Virtual Speaker Series – Black in Appalachia: Uncovering & Sharing Black Narratives

DATE: TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2021
TIME: 7:00PM
LOCATION: ZOOM (FREE BUT REGISTRATION REQUIRED)
Join Black in Appalachia’s Alona Norwood and William Isom on Tuesday, March 2, 7:00pm when they will discuss the public history research and educational components developed in Northeastern Tennessee in their work to uncover and share the Black stories and histories of our region. From school records and community partnerships to racial atrocities, Norwood and Isom will also share the tools, methods and obstacles to making our region’s Black narratives more accessible.

Black in Appalachia works to highlight the history of African-Americans in the development of our region and its culture. Through research, local narratives, public engagement, and exhibition, this project aims to raise the visibility and contributions of the Black communities of the Mountain South. This project is a community service for Appalachian residents and families with roots in and through the region.

Alona Norwood is a graduate of Berea College and a native of Elizabethton, Tennessee. She has been working to research the history of Black schools in her hometown and in Eastern Kentucky.

William Isom II is the director of the Black in Appalachia project. He coordinates the project’s research, community database development, documentary film and photography production, oral history collection, and educational events with residents.

“Black in Appalachia: Uncovering & Sharing Regional Black Stories” is free and open to the public, but please register to attend below. Donations are welcome and help to support free and low-cost museum programming.