Durham and Orange Counties have vibrant and active African American communities. Throughout the region's unjust past, generations have shown extraordinary strength and resolve. Floyd McKissick became the first African American student at the University of North Carolina School of Law after Thurgood Marshall argued for his admittance in court. The struggle for civil rights in Durham shaped the poetry of Jaki Shelton Green, one of the state's most esteemed wordsmiths. More recently, local leaders such as Michelle Johnson find the work of equality is far from over. Journalist and writer Jean Bolduc reveals the voices of Durham and Orange County African Americans in a series of inspirational oral histories.
Jean Bolduc is a Chapel Hill–based freelance writer. She holds a journalism degree from UNC-CH and has worked for the Herald-Sun newspapers and News & Observer. She was a University of Oregon Payne Award nominee for ethics in journalism. In between newspaper jobs, Jean has worked as the communications director for the Durham Housing Authority and as a private consultant working with clients in several states. She and her husband, Rick, have two sons, Brian and Robert.