Exhibit Guide: The Legacy of Public Health in Our Region

These interviews are part of the Oral History Collections in the Department of Special Collections at J. Murrey Atkins Library, UNC Charlotte and the Brooklyn Oral History Project, which grew out of Dr. Karen Flint’s “Oral History and Memory ” class at UNC Charlotte.

While we could not feature these oral histories in the small exhibit displayed in the library, they help provide a more complete representation of the history of public health in the region. 

From Living Charlotte: The Postwar Development of a New South City 

Thereasea Delerine Elder oral history interview 1, 1993 June 25 
In this interview, Ms. Elder talks about Good Samaritan Hospital and joining the Public Health Department. There's a nice discussion of the changing approaches to public health over her career, as well as the perception of hospitals and the medical profession by the African American community in the first half of the century.

Thereasea Delerine Elder oral history interview 2, 2001 May 9 
Ms. Elder goes into greater detail about the integration of the community health program and her work in the Paw Creek community.

From Brooklyn Oral History 

Oral History Interview with Cleo A. Yongue

Ms. Cleo A. Yongue is a historic figure in the black community in Charlotte; she was a nurse for the Charlotte Heath Department for 36 years.