THIRD ANNUAL
African Americans
ARTWORK BY JASON KREKEL
in Western North Carolina
Conference
OC TO B E R 27-30, 201 6
THIRD ANNUAL
African Americans
in Western North Carolina
Conference
Presented by UNC Asheville
OC TO B E R 27-30, 201 6
Thursday, Oct. 27
6:30pm - 8:30pm
YMI Cultural Center - 39 Market Street, Asheville
Opening Reception
Special Presentation for Community Service
DeWayne Barton
The Jesse and Julia Ray Lecture Series Keynote
Michelle Lanier
Friday, Oct. 28
9:00am to 5:00pm
Mission Health Mountain View Room,
Sherrill Center, UNC Asheville
Morning Panel — 9:00am - 12:00pm
Moderator: Dr. Dan Pierce
Ms. Diane Tower-Jones and Mr. Sekou Coleman
“Beneath The Veneer: A Documentary Film
Project on the African American Experience in the
Appalachian City of Asheville, North Carolina”
Mr. Phil Jamison
“African Americans and Mountain Dance Traditions
in Western North Carolina”
Mr. Forrest Gray Yerman
“Exhuming Boone’s Past: American Segregation in
Life and Death”
Afternoon Panel — 1:00pm - 5:00pm
Moderator: Mr. Gene Hyde
Mrs. Katherine Cutshall and Ms. Catherine Amos
“Sarah Gudger’s Journey to Freedom: A Digital History
Project/Exhibition”
Dr. Doris Davenport
“Beauty, Passion & Integrity: Cultural Heritage of Black
Appalachia”
Ms. Enkeshi Thom
“Black Knoxville: At The Intersection of Race & Region”
Ms. Marie Cochran
“Testify Beyond Place: A Documentary Film Project”
Closing Reception
Tree Planting in Memory of Don Locke — 5:00pm
Karpen Garden, UNC Asheville
UNC Asheville will plant and dedicate a tree in
memory of Don Locke. Locke, an author, education
advocate and longtime champion for diversity,
served as director of Diversity and Multiculturalism
at UNC Asheville. He also served as director of the
Asheville Graduate Center and director of the NC
State University doctoral program in Adult and
Community College Education at the Asheville
Graduate Center. Locke passed away in June 2016.
Closing Reception — following Tree Planting
Karpen Hall Patio, UNC Asheville
Sunday, Oct. 30
3:00pm
Lipinsky Auditorium, UNC Asheville
“Unsung Heroes: A Grand Celebration of
Latinx and Black Resilience”
The entire community is invited to celebrate a
dynamic group of “unsung” Latinx and black heroes.
This will also be an opportunity to come together, to
connect and align our efforts as we move toward a
more resilient community. We have so much to be
thankful for in our community and we know that there
is great potential when we work together, recognizing
what each of us has to offer.
“Unsung Heroes” will highlight points of resilience and
strength in Buncombe County through storytelling,
music, and dancing. “We will celebrate the heroes’
stories of resiliency and how they have committed
their life’s work to shouldering movements by lifting
up ideals, giving wisdom and guidance to their
communities,” says event producer Sheneika Smith.
“By uncovering and celebrating the work of individuals
and groups who demonstrate resilience, we will
provide an opportunity for attendees to connect to
this community’s resource grid.”
The emcees for the evening will be Kahlani Jackson,
Miss Asheville 2016, and Alejandro Adron. The
house band for “Unsung Heroes” will be led by Terry
Letman. Other performances include dance, spoken
word, and song.
This event is being sponsored by Buncombe County
Health and Human Services, Date My City, and UNC
Asheville and is free and open to the public.
UNSUNG HEROES
Educational Enrichment: Keyla Estrada
Ally: David Forbes
Arts & Entertainment: Oskar Santana
Health & Wellness: Kathey Avery
Environmental Stewardship: Eric Howell
Entrepreneurship: Dulce Lomita Mobile Home
Cooperative, LLC
Historic Preservation: Priscilla Nydiye
Spirituality: Rosalia del Carmen Islas
Community Legacy: John R. Hayes and Lucia
Hinojosa Hernandez
W E LCO M I N G R E M A R K S
Darin Waters
Darin J. Waters is an assistant professor of
history and special assistant to the chancellor
for outreach and engagement at UNC Asheville
where he teaches courses in American history,
North Carolina history, Appalachian history,
African American and Latin American history. He
also specializes in the history of race relations in
both the United States and Latin America.
Waters is the co-host of The Waters and Harvey
Show, a local radio show. He currently serves as a member of The North
Carolina Historic Markers Commission, the board of the National Blue
Ridge Heritage Area, the board of the Thomas Wolfe Memorial of Historic
Asheville, and the North Carolina Civil War History Center. Waters received
his doctorate from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Mary K. Grant
Mary K. Grant joined UNC Asheville as the seventh
chancellor in January 2015, after serving for 12
years as president of Massachusetts College of
Liberal Arts (MCLA). During her first year, she
established UNC Asheville as a center for creative
entrepreneurship in the city and across the state
and expanded access to higher education while
increasing enrollment in North Carolina’s public
liberal arts university.
