Bertie County, North Carolina is like many rural counties struggling economically due to the closures of manufacturing plants. Bertie’s second largest employer, Wrangler, closed in 2003. The largest employers now are Perdue Chicken and Bertie County Public Schools. For many youth who choose to stay in their community, factory work, farming and the military are their only options. Those who do make it through Bertie’s educational system and on to college are often the first in their family to go, and when they leave, they seldom return.

Director | Margaret Byrne

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