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Killing of Henry Marrow
Henry Dortress "Dickie" Marrow Jr. (January 7, 1947 – May 12, 1970) was an African-American veteran of the Army and known for being shot and killed by whites in a racial confrontation in Oxford, North Carolina, at the age of 23. His murder and the acquittal of two suspects by an all-white jury were catalysts for a renewal of civil rights actions in the county seat. Public facilities and businesses had remained segregated six years after passage of national civil rights legislation.
Protests took place after the killing and arson was committed against some white-owned buildings. The black community organized to conduct what became an 18-month boycott of white businesses, which ended after the town agreed to end segregation of public facilities. The events in Oxford also influenced the broader Civil Rights Movement throughout the state and United States.
Henry "Dickie" Marrow was born to Henry D. Marrow, Sr. and Ivey Hunt Marrow on January 7, 1947, in Oxford, North Carolina. His parents separated early on. After Henry, Sr. died in a violent quarrel, Ivey Marrow could not provide for her son alone. She went North for work in New Jersey. While she was gone, Marrow lived with his maternal grandparents in Oxford during his childhood. During his adolescence, he moved in with the family of Benjamin Chavis while he attended Mary Potter High School. After his graduation, Marrow attended Kittrell College for about a year.
At the age of 19, Henry Marrow, Jr. joined the military and was stationed in Fort Bragg in the same state. Marrow did not like Army life and was reluctant to fight in Vietnam, where the United States had an increasing number of troops. He often returned to Oxford, making the three-hour trip sometimes to see Willie Mae Sidney, whom he would later marry. A 1978 article in The New York Times characterized Marrow as a Vietnam War veteran but, according to Timothy Tyson's 2004 history, Marrow never served there. After completing his service, Marrow moved back to Oxford.
He started working at Umstead Hospital in Butner. He and Willie May Sidney had two daughters together. She was pregnant with a third child when he was killed in 1970.
Despite passage of federal civil rights legislation, Oxford in 1970 was still largely a segregated community. In the spring of 1970, white store owner, Robert Teel, was being boycotted by the local black community because he had beaten a black schoolteacher who had gotten into an argument with his wife. Teel was reported as having a criminal record and connections to the Ku Klux Klan.
On the evening of May 11, 1970, Henry Marrow and a number of friends were playing whist at the Tidewater Seafood Market, a popular location for young men in town. Just before 9 pm, Marrow left the Tidewater, telling friends that he planned to visit Teel's nearby shop in order to buy Fanny Chavis a Coca-Cola. Teel's 18-year-old son Larry, and Larry's wife Judy, were unpacking motorcycles in the parking lot. Marrow was said to make a remark, the content of which is disputed and unknown. Judy Teel later testified that Marrow had spoken "ugly" words to her.
Larry Teel shouted, "That's my wife you're talking to." Then, Robert Teel and his stepson Roger Oakley, who had been working nearby, ran into the shop. According to onlookers, they retrieved their guns. Later describing Marrow's killing, Robert Teel said in a recorded account, "That nigger committed suicide, coming in here wanting to four-letter-word my daughter-in-law."
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Killing of Henry Marrow
Henry Dortress "Dickie" Marrow Jr. (January 7, 1947 – May 12, 1970) was an African-American veteran of the Army and known for being shot and killed by whites in a racial confrontation in Oxford, North Carolina, at the age of 23. His murder and the acquittal of two suspects by an all-white jury were catalysts for a renewal of civil rights actions in the county seat. Public facilities and businesses had remained segregated six years after passage of national civil rights legislation.
Protests took place after the killing and arson was committed against some white-owned buildings. The black community organized to conduct what became an 18-month boycott of white businesses, which ended after the town agreed to end segregation of public facilities. The events in Oxford also influenced the broader Civil Rights Movement throughout the state and United States.
Henry "Dickie" Marrow was born to Henry D. Marrow, Sr. and Ivey Hunt Marrow on January 7, 1947, in Oxford, North Carolina. His parents separated early on. After Henry, Sr. died in a violent quarrel, Ivey Marrow could not provide for her son alone. She went North for work in New Jersey. While she was gone, Marrow lived with his maternal grandparents in Oxford during his childhood. During his adolescence, he moved in with the family of Benjamin Chavis while he attended Mary Potter High School. After his graduation, Marrow attended Kittrell College for about a year.
At the age of 19, Henry Marrow, Jr. joined the military and was stationed in Fort Bragg in the same state. Marrow did not like Army life and was reluctant to fight in Vietnam, where the United States had an increasing number of troops. He often returned to Oxford, making the three-hour trip sometimes to see Willie Mae Sidney, whom he would later marry. A 1978 article in The New York Times characterized Marrow as a Vietnam War veteran but, according to Timothy Tyson's 2004 history, Marrow never served there. After completing his service, Marrow moved back to Oxford.
He started working at Umstead Hospital in Butner. He and Willie May Sidney had two daughters together. She was pregnant with a third child when he was killed in 1970.
Despite passage of federal civil rights legislation, Oxford in 1970 was still largely a segregated community. In the spring of 1970, white store owner, Robert Teel, was being boycotted by the local black community because he had beaten a black schoolteacher who had gotten into an argument with his wife. Teel was reported as having a criminal record and connections to the Ku Klux Klan.
On the evening of May 11, 1970, Henry Marrow and a number of friends were playing whist at the Tidewater Seafood Market, a popular location for young men in town. Just before 9 pm, Marrow left the Tidewater, telling friends that he planned to visit Teel's nearby shop in order to buy Fanny Chavis a Coca-Cola. Teel's 18-year-old son Larry, and Larry's wife Judy, were unpacking motorcycles in the parking lot. Marrow was said to make a remark, the content of which is disputed and unknown. Judy Teel later testified that Marrow had spoken "ugly" words to her.
Larry Teel shouted, "That's my wife you're talking to." Then, Robert Teel and his stepson Roger Oakley, who had been working nearby, ran into the shop. According to onlookers, they retrieved their guns. Later describing Marrow's killing, Robert Teel said in a recorded account, "That nigger committed suicide, coming in here wanting to four-letter-word my daughter-in-law."