Grant is a leader in public higher education, having
served as chair of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC),
where she directed a planning effort that culminated in bringing the
COPLAC executive office to Asheville. She currently serves as vice chair
of the board for National Campus Compact. She holds a a bachelor’s
degree in sociology from MCLA, a master’s degree in public affairs from
UMass Boston, a Ph.D. in social policy from The Heller School at Brandeis
University, and an honorary degree from Williams College.
W E LCO M I N G R E M A R K S
Dwight Mullen
Dwight Mullen is a professor of political science
and 30-year veteran of UNC Asheville’s faculty.
The 2014 recipient of the UNC Board of Governors
Excellence in Teaching Award, he has participated
in reading groups at the Burton Street Recreation
Center, involved students in his research for the
annual “State of Black Asheville” conference,
commented on radio and written opinion pieces
in area newspapers, volunteered in public schools,
and served on numerous local boards.
Mullen also has served as a Fulbright Senior Scholar in Malawi, and he is
a specialist in American politics and African-American political thought.
He earned master’s and doctoral degrees in political science from Atlanta
University and received a bachelor’s degree in history and political science
from Loma Linda University.
S P E C I A L P R E S E N TAT I O N FO R CO M M U N I T Y S E RV I C E
DeWayne Barton
DeWayne Barton, founder and CEO of Hood
Huggers International, will be honored during
the evening reception. Barton is a sculptor and
poet who combines his creative practice with
community activism. His mixed-media, found-art
installations have been featured at Duke University,
Smithsonian Institute’s Museum of African Art,
Upstairs Gallery in Tryon, N.C., and August Wilson
Center for African American Culture in Pittsburgh
as part of the exhibition Common Ground:
Affrilachia! Where I’m From.
His company, Hood Huggers International, offers sustainable strategies
for building support pillars for resilient historically African American
neighborhoods, providing a framework for community capacity building
while increasing the effectiveness of existing service programs. Barton
also is co-founder of the Burton Street Community Peace Gardens and
serves on the African American Heritage Commission of Asheville and
Buncombe County, CoThinkk, and Everybody’s Environment. He is the
co-founder of Green Opportunities, a job training program designed to
prepare Asheville-area youth and adults for “green-collar” careers.
A native of Asheville, Barton grew up in Washington, D.C. and is a Gulf War
Veteran. He attended Norfolk State University from 1996-1999, majoring
in social work. He is the author of two books of poetry, Urban Nightmare
Silent Screams and Return to Burton Street, and has been involved in
community improvement and youth development for over 20 years.
T H E J E S S E & J U L I A R AY L E C T U R E S E R I E S K E Y N OT E
Michelle Lanier
As director of the North Carolina African American
Heritage Commission and the Traditions and
Heritage Program of the North Carolina Arts
Council, Michelle Lanier uses her background as an
oral historian and folklorist to connect communities
around the state with North Carolina’s rich cultural
resources. She also brings the ethical issues of
public history and documentary work into the
classroom as an instructor with Duke University’s
Center for Documentary Studies.
Lanier’s work with Gullah communities, which she began at Spelman
College and completed through UNC-Chapel Hill’s curriculum in folklore,
paved the way for her to become one of North Carolina’s liaisons to the
federally designated Gullah-Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor.
Lanier is currently involved in the powerful work of engaging communities
toward envisioning and growing the future of African American heritage in
the state of North Carolina.
INTRODUCTION OF MICHELLE L ANIER
Kalen Doleman
Michelle Lanier will be introduced by UNC
Asheville student Kalen Doleman, originally
of Salisbury, N.C., who is double-majoring in
international studies and history, with a minor in
economics.
T H E J E S S E & J U L I A R AY L E C T U R E S E R I E S
The Jesse and Julia Ray
Lecture Series
The Jesse and Julia Ray Lecture is designed to promote awareness and
appreciation of not only the larger African American experience in the
United States, but also of the particular experiences of African Americans
in Western North Carolina and Southern Appalachia. Throughout their
lives, Jesse and Julia Ray, both prominent and active members in their
local community, exhibited a commitment to the betterment of people’s
lives through the elimination of racial discrimination, and the opening of
political, economic, and educational opportunities for all people.
Jesse G. Ray Sr. knew at an early age he wanted to work in funeral service.
In 1932, at the age of 21, he was one of seven African Americans in a class
of 47 to graduate from Worsham College of Mortuary Science, Chicago, Ill.
