Skip to main content
NC DNCR logo NC DNCR

Topical Navigation

  • Home
  • Places to Go
  • Things to Do
    Things to Do
    • Field Trips, Group Visits & CAVS
    • Archives
    • Aquariums
    • Libraries
    • Museums
    • State Parks
    • State Historic Sites
    • North Carolina Symphony
    • Zoo
    • Events and Programs
    • Trips/Travel Ideas
    • Sightseeing Tours in North Carolina
    • African American Experience
    • America 250 NC
  • Things to Know
    Things to Know
    • Artist Opportunities
    • Traveling Exhibits
    • Conservation Assistance
    • Digital Collections & Online Exhibits
    • Family History & Genealogy
    • Mapping Resources
    • Publications
    • Records Management
    • Search Our Collections
    • American Indian Programs and Resources
    • Blogs
    • Grants Opportunities
    • Moonshine and Motorsports Trail
    • NCCulture Kids Videos
    • Podcasts
    • Advisory Council on Film, Television, and Digital Streaming
  • News
    News
    • Contacts for the Press
    • Press Releases
    • DNCR Marketing & Communications Team
    • Legislative Reports
  • About
    About
    • Arts
    • History
    • Libraries
    • Nature
    • Support Us
    • Employment
    • Special Programs
    • DNCR Strategic Plan 2021 - 2023
    • Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion
    • Featured Programs
    • Leadership
  • NCLearn
  • Contact Us
  • NC.GOV
  • AGENCIES
  • JOBS
  • SERVICES
NC DNCR »   Home »   blog

1970 Oxford Murder Sparked Violent Protests

May 11, 2016

Deputized white citizens awaiting the verdict in the trial of the Teels in August 1970On May 11, 1970, Henry Marrow, a 23-year-old African American Vietnam veteran, was murdered in Oxford.  Marrow was approaching Robert Teel’s store to buy a Coca-Cola when he spoke to a young white woman. Teel, his son and his step-son interpreted the exchange as offensive, so they chased Marrow from the store parking lot, beat and fatally shot him.

Oxford had remained segregated and violence against blacks in the town was met with a blind eye.  Marrow’s murder served to unite the African American community, already outraged by years of Jim Crow oppression.

Mobs rioted and destroyed several local businesses including Teel’s. After Marrow’s funeral, mourners marched to the town’s Confederate monument and held a rally for civil rights. Marrow’s cousin, Benjamin Chavis, organized a boycott of white-owned businesses.  Despite the outrage, an all-white jury returned a not guilty verdict on all counts against the Teels in the trial for Marrow’s murder.

Historian Timothy B. Tyson, who was a 10-year-old boy living in Oxford at the time of the murder,  explored Marrow’s death and its effects on the community in his award-winning 2004 book Blood Done Sign My Name.

Other related resources:

  • Celebrate Black History! from the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources
  • A Change is Gonna Come, an online exhibit from the N.C. Museum of History
  • Images related to civil rights from the State Archives
  • Resources related to black history from the State Library

For more about North Carolina’s history, arts and culture, visit Cultural Resources online. To receive these updates automatically each day, make sure you subscribe by email using the box on the right, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Related Articles

  • Spring 2022 Music Festival Preview
  • Celebrate Black History Month in NC
  • Tales from the Road with Doug MacMillan of The Connells
  • Music at the Museum Artist Feature: Keenan Jenkins of XOXOK
  • Artist Feature: Charles Chace of Speed Stick
  • Music at the Museum Artist Feature: Tumbao's Diego Avilez
  • Behind the Boards: Highlighting North Carolina Hip-Hop Producers
  • "Scatter and Gather" with Shay Martin Lovette
  • Music at the Museum Artist Feature: Charlie Smarts
  • Music at the Museum Artist Feature: Lakota John
  • WWNC, Citizen Vinyl, and a Building's Legacy
  • Bringing Back the Funk
  • Stray Local Explores Solitude
  • Rissi Palmer and Color Me Country Artist Fund Provides "Postcards from God"
  • Tracks Music Library Builds a Musical Ecosystem

Share this page:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

How can we make this page better for you?

Back to top

Contact Information

North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources

109 E. Jones Street
Mail Service Center 4601

Raleigh, NC 27601
 

(919) 814-6800

Recent Tweets

Tweets by@ncculture

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Flickr
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Employee Directory
  • Translation Disclaimer
  • TRAVEL POLICY
  • Accessibility
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Open Budget
NC DNCR
https://www.ncdcr.gov/blog/2014/05/11/1970-oxford-murder-sparked-violent-protests