Carrie Bolton
Interview topic:
Why we must always have a song
Rev. Carrie Bolton was a powerful, inspiring and well-loved member of the Chatham Political Reform Group in the 1990s.
Through the churches she has pastored and the political speeches she has made in the streets and in halls of power, she has motivated many a citizen activist and silenced many who tried to oppose her.
Carrie was an inspiring influence for Dr. William Barber when he was in school and is still a friend. And John McCain once expressed his reticence at having to follow one of her speeches at a rally on campaign finance reform.
In this interview, Carrie connects dots, people and power, and her words on the power of music for bringing people together and helping her heal from a stroke are worth pondering.
“Music, music, music is the thing… and Johnny Price who was my musician at the time… he had a way that he could just chime in to wherever I was in terms of my sermons and delivery. He would play the music and he chimed in in a way that made me do what I wouldn’t do, it was really something.”
Connect with Carrie:
If you'd like to reach out to Carrie, she welcomes you to email her at carriebolton68[at]gmail.com.
Bio:
Reverend Carrie Hunter Bolton
Born and raised in Enfield, North Carolina, Rev. Carrie Bolton distinguished herself as being the first in her family to receive a college education. After acquiring a BA in Sociology, she went on to receive a Masters in Social Work and a Masters of Divinity. Her resume reflects an impressive array of experiences in education, the political realm, and in churches across denominations. To name a few: she has served as a director of a shelter for battered women, as an adoption recruitment specialist, a director and founder of a child care center, and as professor of sociology for Livingstone and Pfeiffer colleges.
Bolton also has over 20 years of pastoral experience, serving for 15 years at Alston Chapel United Holy Church in Pittsboro, NC, where she continued to work tirelessly in the community. She has received awards and honors for her efforts, such as the 1980 Outstanding Social Work Faculty award, the 2000 Women of Courage Award (Women’s Center of Chapel Hill), and the 2007 Freedom Fighter Award (Democracy South).
Rev. Bolton retired after surviving a stroke and now lives a semi-quiet life in Salisbury, NC. She is an active member of Body of Christ Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), where Rev. Michael J. Cotton pastors, and she serves in a local chapter of the NAACP. She also has two adult daughters who bring her much joy, Dr. Philathia Bolton and Mrs. Lucinda Bolton Jones.
For an article that provides a more in-depth look at her life, please see Barry Yeoman’s piece entitled “Holy Spirit.”
http://barryyeoman.com/1999/03/holy-spirit-carrie-bolton/
To contact Carrie: carriebolton68@gmail.com