Gimghoul, She Why She Decided to Dig Into the Figured It May Cause a Stir
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DTH/MATTIE COLLINS DTH/MATTIE On Feb. 12, Hanna Berg posted scanned pages from the secret society ‘s initiation rituals to a Facebook group. By Sasha Schroeder Inside the letter, sealed with red Staff Writer wax, there was one neatly-printed sentence: “LOOK NO FURTHER.” When sophomore Hanna Berg The public policy major heard a gave a speech in early February at a rumor that strange things happen to Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies people who pull documents from the meeting about the initiation rituals Order’s archives, which is precisely of the Order of Gimghoul, she why she decided to dig into the figured it may cause a stir. Wilson Library Special Collections, But she didn’t expect what would where she discovered the rituals. come next. According to a Wilson Library “I got a letter under my door that told me to stop looking,” Berg said. SEE GIMGHOUL, PAGE 6 Chapel Hill Nine monument erected on Franklin Street How to The monument was unveiled Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger vote in formed in 2017 to document the Civil at a ceremony on Friday — 60 Rights Movement in Chapel Hill. years after the historic sit-ins. “We decided we would like to honor brave events and things that Tuesday’s By Brittany McGee help shape us to being a better Staff Writer community,” Hemminger said. The marker, which was designed primary A group of Black high school by Durham artist Stephen Hayes, students set off a decade of civil rights has images of the protests and police PRIMARY 2020 demonstrations in Chapel Hill when officers outside of the drugstore, as well they sat down in a booth at Colonial as images of news headlines from the • Polls are open from Drug Store on Franklin Street on Feb. time. On both sides of the marker, the 6:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. 28, 1960 and asked to be served. names and ages of the Chapel Hill Nine William Cureton, John Farrington, at the time of the sit-in are displayed. • On-campus residents Harold Foster, Earl Geer, Dave Mason The 1960 sit-in was inspired by the must vote at the Sonja Jr., Clarence Merritt Jr., James Merritt, protest at Woolworth’s lunch counter ‘Clyde’ Douglas Perry and Albert in Greensboro earlier that month. Hayes Stone Center. Williams were the young men who Esphur Foster, sister of Chapel Hill Off-campus residents became known as the Chapel Hill Nine member Harold Foster, paid • Nine. 60 years later, the four surviving homage to the courage the Chapel can visit the State Board members of the group attended Friday’s Hill Nine had as young students. of Elections website to unveiling ceremony of the marker that “When you are 80, as I am now, commemorates their actions during you realize that actually they were just DTH/BRITTANY MCGEE find their polling place. the Civil Rights Movement. babies,” she said. “16, 17 and 18 years Chapel Hill Nine member James Merritt attends the unveiling ceremony of a • Voter ID is not The marker sits at 450 W. Franklin of age. On Feb. 18, 1960, these babies marker commemorating the Chapel Hill Nine’s 1960 Colonial Drug Store sit-in. required to vote. St., which was the location of the had the audacity — or as Black folks Colonial Drug Store. The creation like to say the nerve — to address a Hill Nine and Chapel Hill’s first the protests, said he remembered how • If your registration is of the marker was the result of work societal norm that had begun for us, Black firefighter, said the group’s the African American community incorrect or you are told done by the Historical Civil Rights the African Americans, in 1619.” leader was Harold Foster and likened in Chapel Hill would frequently Commemoration Task Force, which Albert Williams, one of the Chapel him to a “hot spark plug.” patronize the drugstore and how the that you cannot vote, Williams said when they did owner would interact with them. you may request to cast the initial protest at the drugstore, “He would bring medicine to my the group had no idea that an home, on his way home,” Weaver a provisional ballot. extended period of protests and said. “People from church would If you run into demonstrations would follow. come in on Sunday and get your • “We didn’t have no idea of what soda and ice cream. But he wouldn’t problems while voting, was coming,” he said. “It broke the let us sit down.” email us tips at dam open, and the water just flowed.” Weaver said he remembers after the [email protected] Some Chapel Hill natives in Chapel Hill Nine were removed from attendance reminisced of what the the store, the owner would lock the SCAN TO VIEW OUR 2020 atmosphere in the town was like door and protesters would continue to during the decade following the initial sit outside the store. He said protestors ELECTIONS COVERAGE sit-in. Michael Foushee, a Chapel Hill met at St. Joseph’s Church and decided