Vickie Kilimanjaro grew up in Jackson, North Carolina, a small town in the eastern part of the state. She went to school, did farm work and remembers enjoying the closeness of the African-American community in the area. After college she married John Kilimanjaro (ne Stevenson). After John Kilimanjaro received his Doctorate in Education the couple moved to Greensboro where he became a professor at North Carolina A & T University. In 1963 Vickie and John were participants in the March on Washington. They became intensely involved in the ongoing civil rights struggles at the time, helping to integrate downtown Greensboro along with A & T students and faculty. In 1967 the Kilimanjaros founded The Carolina Peacemaker, a newspaper for the African-American community. This pioneering newspaper covered many events over its 53 years of existence, providing a different and critically important lens for the turbulent events of the period. At that point, the mainstream paper was far more interested in negative articles about the Black community, often who was going to jail or accused of a crime. The Peacemaker told the stories people wanted to hear, and built over its many years a strong base of support, winning many journalism awards in the process. Vickie continues the work of the newspaper along with her daughter Afrique.