named in honor of the colloquially renowned physician, Dr. Ellis E. Toney, who was a pillar of the Black community and the county at large.Students and residents attend and drive by this and other institutions such as G. C. Hawley and G. C. Shaw Schools, but few know anything about the accomplishments of the people for whom the institutions are named.This book was written to cement the facts and accomplishments of Blacks in Granville County for posterity. For centuries, Africa was depicted as a place of savagery and illiteracy and the Tarzan mentality was considered the norm. I want to set the record straight. It is common knowledge now that Africa was the cradle of civilization and our people are descendants of kings and queens.It is the unique story of a people who learned to do so much with so very little. It is the story of a proud people who suffered much, but carried their crosses with dignity and humility.This is - The African-American Presence in Granville County, North Carolina. Read more