native who now lives in Durham, said who would march down Franklin he was 6 years old during the protests Street and who would sit-in. and was part of the Civil Rights Williams said he felt the marker Movement growing up. was outstanding. “I was around people that were “A personal conviction, right or in the political arena,” Foushee said. wrong, there is a way to handle “Therefore I listened, and people it,” Williams said. “It’s a part of a gathered around and had speeches, person’s development. You’ve got to talked about strategies and things of stand up for what you believe in, and that nature. It was just exciting being respect what other people believe.” DTH/BRITTANY MCGEE a part of the event.” Durham artist Stephen Hayes designed the marker commemorating the Chapel Clayton Weaver, a Chapel Hill @brittmcgee21 Hill Nine, which features headlines and images created following the 1960 sit-in. native who was 11 years old during [email protected] Well, the years start coming and they don’t stop coming. SMASH MOUTH 2 Monday, March 2, 2020 News The Daily Tar Heel The Daily Tar Heel Established 1893 Panel discusses N.C. voter suppression 127 years of editorial freedom By Kate Carroll access the political process and make MARCO QUIROZ-GUTIERREZ Staff Writer participation in the political part process less effective,” Lopez said. CO-EDITOR: MANAGING EDITOR The 2008 presidential election Lopez said efforts to suppress [email protected] had the most diverse electorate in voting specifically target [email protected] American history. Following this jump communities of color. in voter participation, new election “Rigged” follows the tactics to EMILY SIEGMUND restrictions emerged in legislatures limit voter turnout among people CO-EDITOR: ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR across the country — and a recent of color and young voters following [email protected] documentary explored the effects. the 2008 presidential election. The [email protected] Students, faculty and local film covers a number of events in community members gathered at the North Carolina leading up to and PRESTON LENNON UNC School of Law for a screening surrounding the 2016 election DIRECTOR OF ENTERPRISE of the 2019 documentary “Rigged: including House Bill 589, the work [email protected] The Voter Suppression Playbook.” of the Voter Integrity Project and Attendees heard from a subsequent voter purges in Cumberland country. CHARLIE MCGEE panel discussion on voting rights in Following the documentary DIRECTOR OF INVESTIGATIONS North Carolina sponsored by the screening, Smith moderated a law school’s chapter of the American discussion with panelists covering [email protected] Constitution Society. topics like the history of voter DTH/SAMAR HASSAN MAEVE SHEEHEY The panel featured Tim Smith, the suppression, current issues in the (From left) Tomas Lopez, Gene Nichol, Tim Smith, and Andrew Reynold speak at film’s executive producer, political state and the future of democracy. a voter suppression panel at the UNC School of Law on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020. UNIVERSITY EDITOR science professor Andrew Reynolds, “We have witnessed in North [email protected] law professor Gene Nichol and Carolina in the last 10 years the Panelists also emphasized that practices. Lopez said the Republican Tomas Lopez, executive director of astonished war in this country against voting rights are central to the party has participated more in these ANNA POGARCIC Democracy NC. African Americans, waged from a structure of democracy and especially practices over the last decade because CITY & STATE EDITOR “What the film does is a white people’s government, an all white relevant to college students. it has been in the position to. [email protected] chronological narrative that basically set of caucuses in the North Carolina Democracy NC is a non-partisan As the 2020 election approaches, tells the story of the ways in which legislature,” Nichol said. “It has been organization, and Lopez said while the panelists emphasized one JESSICA HARDISON gerrymandering, unregulated done in our names, and it’s one of the film and panel focused on the message: voter suppression is an ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR money in politics, voting restrictions the most powerful transgressions in Republican party and suppression, issue that concerns everyone. and attacks on the Judiciary have modern times against the American both parties have historically [email protected] blended together to both restrict Constitutional promise.” participated in these kinds of [email protected] RYAN WILCOX SPORTS EDITOR [email protected] Italy study abroad pulled due to coronavirus JEFFREY SHUTTER DESIGN & GRAPHICS EDITOR By Maeve Sheehey There are currently 48 students University students, faculty and must contact Andrew Hunt, global [email protected] University Editor from the University studying staff who are engaged in research operations specialist.