"The looks on their faces were somber as they listened to recordings of the stories of those who were forcibly sterilized under North Carolina’s eugenics program," writes the Winston-Salem Journal.
"About 300 people came to Winston-Salem State University yesterday for an opening reception and to see the state’s new exhibit explaining the program.
" 'Look at the ages, 13, 14,' said Johnetta Huntley, a counselor at Parkland High School. 'They’re all young.
" 'Our children need to be exposed to this so they won’t let something of this nature happen again.' ..."
Undoubtedly.
North Carolina has much to be proud of as a state. The sterilization program, which lasted from 1929 until the 1970s, is not one of them.
"A five-member board made decisions to sterilize young and poor women and men, many of them against their will. More than 7,600 people were sterilized," wrote the Journal.
"People who viewed the exhibit said they were shocked that states endorsed and carried out such programs. ...
" 'This is something that you would expect in Nazi Germany,'" said Bobbie Linville of Winston-Salem.
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