UNCA Celebrates Black History Month with a Variety of Programs

UNC Asheville will celebrate Black History Month throughout February with a range of special events. Among the highlights will be a keynote program featuring Kathryn Woods in a dramatic portrayal of Sojourner Truth and a panel discussion on "The Teaching of the Liberal Arts in the Context of the African American Civil Rights Movement." Events are open to the public and free unless otherwise noted.

CANCELED -- Using a text based on Sojourner Truth's own words, actress Kathryn Woods will recreate scenes from Truth’s life, as she journeyed through pre- and post-Civil War America, preaching against slavery and for the rights of women. This program will be held at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19, in UNCA’s Lipinsky Auditorium.

The UNCA Philosophy Department will host a panel discussion on "The Teaching of the Liberal Arts in the Context of the African American Civil Rights Movement" at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7, in UNCA’s Humanities Lecture Hall. Scholars Louis Castenell, University of Georgia dean of education, and Tyrone Williams, Xavier University English Department chair, will serve as panelists. A reception will follow in Carmichael Hall lobby.

Other events include --

* February 1-28 -- "African American Voices of Asheville," an exhibit of text and images, will be on view in UNCA’s Ramsey Library Third Floor Gallery. The exhibit features excerpts from interviews with African American men and women who experienced dramatic changes in Asheville during the 20th century, including the Depression, World War II, Integration, social upheaval, as well as everyday life. Collected by Dorothy Joynes and Sylvia Robin in the mid 1990s, these interviews are part of the UNCA Ramsey Library Special Collections’ "Voices of Asheville Oral History Collection." In the exhibit, the interviews are paired with photographs from several of UNCA Ramsey Library Special Collections, notably the Heritage of Black Highlanders Collection and the Ewart M. Ball Photographic Collection.

* February 4 -- Chuck Davis and the highly acclaimed African American Dance Ensemble will share the rich cultural traditions of African customs and rituals through dance, song and music at 12:15 p.m. in UNCA’s Lipinsky Auditorium.

* February 7 -- Chuck Davis and the African American Dance Ensemble will perform at 7:30 p.m. in UNCA's Lipinsky Auditorium. General admission tickets are $12 general admission.

* February 21 -- The final event in UNCA’s Black History Month celebrations will be an evening with popular comedians Pat Brown, Double D and Shawty-Shawty at 8 p.m. in UNCA’s Lipinsky Auditorium. General admission tickets are $7 and will be available at the door.

For more information, contact Samuel Williams, UNCA Multicultural Student Programs Director, at 828/251-6671.

Media Contacts:

• Samuel Williams, Multicultural Student Affairs Director, 828/251-6671
• Jill Yarnall, UNCA Public Information Assistant Director, 828/251-6526