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.
[6] 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.
[3] 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.
[7] 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.
[10] At trial, Oakley testified that he had held the gun that fired the killing shot and that it had discharged accidentally when his stepfather had jarred his shoulder.
[8] The Teels locked up their shop and left for home, and Boo Chavis, his brother Jimmy, and Webb collected Marrow, who was still living, and took him to Granville County Hospital.
On the day of Marrow's funeral, mourners marched from the gravesite to the Confederate monument at the county courthouse in Downtown Oxford, where leaders spoke about the killing.
Then, he and other black people conducted a "boycott of white businesses that lasted 18 months" and finally achieved full integration in Oxford.
[15] Henry Marrow's grave is marked with a military headstone showing his name, rank and state, date of birth and death, and the word "Vietnam."
[3] Timothy Tyson, a childhood friend of Teel's younger son who was living in Oxford during those years, earned a doctorate and became an historian.
He published Blood Done Sign My Name (2004) about the killing of Marrow, the trial, and their effects on Oxford, North Carolina and the civil rights movement.
It recounted the events of Marrow's killing and related them to broader social issues of the time and the racial history of the area.