Remembering Percy Berry
On April 14, 2024, “Forward Together,” a coalition of nonprofits, community members and local residents, gathered at Chaooque Creek in Havelock, NC to honor and recognize Percy Berry, a resident of
Havelock who was killed in an act of racial terror on April 14, 1932. This project is part of the Equal Justice Initiative’s Community Remembrance Projects.
On April 14th, 1932, Percy Berry, a Black resident of Havelock, NC, was fishing in Hancock Creek with a friend, when they were approached by five white men impersonating police officers. The men demanded $20 for a “fishing license,” and beat Berry when he refused to pay. Berry attempted to escape, followed by gunshots, and drowned in Hancock Creek, where his body was found a week later.
The “Forward Together” coalition was formed in 2019 by various nonprofits, community leaders, students, residents, and others, with the goal to memorialize documented victims of racial violence, recognize and educate our community about such incidents, and build a more inclusive and just future. The project is supported by the Equal Justice Initiative as part of their Community Remembrance
Projects. The Equal Justice Initiative is a nonprofit seeking to address racial inequalities, the legacy of racial terror in America, and racial injustice in the United States court systems.
The event was free and open to the public - it included sharing the historical background of Berry’s murder; prayers and blessings by local church leaders; a remembrance by Nick Courman, a descendant of Percy Berry; and soil collection at the site. One soil sample will be sent for display at the Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama, alongside soil samples from lynching sites across the country. Another sample will be kept in Craven County and displayed as part of the Juneteenth exhibition at Bank of the Arts, and in a traveling exhibition to follow.
Havelock who was killed in an act of racial terror on April 14, 1932. This project is part of the Equal Justice Initiative’s Community Remembrance Projects.
On April 14th, 1932, Percy Berry, a Black resident of Havelock, NC, was fishing in Hancock Creek with a friend, when they were approached by five white men impersonating police officers. The men demanded $20 for a “fishing license,” and beat Berry when he refused to pay. Berry attempted to escape, followed by gunshots, and drowned in Hancock Creek, where his body was found a week later.
The “Forward Together” coalition was formed in 2019 by various nonprofits, community leaders, students, residents, and others, with the goal to memorialize documented victims of racial violence, recognize and educate our community about such incidents, and build a more inclusive and just future. The project is supported by the Equal Justice Initiative as part of their Community Remembrance
Projects. The Equal Justice Initiative is a nonprofit seeking to address racial inequalities, the legacy of racial terror in America, and racial injustice in the United States court systems.
The event was free and open to the public - it included sharing the historical background of Berry’s murder; prayers and blessings by local church leaders; a remembrance by Nick Courman, a descendant of Percy Berry; and soil collection at the site. One soil sample will be sent for display at the Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama, alongside soil samples from lynching sites across the country. Another sample will be kept in Craven County and displayed as part of the Juneteenth exhibition at Bank of the Arts, and in a traveling exhibition to follow.
Images from the Community Remembrance and Soil Collection held on April 14th.
Images from Soil Display at the Bank of the Arts during the Juneteenth exhibition
Remembering Percy Berry
Video by Janet and Sherman Bryce
