When Katie Biddle (‘25) walks into the Dorcas Thrift Shop for her weekly Saturday morning shift, she sees more than used clothing and donated toys. She sees 56 years of history – and counting – of an organization that provides food and financial assistance to members of the Cary community. Most importantly, after months of research into Dorcas’ history, she sees the past of an ever-evolving community – and she’s on a mission to preserve it.
“Learning history is what teaches us to remember and honor our ancestors. It is important to remember what has been sacrificed to get us where we are today,” Biddle said.
The forgotten founders
Part of digging into Dorcas’ roots involves the African American churches that were integral to the organization’s founding. Segregation-era programs, including a kindergarten for mainly Black children, are a major part of the nonprofit’s progressive founding story.
“I mostly focus on African American churches and founding members, and their contributions to the organization. That is a major part of Dorcas’s history because the organization quite literally survived because of these people. For example, Dorcas’s founding program was a kindergarten for mainly Black children during desegregation, which was held at two Black churches, and was supported by supplies from the Cary Colored School (now Kingswood Elementary),” she said.
“Dorcas was founded by a group of women across racial and denominational lines, and it is important to remember how much the Black community gave before others saw potential in supporting Dorcas.”
Biddle’s work will result in a digital archive of over a thousand photographs and documents since Dorcas’ founding in 1968 and the documentation of oral histories for the Page-Walker History Center.
Nurturing stewards of history
Jill Straight, Vice President of Community Services & Advocacy at Dorcas Ministries, discussed the value that Biddle’s project contributes to the organization’s narrative today. She explained that in an effort to engage younger generations with local history, she hopes to cultivate good stewards of the community.
“It’s really important for us to make sure that future generations are understanding the work and that they’re engaged in a way that’s meaningful to them. There are a variety of ways that people can get involved,” she said.
She hopes that they are instilled with a sense of organic curiosity to actively learn more about Dorcas’ rich history and humble roots. “The Dorcas Teen Board, [as] part of their training is understanding the history and mission of Dorcas, to then be able to represent us in the community.”
Biddle takes on this challenge, initiating creative projects that bring the stories she uncovers to life.
“I think the key to making people interested in local history is to make it digestible and engaging. Oftentimes this research can lead to many complex rabbit holes of information, which can seem tedious or mundane to outside listeners.” She explained that it’s crucial to engage her audience beyond the history fanatics.
So far, she created a magazine-style booklet titled “The Forgotten Founders,” contributes to the monthly newsletter titled “The Thread” and is creating an African American History walking tour in collaboration with the Page-Walker Arts and History Center.
Biddle also wishes to engage Green Hope students in her passion, citing her involvement in National Honor Society and her Advanced Placement United States History class. “In terms of young people, I have been making it a point to make Page-Walker events available to groups like NHS, and have also been collaborating with [U.S. History teacher] Mr. Richardson for future lesson plans,” she said.
Dorcas’ unique mission
Straight highlighted Dorcas’ lively community as a central pillar since its initiation. A myriad of volunteers from church groups to sports teams have served Dorcas through donation drives and volunteering.
What makes Dorcas unique, however, is a commitment to dignity: the same dignity that the forward-thinking and diverse group of women championed during the desegregation era.
“We emphasize listening and understanding our clients in a way that shows them compassion and dignity, and seek to understand their struggles and best respond to those needs,” she said.
She continued to explain how Dorcas shifts to serve an increasingly diverse population with changing demographic makeup, while adhering to its founding principles. “We want to understand and be responsive, rather than imposing solutions that we think people want … I love that aspect of listening and engaging with people.”
Another way that Dorcas holds fast to its roots is by working with founding churches. Straight explained that “mission drift” among nonprofits can occur if they lose a sense of their initial vision, but digging back into their roots can reignite these values.
Biddle acts as a representative for the Teen Board and Dorcas Ministries to discuss her work with other service-based nonprofits and African American churches. “Our roots are in the churches and other community organizations, Rotary Clubs and garden clubs that have all been part of our foundation. And so staying connected to your roots is part of growing in a way that is controlled and responsive,” Straight said.
Reflecting on Cary’s roots
Although she is in her final year of high school, Biddle has no intentions of leaving her Saturday-morning shifts and forays into history preservation. As a newly-inducted member of the Board of Directors at the Page-Walker Historical Society, she holds onto the decades-old stories only remembered in documents and photographs.
“I think that this is vital towards preserving our local history and fully representative for future generations,” she said. Her sense of urgency is driven by the fact that many archives and the people who can discuss their contents won’t be available in a few years. “We have to act now before primary sources and people who remember are no longer here. By engaging more people in local history, there are more chances for gaining volunteers and supporters to help with projects such as digitizing and documenting oral history,” she said.
It’s a strange sense of fear, and not one expected of an 18-year-old student. But it’s one that resonates deeply with Biddle. “The scary thing about local history is that it does not last forever.”
