Here’s an announcement about an upcoming educational event that I don’t plan on missing: The UNC Asheville History Department is proud to host the first ever conference on the History of African Americans in Western North Carolina. The conference challenges widely held assumptions that the African American presence in Western North Carolina has been negligible at best. Presentations, by respected scholars in the fields of North Carolina History, Southern History, and Southern Appalachian History, will reveal the rich and vibrant African American past in the Southern Appalachian region. The conference is free and open to the general public. Thursday, October … Continue reading African Americans in WNC

Celebrating E.W. Pearson, Sr….. Continue reading Events at Burton St. this Weekend

This Sunday, August 24 from 1 – 8 pm, Date My City will be hosting the “Date My City Lounge” at Big Love Fest. It’ll be a great place to hangout and connect! Stop by for a free massage, sweet tea, games for grown ups and balloon art for the kids. There will be tours to the YMI Cultural Center to see the “Cash Crop” exhibit leaving the Lounge 2:30 pm and 5:00 pm. Date My City is also hosting performers on the AshevilleFM stage. Most importantly, the Date My City Lounge will showcase minority entrepreneurs, activists, writers, and artists … Continue reading Date My City Lounge at Big Love Fest this Sunday

The Asheville Blade (ashevilleblade.com) is a new online media outlet, which has already covered crucial stories and added important perspectives to community conversations. With a slogan of “cutting to the point,” the Asheville Blade is a bold and necessary voice for our town. Two recent pieces of note are: Red Lines – an investigative journalism piece by Asheville Blade founder David Forbes “Racist government programs shaped Asheville’s ‘urban renewal,’ demolishing homes and pushing out thousands. The results still haunt the city today.” and ‘Diversity’ is the New Black – an opinion piece by Sheneika Smith “Asheville’s current approach to diversity … Continue reading The Asheville Blade is an Asset

The Public Housing Advocacy Coalition (PHAC) is a new Asheville group comprised of public housing residents, representatives from community organizations and concerned citizens (including me). One of the things that frustrates me about Asheville is the general lack of awareness about our public housing communities. I am hoping this group will be able to contribute to increased awareness and support.  Click here to follow PHAC on Facebook. The main focus of PHAC right now is getting the word out about the Housing Authority of the City of Asheville’s (HACA) plan to shift their funding to HUD’s Rental Assistance Demonstration Program … Continue reading Public Housing Awareness and Advocacy

This Saturday, June 21, from 8:00 am until 4:30 pm at the YMI Cultural Center, UNC Asheville students from the State of Black Asheville course will present their research on the status of Black Asheville in several public policy areas such as: education, health care, housing & economic development, criminal justice, and culture. The event is free and open to the public. Lunch will be provided. If you have questions, email stateofblackasheville@gmail.com. Click here for the Facebook event page. Continue reading State of Black Asheville Presentation

  From the Women’s Wellbeing & Development Foundation: Hey everyone, the fourth annual Juneteenth celebration is taking place on Saturday June 14th from 11 am – 4 pm in the field at Hillcrest! Juneteenth is a celebration of the end of slavery in the U.S., and will be featuring free food, live entertainment, educational speakers, historical documents and artifacts, fun activities for children, raffle prizes, and more! This is a free public event and is very family friendly, so come on out and celebrate! We are looking for the following items to borrow: popup tents, folding tables and chairs, hoses, … Continue reading Juneteenth Celebration this Saturday!

This week I thought I’d share a few opportunities… Volunteer Opportunities The Mountain Xpress recently featured this great volunteer opportunity… “For the past three summers, Nicole Hinebaugh has led a group of children from Asheville’s public housing neighborhoods down the hiking trails of Western North Carolina. This year, she needs extra help from volunteers to keep the program — the Trailblazers Outdoor Adventure Club — going strong. Most of these children have never seen the luscious greenery of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and Hinebaugh cites this as one of the main reasons why local nonprofit Women’s Wellbeing and Development Foundation … Continue reading Opportunities