Julia Neal Sykes was born on October 15, 1923 on a tenant farm in southern Mecklenburg County near the Buster Boyd Bridge. Her childhood dream was to become a teacher and she overcame financial and circumstantial hardships to achieve that goal. She was married to the late R.B. Sykes for over 30 years. After the passing of her husband, she began to write and subsequently authored four books, including a poetic and historical volume. She is the mother of one son, Dr. James Neal. She is the grandmother of 2 and the great grandmother of 1. She is retired from 33 years as a public school teacher in the eastern part of North Carolina. Today, she continues to teach sunday school at her church, St. Stephens AME Zion in Gastonia, North Carolina.
Two of her books are available on Amazon:
Healing Thoughts, a book of poems highlighting her deeply held faith and life journey
Footprints on the Rough Side of the Mountain, a history of African Americans in Belmont, NC
More From Julia:
Ms. Sykes Performing her Poem “The 20th Century Woman” by Julia Neal Sykes