Library renamed in honor of historic Black community

By Cory Dinkel

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    RALEIGH, North Carolina (WRAL) — Wake County has announced Monday that it intends to rename one of its public libraries to honor a historic Black community.

The Wake County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to change the name of Village Regional Library in Raleigh to Oberlin Regional Library.

The county said the new name was chosen to honor Oberlin Village, which was established in the late 1860s and was the largest Reconstruction-era settlement in Wake County.

“By honoring this community and the people who lived there, we are recognizing and celebrating a very important part of Wake County’s rich history,” said Commissioner Matt Calabria.

The Oberlin Village community in Raleigh was named after Oberlin College in Ohio by James E. Harris, a freed slave. The name of the college was chosen as it was an abolitionist college that accepted black students.

Thus, the name Oberlin represented the freedom to gain an education and build your own life.

This is the second name change for the library.

In March 2021, the board voted to change its name from Cameron Village Regional to Village Regional.

This decision came when owners of the shopping center, which was built on land owned by people who held slaves, chose to drop its connection to the Cameron family.

Wake County said that library staff will develop an exhibit inside the facility to educate visitors on why the change was made.

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