Many may still have memories of community activist Selena Robinson. Born on October 22, 1917 Selena Arnetta Hall was the fourth of six children. Her parents were Rev. Dennis Cleveland “D.C.” Hall and Etta Mamie Gash Hall.

D.C. was a reverend and cobbler. He was associated with Bethel “A” Baptist Church, though it seems that he wasn’t the only reverend serving that church. Through her father’s line, Selena was related to Loretta Aiken, her cousin who is better known by her stage name Moms Mabley. Selena’s paternal grandmother Mary Jane Aiken Hall was said to be half Cherokee, though documentation of this hasn’t been found. It was not uncommon for the Cherokee to intermarry with early black residents, who themselves may have had mixed African and European ancestry from the union of master and enslaved person or from self-chosen interracial relationships. This very specific type of racial blend which includes Cherokee, African, and European ancestry, is known as Melungeon, and it seems that D.C. was from this specific blend of ancestry.

Selena’s mother, Etta Gash Hall, was born in Mills River and eventually became a midwife. Etta gained practical experience in assisting with births and general health before undergoing years of education to obtain her licensure as a Practical Nurse. Over time she assisted in delivering both black and white babies, receiving a gold watch from the City of Brevard in 1944 for her many years of service to the community.

Selena attended local schools, which at the time meant a small community school called Glade Creek School that was associated with a local church. She married just shy of age eighteen on August 6, 1935 to Chester Arthur Robinson (1913-1970). They started their family right away, with their first child Ora born the next year, followed by fourteen additional children, including three sets of fraternal twins. Her children are Ora, Marva, Dolphus, Chester Jr., Dennis, Mamie, Richard, Ollie Mae, Lola Ann, Wilma, Warren, Wayne, Cheryl Lynne, Christopher, and Christine.

Selena’s children were directly impacted by the segregation of schools, and so it is perhaps no surprise that she was an advocate for school integration. She and other members of the black community organized the TCIO, previously covered in the February 5, 2024 issue of the Transylvania Times. Selena was one of two people asked to testify in the case that the group won requiring school integration. In addition to TCIO initiatives, Selena was also instrumental in bringing mail service to the black community, creating the Mickey Park neighborhood low-income housing, and serving as a Board member for numerous organizations in Transylvania County, such as the Meals on Wheels program, the Brevard City Personnel Board, the health department, Pisgah Legal Services, Habitat for Humanity, the Transylvania County Historical Society, Transylvania Community Hospital, and the Usher Board of the Bethel “A” Baptist Church.

Most remember her from her volunteer work with the Schenck Job Corp, a job placement program based in Pisgah Forest, and her leadership in Western Carolina Community Action, which administers social services in Transylvania and Henderson counties. In 1969 she was hired as an outreach worker and stayed with WCCA for 23 years.

Selena’s husband Chester passed away in 1970, leaving her widowed with nine children at home. Chester had worked at a filling station for most of his life, with a shift to sanitation at the Rosman Tracking Station (later called PARI) in the last few years. This didn’t leave a pension for Chester’s widow, and so Selena had to make ends meet the best she could. She was a domestic worker during the day and a seamstress in the evenings, making dresses, slipcovers, and any other sewing project. They gardened and kept a few animals for food when city limits permitted it.

Selena as an active community member her entire life, forging a path through resistance and hardship. She passed away on November 29, 2010 and was buried in Cooper’s Cemetery. Photographs and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. This article was written by Local History Librarian Laura Sperry. Sources available upon request. For more information, comments, or suggestions, contact NC Room staff at [email protected] or 828-884-1820.