[piano intro] - [Announcer] Visibly Speaking is a production of PBS North Carolina.

In association with the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation.

[soft music] - [Man] Most people don't know us, and we have an important story that people want to hear.

- [Woman] He knew that this was sacred ground.

- [Man] There's so much history here, and if we don't capture, this would be lost history.

- [Woman] We held a dream of an actual public artwork on the site and ventured forth with a grant proposal.

- That was our first little pitch at this to see if they would even consider us.

Well, guess what?

We got it.

We got it.

- [Man] If you are proud of something, make it big as you can, wide as you can and as large as you can.

- [Woman] We're the only people who know our story.

No one can tell it the way we can.

- [Woman] This project brought together more folks of a united heart and desire than anything that I can remember, 'cause art does do that.

[calm music] [gentle music] ♪ - [Woman] There's a time and a place for everything.

Well who's to determine the time?

Who's to determine the place?

It's determined by you, maybe one measure of courage or step that you had to make, or I had to make.

[keys jingling] - Eric, wasn't Eric-- - [All] Every Monday.

- I bet you for a year we were right here.

That was our first little pitch at this to see if they would even consider us, Sarah Keys Evans Plaza.

It's come a long ways as my daddy would say.

- The reason that Z. Smith Reynolds had these grants out was to tell, not often told, and in this case, never told story that would start conversation.

- I look at it that there was some reason that she was put here on August the first.

And I feel that there was a purpose for God had also for us to develop this project.

- Coming together here and there and meetings and community sessions.

And you know, it was a label of love.

- We put it together and sent it in.

People said, "good luck!"

Well, guess what?

We got it.

We got it!

[gentle music] We thought it would be good to be in the Martin Luther King Park.

We went before the city council made a presentation.

They approved it.

- The invite is, is what's gonna be on the inside of the wall, and the story is gonna be told.

- The foundation was impressed because you had strong black woman that took the stand.

Unknowing the impact that she would have.

She wasn't planning on that bus to do anything, but to go home.

- [Woman] To go home.

- She stood for all of us.

- [Sarah Keys Evans] I remember seeing a commercial for women in military.

- [Voiceover] American women were to write new stirring chapters in the histories of each of the services.

- I decided I would go down and sign up.

Not having any idea what I was really in for.

Two other girls and I took the train.

I said to myself, "you're in now.

There's no way out."

But, we kept pushing and we made it.

And then basic training ended.

I said, "voila!

Onto the next step."

I put in for my first visit to my hometown in Washington, North Carolina.

I went to Trenton and boarded the bus to take my first journey home after entering the military.

- [Woman] We sat down one day and we outlined all eight of these murals.

We brought in the muralists and we told him what we saw.

- [Woman] Napoleon hill is our artist, and he has done several murals across North Carolina and beyond.

- [Napoleon] I like to paint stuff of historical value.

That has the impact on the community.

You're not paying just to be paying, you're paying for a reason.

That's my whole point.

I try to capture that message and bring it out to the people, and let them carry the message on.

But this group has power vision.

And the only way to tell the story is through these paintings.

- Well soldiers and especially women.

When we traveled, we always made sure we were well groomed, well polished.

You understand what I'm telling you?

If you had a lot of pride in your dresser and your uniform, and I'd had a lot of training in that because I wore uniforms to school and living with my mother.

- They teach school.

They told me, you go from what, which way?

- Left to right.

- Left to right.

So by the time we would get to number eight we would have told her whole story.

- That was not my first time traveling home by bus.

We knew about the Morgan in Virginia.

My dad, he told us, "when you travel, you can sit any place you want to on a bus."

And I never forgot that.

So we stopped in this little town called Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina.

The driver collected the little stub of everyone, and when he got to me, he said, "I want you to get up and go to the rear of the bus."

And I told him I was comfortable seated where I was.

He didn't say anything.

He just kept one with his business, collecting the tickets.

So he came back to the front and he said, "I want everyone on this bus to get off.

Except that woman that refused to move to the rear.

She can stay here until this bus moves out.

But it's not going any place tonight."

You know, it's sort of like a shock, did I just hear something that I...

I'm understanding what the man is saying, but I can't stay on this bus by myself.

So I stood up and I go straight into the bus station.

The lady behind the ticket man, she pulled the curtain down and dimmed the lights.

I turned around and there was a tall guy pushing a broom.

And he said to me, "miss don't, you know where you are?"

I said to myself, "oh God, Sarah, you are in trouble."

- We come on this chilling morning in December for this historical ground break-- - Into the park of Martin Luther King.

- I applaud all of you for your hard work and your dedication.

It will be a real treasure to have this here in Roanoke Rapids.

