James Brooks watched white workers at the tannery in Buford create detailed decorations in the leather while he worked as a janitor there.

He wished he could do the more skilled work, but as the other employees said, “God didn’t put the black birds with the sparrows.” That’s just the way it was, Brooks said.

“I knew it was wrong, but I didn’t say anything,” he said.

It was the 1950s, and career opportunities were different based on an employee’s skintone.

In 1964, Nathaniel Shelton moved to Gainesville and became a teacher at E.E. Butler High School. He and some other teachers, inspired by the civil rights movement, went to a movie one day and sat in the front row where only whites were allowed.

“I took an umbrella,” he said with a hearty laugh. He planned to use it to protect himself from whatever was thrown at them, but the demonstration went off without a hitch, he said.

Brooks, Shelton and others will share their stories at “Voices: Black History” on Feb. 25.

The free event at The Loft at Scott’s Downtown begins at 5:30 p.m. with an open cash bar offering beer, wine and soft drinks. The program begins at 6 p.m. and will include open mic time for those in the audience to share their stories as well.