Center for Diversity Education to Host Local Civil Rights
Reenactments;
Event Kicks Off 10th Anniversary Celebration
Part of Asheville’s Civil Rights story will be told
through dramatic reenactments by local teens as a kick-off to the Center
for Diversity Education’s 10th anniversary celebration. Students from
the Urban Arts Institute will portray former members of
the Asheville Student Committee on Racial Equality (ASCORE) as they
reenact the peaceful demonstrations, sit-ins and boycotts that led to
the desegregation of many Asheville establishments. Stephens-Lee High
School students formed ASCORE in 1959 and were active until 1963.
Reenactments will take place on Saturday, Oct. 1.
The first event will take place from 10-10:30 a.m. at the Fine Arts
Theater, 36 Biltmore Ave. Rosa E. Davis will speak on her experiences
during integration and will answer questions. Davis was an employee at
Roland’s Jewelry, which was the site of ASCORE meetings. In addition,
she played an integral role in integrating the Strand Theatre.
The second reenactment will be held from 11-11:30
a.m. at the Woolworth Walk lunch counter, 25 Haywood Street. Mary Fair
Talford and Al Whitesides will speak and answer questions during this
event. Talford is a former member of ASCORE and a 1961 graduate of
Stephens-Lee High School. Also an ASCORE member, Whitesides graduated in
1962. He then attended N.C. Central University where he coordinated
sit-ins at Durham lunch counters.
The Center for Diversity Education will continue to
celebrate its 10th anniversary with an awards ceremony honoring former
members of ASCORE on Sunday, Nov. 6, at UNC Asheville Highsmith
University Union Alumni Hall. Other events highlighting the Center’s
achievements will take place throughout November.
The Center for Diversity Education works to
increase the ways in which diversity is discussed in the classroom, from
kindergarten through college. By focusing on ethnic, racial, cultural
and religious diversity through exhibits, road shows and staff
development programs, the Center encourages multiculturalism as a way to
enrich lives, organizations and the community.
For more information, call the Center for Diversity
Education at 828/232-5024.
Sidebar: Center for Diversity Education 10th
Anniversary Celebration Events
October 1: Reenactments portraying part of
Asheville’s Civil Rights history will take place from 10-10:30 a.m. at
the Fine Arts Theater, 36 Biltmore Ave., and from 11-11:30 a.m. at the
Woolworth Walk lunch counter, 25 Haywood Street. These events are free
and open to the public.
November 5: A reception and dance with heavy hors
d’oeuvres, band and cash bar will be held at 8 p.m. at Stephens-Lee
Recreation Center, 30 George Washington Carver. General admission is
$25. Patron tickets are $100.
November 6: An awards ceremony honoring former
ASCORE members will be held at 3 p.m. at UNC Asheville’s Highsmith
University Union Alumni Hall. James Ferguson, founding member of ASCORE
and leading civil rights attorney, will give the keynote address.
Following the program, there will be an opening reception for the
historical exhibition on Buncombe County school integration, “With All
Deliberate Speed,” in UNC Asheville’s Highsmith University Union
Gallery. The exhibition will be on view in the gallery through November
and then will travel to local schools and businesses. These events are
free and open to the public.
For more information, call the Center for Diversity
Education at 828/232-5024.
Media Contacts:
- Deborah Miles, Executive Director of the Center for Diversity
Education, 828/232-5024
- Jill Yarnall, UNC Asheville Public Information Assistant Director,
828/251-6526
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