- We're ready to put our shovels in the ground, on the marking the construction of the Sarah Keys Evans inclusive art project, entitled, "Closing The Circle."

So now let the work begin.

- Yeah!

- [All] Yeah!

[all clapping and cheering] - One of the things that I was really impressed with is the power of partnerships on the local level.

They got the skillsets that we didn't have.

I mean, all of these things come together, I'm just blown away.

- But it was all like in a movie that night, you know?

One that probably most people had never seen before.

You know, with this occurring, this woman, these policemen, and they said to the driver, "is this the one?"

One said, "we're locking you up for disorderly conduct."

I said, "but you were just there.

There was nothing going on disorderly."

So they locked me up for sure.

With bars on the windows, a sink in the corner with a stool.

A mattress on the floor.

It was dirty than any that you see discarded in the street.

Why would I come to jail?

I don't belong here.

So I pace the floor all night and I cried and I prayed.

And when I tell you, you can sleep with your eyes wide open.

That's how I got through the night.

The next morning, the sun began to peak through the bars.

The jailer came took me before the chief of police said, "is that a uniform you're wearing?"

I said, "you mean to tell me you don't know the color of United States Army uniform?"

He said to me, "that's why you spent the night in jail because you're too smart."

He said, "if you have $25, you can leave."

Wednesday we hold court, you can come back and try to get to $25.

So they put me on the next bus, that's when I arrived home.

My father said, "why were you so late getting in last night?"

And I started to spill this story to him.

- This man is Sarah Keys father.

It's showing how strong he was, and during that time strong was being a black man standing up for his daughter.

- [Sarah Keys Evans] I told him, I said, "I wasn't disorderly."

He jumped up he said, "I know you weren't disorderly."

That is a term that they used and they cannot find anything else legal to arrest you for when you were traveling.

My dad said, "well we're going back to Roanoke Rapids."

- [Man] He wanted to make sure they would go to court to clear Sarah's name.

- [Sarah Keys Evans] We went through the little hearing and of course it was a flop.

But a process was beginning that I had no idea how it would turn out.

It's a good thing I had my father on the outside.

- A man, not six feet tall, no more.

But he was a man.

And I could applaud the fact that you got someone who was courageous enough speak truth to power.

And to me, he became a hero.

- [Woman] She finally became acquainted with Dovey Roundtree and Dovey Roundtree was a lawyer who had been in the wax.

Who had experienced all of this type of discrimination in her career.

And so she took on the case.

- [Sarah Keys Evans] Some of it could have happened, probably should have happened, but sooner than it did.

but it's like I stated before, there's a time and a place for everything.

- I'd like to thank the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation for awarding the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation inclusive public art grant to Eastern Carolina Christian College.

[all clapping] - And sometime we honor people, not only for what they have brought out in themselves, but also for what they have brought out in others.

- Sarah keys, an African American woman at the age of 22 she refused to give up her a seat to move to the back of the state to state charter bus in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina.

- On November 25th, 1955 the Interstate Commerce Commission, ruled that the Morgan versus Virginia Case was valid law and had to be enforced.

Therefore, what had happened to Sarah Keys here in Ronald Rapids was unconstitutional.

After Interstate Commerce Commission ruled in Sarah Keys favor, just one week later.

That's when Rosa Parks in Montgomery, Alabama, took a clue, if you will, from Sarah Louise keys.

- Whose one act of bravery set a blaze of fires of justice that ultimately outlaw segregation of black passengers on buses traveling across state lines.

- [Sarah Keys Evans] Hello everyone.

- [All] Hello!

- [Sarah Keys Evans] This is a glorious day.

I believe that we all have a kinship and I am very, very happy and very proud of everyone.

[all clapping and cheering] - I tell my grandchildren, "because of her, on the train, plane bus, you can sit anywhere."

- It is Mrs. Evans and my family's hope, that this mural will educate, uplift and empower, present and future generations and help them recognize and remember her as one of the many trailblazers that took a stand against injustice.

Let us recognize the significance of this mural, not simply because this event occurred, but because it holds continued relevance.

[gentle music] - [Man] I don't know if there's another one anywhere in the country that tells her story like this monument here in Ronald Rapids.

- We are really proud of what God blessed us to do.

- We spent a lot of time together.

It's just like anything else.

Some days we had to put some people in time out and all that.

[all laughing] And if we had not believed in ourselves, it just shows you, when people put their heads together for a project.

- To me, that monument speaks as a voice for the voiceless.

- When I go out there now, I go out there with a sense of pride and say we had something to do with the creation of the Sarah Keys Plaza, Closing The Circle.

- But I like to be remembered as someone who helped somebody along the way.

[gentle music] [bright music] ♪ - [Brooklynne] My name is Brooklynne.

I am 10 years old.

