Historian reacts to Fulton Fryar’s experience of racial inequality

This story first aired June 22, 2018.

Looking Back on Racial Segregation

North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association President Jackie Madison understands discrimination.  She grew up in North Carolina in the 1950s and 1960s, and fully comprehends the segregation Fulton Fryar experienced when he was growing up in the same state.  Now a resident of the Adirondack region in New York State, Madison shares her views about the racial inequality Fryar faced, after he was invited to sing at an Adirondack music colony in the late ’50s.  A small building addition where Fryar slept, separate from the other singers’ dormitories, is now a permanent exhibit at The Adirondack Experience, the Museum on Blue Mountain Lake.

To learn about Fulton Fryar’s experience and the historic “Closet” where he stayed, explore the webpage Spotlight: Fulton Fryar’s Closet.

“Spotlight” is made possible, in part, by the Glenn and Carol Pearsall Adirondack Foundation, dedicated to improving the quality of life for year-round residents of the Adirondack Park. www.pearsallfoundation.org. “Spotlight” is also supported by the chamber music organization Hill and Hollow Music. www.hillandhollowmusic.org.