He began his career with McCoy Funeral Home on Eagle St. He lived in the
YMI, which was the basis for his later interest in preserving the historic YMI
building and serving as chair of the board of directors of the YMI Cultural
Center.
Jesse and his wife, Julia Greenlee Ray, established the Jesse Ray Funeral
Home in 1938, and Julia, a centenarian, is currently licensed as a funeral
director. Julia was active in the social and educational changes of the
1960’s and 70’s. She was a member of a core group of women who
shepherded the merger of the black and white YWCAs to one facility. She
was appointed as the first African American on the Board of Directors
of Memorial Mission Hospital and later to the Board of Trustees of UNC
Asheville. She retired from full-time funeral directing in 1977, and Jesse Jr.
now manages the business. Jesse Sr. died in 1994.
This lecture is part of a long-term initiative to increase the national and
international profile of UNC Asheville as it relates to African American
history. Moreover, the lecture institutionalizes the study of the African
American experience in Asheville, Western North Carolina, and Southern
Appalachia at the university by bringing distinguished scholars in the
fields of African American Studies and Appalachian Studies to campus on
an annual basis.
Hosted by the Department of History at UNC Asheville.
PA N E L I S T S
Diane Tower-Jones
Growing up in the U.K., Diane Tower-Jones’ first
college experience was at a performing arts
school in London where she was a dance major
who took every available class in video production,
directing and vision mixing. Unexpected life
events took her away from performance and
visual art, and led her to the healing arts. After six
years of extensive studying, she began practicing
Chinese medicine, a career that spanned the
following 15 years. Eventually Tower-Jones
rediscovered her passion for filmmaking, consequently training as a
documentary filmmaker, integrating her experience as a clinical “listener.”
One of her greatest joys is to awaken someone to the value of their story.
Seven years ago Tower-Jones relocated from the U.K. to the Asheville
area. Over the last decade she has participated in a wide variety of
independent film projects in the U.K., India and the U.S. Currently TowerJones is the director of the feature length documentary Beneath the
Veneer.
Sekou Coleman
Born in North Carolina, raised in Washington,
D.C. and educated at the University of Pittsburgh,
Sekou Coleman’s organizational and management
skills have been sharpened through his work as
an entrepreneur, consultant and employee with
major corporations, government agencies, small
businesses and nonprofits. Coleman relocated
to Asheville in 2011 and has since become active
in the southeast region’s burgeoning film and
television production industry, which has provided
numerous opportunities in independent filmmaking and commercial
video production. During that time, he has served as writer, producer and
co-director for a series of documentary-style videos commissioned by the
largest Porsche dealership in Western North Carolina and as editor for
everything from music videos to documentary films. Coleman is currently
producing the independent documentary film Beneath the Veneer.
PA N E L I S T S
Phil Jamison
Phil Jamison is a nationally-known old-time
musician, flatfoot dancer, and square-dance caller
who teaches Appalachian music and dance, as
well as mathematics at Warren Wilson College
in Asheville, N.C. Over the years, he has done
extensive research in the area of Appalachian
dance, and his recently published book, Hoedowns,
Reels, and Frolics: Roots and Branches of Southern
Appalachian Dance (University of Illinois Press,
2015), tells the story of these Southern traditions.
Forrest Gray Yerman
Forrest Gray Yerman is a native of Matney, N.C.,
in Watauga County. He holds a B.A. in creative
writing and an M.A. in Appalachian studies
from Appalachian State University. His works,
both scholarly and creative, and individual
and collaborative, have appeared in regional
magazines and journals, such as the Appalachian
Journal, Branches, and the Journal of Appalachian
Studies. He regularly attends and presents at the
Appalachian Studies Association conferences.
Currently living in Lexington, Kentucky, Yerman is applying to doctoral
English programs across the Appalachian region and the east coast.
PA N E L I S T S
Katherine Calhoun Cutshall
Katherine Calhoun Cutshall is a native of
Buncombe County, N.C. and has from a young
age been interested in local history and culture.
She is a recent history graduate of UNC Asheville
and is currently pursuing her M.A. in history at
Western Carolina University where she is co-editor
of the Tuckaseegee Valley Historical Review.
Cutshall serves as the Assistant Director at the
Swannanoa Valley Museum in Black Mountain and
has recently been appointed to one of Buncombe
County’s seats on the City-County African American Heritage Commission.
Her goal is to contribute as much as she can to the interpretation and
preservation of the history and culture of Western North Carolina.
Catherine Amos
Catherine Amos is a fourth-year student of
history at UNC Asheville. Her current senior thesis
research focuses on women, gender and sexuality
in 20th-century Germany. Her background
includes internship work with the Department of
Historic Preservation and Collections at George
Washington’s Mount Vernon, UNC Asheville’s
Center for Diversity Education, and, most recently,
the Biltmore Estate archives. She is currently
assisting Bill Alexander, Biltmore’s landscape and
forestry historian, on a mapping project of the Biltmore Estate to locate
historic structures pre-dating the Vanderbilts’ arrival in WNC. Amos
will also be joining the Vance Birthplace State Historic Site as a historic
interpreter beginning this fall.