- [Isaac] Well, first of all, my name is Jerome Higgins.

A lot of folk call me Isaac.

- [Edward] I'm Edward Norville - [Al] Al Higgens mayor Salisbury, North Carolina.

[keyboard clicking] [gentle music] ♪ - [Brooklynne] My cousin A'yanna was very nice.

Would come up and hug people, you know.

She didn't even know who they were.

She was just, A'yanna was just amazing.

Basically what happened with A'yanna was she was asleep with her grandmother and somebody came into outside of their house and shot shot inside of their house.

It really made me sad when she passed away.

And what I did, was I used something that was horrible and just made it something good to help other kids so they're not in her same position.

[gentle music] ♪ - Here's My Story is a collaborative project that the faculty in the art design department came up with in response to an opportunity provided by Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation.

A project that would engage the community as the artist.

So we came up with a bench, a place that you could go and sit.

You can sit and you can listen.

Listen to stories.

- I'm here because I just want future generations and people to know my stories.

The program that I started, A Bridge 4 Kids has been running for three years, and I think three weeks ago or two weeks, I just got the NAACP Medal of honor award.

- When I was asked to be on the board the main purpose was to help them see all of the ways that people in the disabled community could have accessibility to the bench.

But the most important piece for me was being able to read the stories, if you're deaf and hard of hearing and still have the same experience while sitting on the bench.

- This must be the bench I've heard them talk about.

- Yes, you get all the information on your phone.

- Oh!

[gentle music] ♪ - We've had lots of meetings with Jen and Bailey regarding the Here's My Story bench project.

We are very passionate about it because of what they're trying to convey with the project.

And we were happy to be a part of that and bring this project to life.

[machine buzzing] This quote was cut for the Here's My Story bench project, using our CNC Plasma Cutter.

- After being plasma cut, we have to then chip off all of the slag that occurs underneath.

So after we chip it off, it's nice and clean, it's even.

And it goes through the sheet roller.

Where it develops the arc that's necessary for it to fit on one of the sides of the bench.

After that's in place.

There's still general assembly of the bench, It has to be put back together and whatever's necessary.

[upbeat music] - The basics were still there.

So she helped a lot as far as knowing things, as far as educating about hormones and that kind of thing.

- My name's Jamie Wilkerson.

I'm from Salisbury, North Carolina, and I'm a trans female.

I want people that are trans to understand that there are people like you and that you can be who you are.

And hearing someone else's story, I think will give those people courage to live their life.

So I think this project's gonna help for sure.

And I'm very proud to be a part of it.

- When I first saw the bench, it was awe!

It touched me, because this is someone I know and admire.

And she got a quote that says, a lot of the things that I believe about the community.

- It's about somebody that you know, or a story that you need to hear.

The one that help us grow and do better as humans.

And I just love it.

Thank you.

- I have helped you that much?

- Yes, ma'am.

- Well I'm very pleased to know that.

[Marilyn laughing] - [Woman] The really exciting part about working on this project is that we have found other groups, and we have begun to work together.

- The Dixonville Cemetery community has been the project that the city of Salisbury and the community has worked on for approximately 11 years.

It is important to remember this community because this is one of the communities where through gentrification people were moved out of their Homeland.

It was a very close knit community and it was just a lot of love and support.

So it's extremely important that people know their path so they can appreciate the future.

- [William] Nothing good was gonna come out of Dixonville.

And I'm William-- - That's William.

- [William] I came out of Dixonville.

Others come out of Dixonville, that-- - I think about the history of the cemetery that is here.

And it's a great place for people to just come and sit and talk and reminisce about those that are buried here.

As well as just talk about the importance of the history and the community of Dixonville.

- This project is very important to our community.

When we begin to learn each other's stories and learn each other's history, we just have an ability to build more respect for one another and more law for one another.

- I was very struck by the benches.

The loveseat idea that's there, but the real impact of this is the conversations that have happened.

And so I think that's been one of the best things about this is that it's helped pull us all together.

That will even be another way to make a difference.

- [Brooklynne] I would say if you have a dream, don't stop.

I don't care what anybody say.

You have to say, determine.

- [Al] As the first black woman elected to our council, in our 266 year history.

- [Isaac] I can remember going to water fountains that were segregated.

Watching the KKK March and rally and.

- [Edward] And I was, I guess, a child privilege.

And I wasn't really that conscious of racial issues.

- [Al] Here's my husband, Isaac, who has been through so much in this community, never in a million years, would he ever think that he would be the first gentleman of the city.

- [Brooklynne] But I would just tell them that they can do anything and they just gotta stay determined.

[bright music] ♪ ♪ ♪ - [Announcer] Visibly Speaking is a production of PBS North Carolina.

In association with the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation.