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Black cotton is the new rose

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A Lee Enterprises, Incorporated newspaper. Majority shareholder: David Hoffmann, Hoffmann Media Group.

Featured

Black cotton is the new rose

• Molly Weisner UNC Media Hub
• Jan 1, 2021
• Jan 1, 2021
• 0

1 of 6

Julius Tillery (left) and Jamaal Garner started Black Cotton to make the cotton harvested on Tillery's Northampton County farm into home decor, art and jewelry. Tillery says he not only wants to support other farmers like him, but educate the community about where their produce comes from and who’s cultivating it.

• Josh Conner, UNC Media Hub

Julius Tillery shows off some of the cotton on his Northampton County farm.

• Josh Conner, UNC Media Hub

Julius Tillery and Jamaal Garner started Black Cotton to make the cotton harvested on Tillery's Northampton County farm. “I wanted to give cotton a different value,” Tillery said. “The cotton business is a very tough business — not much money in it. I wanted to come up with a creative solution to that.”

• Josh Conner, UNC Media Hub

A gravestone on the Tillery land in Northampton County. Julius Tillery represents the fifth generation of his family to farm land in North Carolina. His great-great grandfather was the first in the family to be born free in 1871 in Halifax County.

• Josh Conner, UNC Media Hub

Julius Tillery shows off some of the cotton on his Northampton County farm.

• Josh Conner, UNC Media Hub

Julius Tillery shows off some of the cotton on his Northampton County farm. Harvested cotton is turned into home decor, art and jewelry.

• Josh Conner, UNC Media Hub

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Molly Weisner UNC Media Hub

The two young men squint into the camera and smile from beneath their baseball caps.

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At UNC Media Hub, students are hand-picked from various concentrations in the UNC School of Media and Journalism to work together to find, produce and market stories with state, regional and at times, national appeal.

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Julius Tillery (left) and Jamaal Garner started Black Cotton to make the cotton harvested on Tillery's Northampton County farm into home decor, art and jewelry. Tillery says he not only wants to support other farmers like him, but educate the community about where their produce comes from and who’s cultivating it.

• Josh Conner, UNC Media Hub

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Julius Tillery shows off some of the cotton on his Northampton County farm.

• Josh Conner, UNC Media Hub

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Julius Tillery and Jamaal Garner started Black Cotton to make the cotton harvested on Tillery's Northampton County farm. “I wanted to give cotton a different value,” Tillery said. “The cotton business is a very tough business — not much money in it. I wanted to come up with a creative solution to that.”

• Josh Conner, UNC Media Hub

• Facebook
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• Bluesky
• WhatsApp
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A gravestone on the Tillery land in Northampton County. Julius Tillery represents the fifth generation of his family to farm land in North Carolina. His great-great grandfather was the first in the family to be born free in 1871 in Halifax County.

• Josh Conner, UNC Media Hub

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Julius Tillery shows off some of the cotton on his Northampton County farm.

• Josh Conner, UNC Media Hub

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Julius Tillery shows off some of the cotton on his Northampton County farm. Harvested cotton is turned into home decor, art and jewelry.

• Josh Conner, UNC Media Hub

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