Oral History
This interview was a part of the Marian Cheek Jackson Center Education series. Ms. Abbo grew up living in Pine Knolls and Tin Top with her mother and four sisters, going to Vacation Bible School and visiting the A.D. Clark Pool every summer. She attended Guy B. Phillips Middle School as part of the first group of Black students to attend post-desegregation. Ms. Abbo also attended Chapel Hill High School beginning in 1969, after the closure of Lincoln High School, where she had several memorable teachers. She took part in marches supporting fair wages for workers at Lenoir Dining Hall at UNC Chapel Hill. After high school, she attended a Catholic all-women’s college in Lake Forest, Illinois and went on to live in Georgia. Ms. Abbo’s mother retired and bought a house in Chapel Hill on Starlite Dr. Ms. Abbo believes that education is as essential as oxygen to feed minds and souls.
Sandi Abbo - On education
Interviewed by Kathryn Wall on June 11, 2025
“I am a believer that education is essential, just like air. Just like oxygen. We have to feed our minds, and I also believe we have to feed our souls.”
- Sandi Abbo
- Sandi Abbo
This interview was a part of the Marian Cheek Jackson Center Education series. Ms. Abbo grew up living in Pine Knolls and Tin Top with her mother and four sisters, going to Vacation Bible School and visiting the A.D. Clark Pool every summer. She attended Guy B. Phillips Middle School as part of the first group of Black students to attend post-desegregation. Ms. Abbo also attended Chapel Hill High School beginning in 1969, after the closure of Lincoln High School, where she had several memorable teachers. She took part in marches supporting fair wages for workers at Lenoir Dining Hall at UNC Chapel Hill. After high school, she attended a Catholic all-women’s college in Lake Forest, Illinois and went on to live in Georgia. Ms. Abbo’s mother retired and bought a house in Chapel Hill on Starlite Dr. Ms. Abbo believes that education is as essential as oxygen to feed minds and souls.
