The Museum of Durham History, in partnership with the Booker T. Spicely Committee and Durham County Library, will host a special public program on Monday, December 1, 2025 at the Durham County Main Library at 6pm, to honor the 116th anniversary of the birth of Pfc. Booker T. Spicely. Spicely was a Black World War II soldier whose stand against Jim Crow segregation on Durham’s buses sparked a landmark moment in the city’s early civil rights history.

The event will take place at 6PM in the Main Library Auditorium (300 N. Roxboro St.) and will feature an intimate conversation with members of the Spicely family, including Artrelle Spicely and Cynthia Mitchell, whose parents were first cousins of Pfc. Spicely. Family members will discuss how they came to learn about Booker Spicely’s story, what it has meant to see his legacy publicly acknowledged, and the broader tradition of military service and resilience within the Spicely family.

The program will also include a multimedia slideshow, and a pop-up display of several of the 20 outdoor banners currently exhibited at the Museum of Durham History (500 W. Main St.). This exhibit, Booker T. Spicely: Citizen, Soldier, Martyr, Hero, chronicles Pfc. Spicely’s life and the events surrounding his fatal 1944 confrontation with a bus driver over segregated transit policies in Durham. Select exhibit banners will be in the concourse outside the auditorium for attendees to view before and after the program.

This program is free and open to the public and supports the Museum’s ongoing efforts to highlight the people and stories that have shaped Durham. Booker T. Spicely: Citizen, Soldier, Martyr, Hero (with corporate support from Your Part-Time Controller) is on display at the Museum of Durham History through Jan. 4, 2026.