10 Black Winstonians who made a meaningful impact in history

Here’s a roundup of Black prominent figures that have made great contributions to the lives of many.

WStoday: Depot Street Renaissance mural in Winston-Salem

The Depot Street Renaissance located along the Long Branch Trail depicts paintings of prominent Black Winstonians.

Photo by WStoday

These Black Winstonians have made impactful contributions in our city and beyond.

George H. Black

You can see the work of this famous brickmaker in some of Winston-Salem’s finest houses, churches, banks, businesses, hospitals, and across the Southeast.

Buster Greene

He served as the president of the Safe Bus Company, the largest Black-owned and operated transportation business in the world in the 1920s. (Fun fact: the city purchased assets of the company and used them to help build our current transit system.)

Carl Wesley Matthews

The sit-in movement started in Winston-Salem when Matthews sat down at a whites-only lunch counter at the FW Woolworth’s store at the corner of West Fourth and Trade streets.

WStoday: Liberia Historic Marker in Happy Hill

The Liberia historic marker in Happy Hill marks the peace between the two entities.

Photo by City of Winston-Salem

Victor Green

The author of the “Green Book” made history by creating an annual guidebook that helped Black roadtrippers to travel with ease between the North and South during Jim Crow.

Maya Angelou

The famous poet, author, and civil rights activist was a professor at Wake Forest University and lived at 3240 Valley Rd. where she would often host her grad students for dinners.

Dr. Rufus S. Hairston

Dr. Hairston was Winston Salem’s first African American pharmacist. His wife, Mary was involved in the developing Winston Salem’s first library for African Americans and later worked in the Winston-Salem State University library.

The “5" Royales

The quintet began as gospel group the Royal Suns in Winston-Salem in 1942 and were later inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2015. Try This: Peek at their mural on the corner of Trade and 8th streets.

Dr. Charlie Kennedy

This Winstonian was the first — and for 20 years — the only Black pediatrician in Winston-Salem. He opened a practice that served the community in the east part of the city.

Dr. Lawrence “Larry” Hopkins

Hopkins was more than brains. He led the Demon Deacons football team to their first back-to-back conference championships in addition to becoming a well-known physician in the community.

Want to take your learning even further?

  • Take a Triad Cultural Arts tour and explore Winston-Salem’s historic and cultural sites including the Shotgun houses and public artwork/murals.
  • Attend the last Lunch and Learn series about African American men and women Trailblazers Thursday, Feb. 20 at The Enterprise Conference and Event Center. Registration is free.
  • Take a “Living Legacy Walking” tour Saturday, Feb. 22 starting at 1:30 p.m. in Old Salem. No pre-registration required.

This list is not comprehensive. Know anyone we should add to the list? Comment down below.

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