Explore The Rocky Mount Civil Rights Tour: From Dr. King’s First “I Have a Dream” to Local Legends
On November 27, 1962, a dream was born and history was made in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was invited to the Booker T. Washington High School gymnasium where, to an audience of some 1,800 people, he first uttered the famous words, “I have a dream.”
North Carolina State University English Professor Jason Miller recently uncovered the event’s audio and transcribed Dr. King's speech.
“I have a dream that one day right here in Rocky Mountain, North Carolina, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave-owners will meet at the table of brotherhood, knowing that out of one blood God made all men to dwell upon the face of the earth…”
During the 55-minute speech, Dr. King’s first dream was born — a dream that would echo through Selma and other Civil Rights flashpoints before arriving at the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963.
This defining moment in the Civil Rights Movement was practiced at Rocky Mount and was rediscovered on an aging reel-to-reel tape. Once thought lost, the now-revived audio offers a rare glimpse into the evolution of Dr. King’s enduring message of equality and hope.
Rocky Mount’s Civil Rights Tour
The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Historical Marker is just one of eight stops on a Civil Rights Tour of Rocky Mount that sees a politician, a Hall of Famer, and a jazz great recognized, with the first stop on the route honoring the lesser-known Dred Wimberly.
Dred Wimberly
Born enslaved on a North Carolina plantation in 1848, Wimberly was faced with the choice to leave or stay as a paid laborer at the Battle family plantation after the Civil War. Wimberly chose to stay, managing supplies and maintaining ties with the Battles.
After relocating to Rocky Mount, Wimberly’s leadership abilities caught the Republican Party’s attention. He cautiously accepted their nomination which would launch an impressive political career, including terms in the General Assembly and Senate, where he championed education and infrastructure.
Wimberly’s legacy in laying the foundation of public schools is a testament to his lasting impact on North Carolina’s history. He supported funding for the University of North Carolina, explaining, “It might somehow help the colored folks too.”
Buck Leonard
The Civil Rights Tour stops at his former home on East Raleigh Blvd, and then heads “Around the Y,” an African American community named for the Y-shape of the railroad tracks. This hub emerged when descendants of enslaved people gathered in the area, looking for work. In the face of Jim Crow laws and the Great Depression, the residents built a thriving neighborhood. The railroad provided vital jobs, as did the area tobacco and cotton industries. Despite adversity, the community’s resilience and contributions significantly shaped Rocky Mount’s economy. This historical marker honors their enduring legacy and the neighborhood's pivotal role in the city’s history.
Walter “Buck” Leonard
A stop at W Raleigh Blvd brings you to the birthplace of Walter “Buck” Leonard, a trailblazing African American baseball player, who made his mark in the Negro Leagues from 1933 to 1950.
Born in 1907 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Leonard faced significant challenges early in life, including the lack of a high school for African Americans in his hometown. Remarkably, he earned his diploma at age 52.
He spent his entire 15-year career with the Homestead Grays, a team that dominated the Negro Leagues, appearing in four consecutive Negro World Series and securing victories in 1943 and 1944. Renowned for his consistency at bat, Leonard was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1972, with Sporting News ranking him 47th among the 100 Greatest Baseball Players.
Thelonious Monk
From Hall of Famers of baseball to jazz, the tour next stops at NE Main St to honor Thelonious Monk, a trailblazing jazz musician and Grammy Hall of Fame inductee. Born in Rocky Mount, Monk eventually moved to New York in 1922, where he would help shape the “bebop” jazz style. He made history as one of the few jazz artists to grace the cover of Time magazine in 1964.
Grammy Hall of Fame inductee, Thelonious Monk was born in Rocky Mount:, NC.
The Y Community
During his early years in Rocky Mount, Monk lived near the bustling railway in “Around the Y,” which music historian Sam Stephenson has suggested inspired his work, invoking the Southern sounds of Monk’s youth, including the train whistles he heard daily. Monk’s composition “Little Rootie Tootie,” with its melodic train whistle, is believed to reflect these early memories.
Anna Easter Brown
Arriving at Atlantic Avenue, the next tour stop honors Miss Anna Easter Brown, a major educator and civil rights advocate. In a time when most African Americans pursuing higher education enrolled at HBCUs, Brown attended Howard University, where she co-founded Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first African American sorority in the U.S.
After earning her graduate degree from Columbia, Brown dedicated over 50 years to teaching history, eventually joining Booker T. Washington High School. A passionate advocate for civil rights, she curated a Black history exhibit that toured nationally and was deeply involved with the NAACP, the Red Cross, and the National Teacher’s Association. While her Rocky Mount home no longer stands, her legacy is commemorated by a historical marker here.
Booker T. Washington High School
I Have A Dream Speech
On to Booker T. Washington High School on Pennsylvania Ave, where two separate markers honor Dr. King's historic speech (around the corner on Spruce St.) and the school’s history as the designated high school for African American students during the era of segregation.
Ending segregation
After desegregation in 1954, Rocky Mount Senior High School, originally for white students, became the city’s sole high school for a time. To symbolize the merging of both schools, students combined their colors — royal blue and gold from Booker T. Washington High and black and gold from RMSH — into navy blue and gold. They also united the mascots, blending Booker T.’s lion with RMSH’s blackbird to create the mythical griffin, which remains the high school’s mascot.
You'll find the MLK statue in Martin Luther King, Jr. Park at 800 E Virginia St., Rocky Mount.
Lincoln Park History District
The final stop on the tour is Lincoln Park Historic District on Leggett Rd. Between 1948 and 1953, this historic district emerged as the first suburban neighborhood in the area designed for middle-class African Americans. Renowned architect Thomas B. Herman from nearby Wilson created nearly fifty single-family, minimal traditional-style homes along Ellison Drive, Leggett Road, and Carver Place.
Clarence E. and Annie Sue Pittman were notable residents there, owning a home, a restaurant, and a motel. Their Lincoln Park Restaurant and Motel provided safe and welcoming services for African American travelers during segregation and was listed in The Green Book, a vital guide for navigating travel in an era of racial discrimination.
While the restaurant and motel have since closed, the district’s homes continue to serve families and preserve the rich history of the groundbreaking African American community.
Preserving Rocky Mount’s Civil Rights Legacy
As one of the most historically significant things to do in North Carolina’s Piedmont Region, this comprehensive tour takes visitors on a time machine through Civil Rights milestones in Rocky Mount. Efforts by organizations such as the Phoenix Historical Society have been instrumental in raising awareness of the city’s role in the Civil Rights Movement. These initiatives not only honor the past but also inspire future generations to continue the fight for justice and equality.
In recent years, the Booker T. Washington High School gymnasium where Dr. King spoke has been the focus of restoration efforts to ensure its preservation as a historic landmark. The project aims to transform the space into a cultural and educational center that will serve as a guiding light for justice and equality and a reminder of the transformative power of community activism.