PA N E L I S T S
Doris Davenport
Doris Davenport is an educator / writer /
literary and performance poet, an independent,
non-traditional scholar, born and raised in
northeast G.A. (where she currently resides).
Northeast G.A. has been her lifelong inspiration,
obsession and influence, especially in Soque
Street Poems (1995). She has a B.A. in English
from Paine College (Augusta, G.A.) and a Ph.D. in
African American literature from the University
of Southern California. Davenport has been a
member of The College Language Association, since an undergraduate
at Paine. She is also a decades-long member of the Atlanta based
organization AlternateRoots. She has published ten books of poetry; the
newest is performance pieces (Aug. 2016).
Enkeshi Thom
Enkeshi Thom is a Ph.D. student in the Department
of Sociology at the University of Tennessee,
Knoxville. Her current research is focused on the
experiences and identity formation of African
Americans in Appalachia, specifically in Knoxville,
Tenn. Thom completed her master’s degree in Pan
African studies at Syracuse University in Syracuse,
N.Y. and her bachelor’s degree in psychology and
Africana studies at Agnes Scott College in Decatur,
G.A. She is the co-founder of the Multicultural
Graduate Student Organization at her university and is constantly
advocating for the needs of graduate students of color. In addition,
she maintains an active involvement in local community organizing in
Knoxville.
PA N E L I S T S
Marie Cochran
PHOTO BY EMMAI ALAQUIVA
Marie T. Cochran was born and raised in Toccoa,
G.A. in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.
She received degrees from the University of
Georgia (BFA) and the School of the Art Institute
in Chicago (MFA). While pursuing her studio
degree, she was a graduate assistant in the
Department of Art History, Theory and Criticism
and the news editor for F news magazine. She
received a post-graduate fellowship in museum
education from the National Endowment of
the Arts. Cochran has been a visiting faculty member at educational
institutions in Georgia, New Jersey, Maryland, and North Carolina. As a
visual artist, she creates mixed media pieces, which address memory and
community history and are often grounded in collaboration. Cochran’s
honors include a Georgia Council for the Arts grant, NEA Museum
Education Fellowship; Artist as Catalyst Grant from the Mid-Atlantic Arts
Council, Baltimore, Md.; NEA/Southern Arts Federation Fellowship, NEA
Fast-Track Challenge Grant and a grant from the “We Shall Overcome
Fund” sponsored by the renowned Highlander Center in New Market, Tenn.
Through her work as an educator, curator and writer, Cochran is actively
involved in arts advocacy. She is the founder of the Affrilachian Artist
Project which celebrates the diversity of the Appalachian region.
Conference Sponsors:
UNC Asheville
UNC Asheville Department of History
YMI Cultural Center
Wilma Dykeman Legacy
UNC Asheville Center for
Diversity Education
Dr. Brian Butler,
Howerton Professor of the Humanities
UNC Asheville
Africana Studies Program
Dr. Daniel Pierce, NEH Distinguished
Teaching Professor in the Humanities
Dean of Social Sciences
Office of the Provost
Conference Partners:
YMI Cultural Center
CoThinkk Giving Circle
Wilma Dykeman Legacy
Date My City
Asheville and Buncombe County
African American Heritage
Commission
Hood Huggers International
Conference Organizing Committee:
Dr. Darin J. Waters
Mr. Gene Hyde
Dr. Sarah Judson
Ms. Deborah Miles
Mr. Reid Chapman
Dr. Steven Nash
Special Thanks and Recognition to:
Mr. Shawn Winebrenner for Graphic Design
Ami Worthen
UNC Asheville Communication & Marketing, October 2016. 250 copies of this public document were printed at a cost of $587.00 or $2.35 per copy.
Conference-goers are also invited to an exhibit from the Isaiah Rice Photograph
Collection, titled The Way We Were, on display at WCQS, Western North Carolina
Public Radio, through November. WCQS is located at 73 Broadway, Asheville, and
the exhibition is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The full collection contains more than 1,000 images taken by Isaiah Rice, which
were donated to UNC Asheville’s Special Collections by Rice’s daughter Marian
R. Waters and curated by the photographer’s grandson Darin Waters, assistant
professor of history, and Gene Hyde, head of Special Collections at UNC Asheville.
The photographs document Asheville’s African-American community from the
1950s through the 1970s, with many on display for the first time. The collection
was unveiled on Oct. 23, 2015 at the second annual African Americans in Western
North Carolina Conference at UNC Asheville. The 2016 exhibit is sponsored by The
McClure Fund, Troy & Sons, and UNC Asheville.