Wense Grabarek Interview

Unprocessed Material — Box: 7 - Small Mixed Accessions

Identifier: 2022-002

Staff Only

Content Description

R. Wensell (Wense) Grabarek served as mayor of Durham, NC from 1963 until 1971, a critical period of time that covered the integration of public accommodations in Durham and across the south, and he played a pivotal role in that integration in Durham, one of the first cities in the south to desegregate its public accommodations. Durham's desegregation occurred before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed. In a 2013 interview conducted by Walter A. Jackson and recorded by Bill Erwin of Celebration Videos, Grabarek shared many of his memories of and thoughts about what occurred.