Civil rights activist celebrates 97th birthday, return to NC with Fayetteville ceremony

Dr. Ora Mobley Sweeting celebrated her 97th birthday this month, and she has a lot to reflect on.

The acclaimed civil rights activist was praised for her work Monday at LIFE St. Joseph of the Pines church in Fayetteville. Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin was on hand to honor her accomplishments and foresight into issues and lessons that are still important today.

"From the day we're born until the day we pass, there's a dash in the middle that talks about all the things we've done along the way," Colvin said. "Miss Sweeting, your dash is so full of amazing things. Standing here as the second African American mayor of the city of Fayetteville, I understand that I have the privilege and the right to stand here because of people like you."

Colvin presented Sweeting with a certificate of excellence for advocating for inclusivity and equality.

Sweeting was well-known for her rallying the Harlem community in New York City around pursuing equal rights for Black people.

In Harlem, the Harriet Tubman School was originally named the John Hancock School, until Sweeting intervened. Sweeting shared the stage with Malcolm X, was on the school board for years in Harlem. She was arrested for lying down in the street between kitchen chairs protesting the lack of crosswalks near the community's Black school.

Sweeting corresponded with Congressman Adam Clayton Powell and Vice President Nelson Rockefeller at points during her career. Her memoir, Nobody Gave Me Permission, chronicles her work in New York City from the 1940s through the 1980s.

Sweeting was forced to move to New York after teaching Black history to students in Whiteville, North Carolina. her family was afraid her activism was going to be met with violence from the Ku Klux Klan. In New York, she formed the Central Harlem Mother's Association to fight for educational rights for the Black community in Harlem.

"In 1951, mom was run out of North Carolina by the Ku Klux Klan," said her daughter Cabdida Mobley. "She has not been a resident of North Carolina since 1951. But I'm proud to say she's now a resident of North Carolina. So she's officially back as a North Carolinian."

Fayetteville State University is working on a documentary about Ora. They hope to have it completed soon and maybe in time for her 98th birthday. So far, the documentary team has been awarded around $8,000 via the North Carolina Humanities Council Grant. To contact the team for more information about the documentary, feel free to visit the Facebook page.