Join the Western North Carolina Historical Association (WNCHA) Thursday, February 17 at 6PM via Zoom for another program exploring African American education in WNC.

We hope you are able to tour the Mars Hill Anderson Rosenwald School with us, but for those unable, or who simply want to learn more, please join us as Betty J. Reed discusses her research into the Brevard Rosenwald School and other segregated schools in WNC. This school, also funded by Julius Rosenwald, served African American students in Transylvania County from c1923-1966 and, according to Reed, represents “a microcosm of Black education in southern Appalachia.”

About the Speaker:

Betty Jamerson Reed, a native of Western North Carolina, is an independent scholar who has spent over twenty-five years researching the history of schools in the region, especially those functioning during the era of segregation. In 2002 she became a surveyor of Rosenwald schools in southwestern North Carolina for the State Archives Department. A retired educator who focused on educational leadership and rural education, she lives on a farm in Transylvania County.  Her dissertation, a case study of the Brevard Rosenwald School, was written in 1998.  Reed’s extensive research forms the basis for three books: The Brevard Rosenwald School (2004), School Segregation in Western North Carolina (2011), and Soldiers in Petticoats (2019). Recently her article “Sequoyah, the Son of a Virginian,” appeared in the July issue of The Virginia Writers Journal. Her poetry has appeared in various journals, anthologies, and online publications. Journalism educator Howard Spanogle asserts: Reed “leads readers on journeys into unnoticed Appalachian communities and shows how it takes a trailblazing visionary to create a village of successful learners.” See her website.

Tickets: $5 for WNCHA members/ $10 for General Admission. We also have no-cost, community-funded tickets available. We want our events to be accessible to as many people as possible. If you are able please consider making a donation along with your ticket purchase. These donations are placed in our Community Fund, which allows us to offer tickets at no cost to those who would not be able to attend otherwise.

Viewing: Registrants will receive a Zoom link with which to view the program. It will also be recorded and later available on our website.

(Image: Brevard Rosenwald School and students/staff, c1920, Courtesy of the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library)

Western North Carolina Historical Association received an American Rescue Plan Humanities Grant from North Carolina Humanities, www.nchumanities.org. Funding for this grant was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act economic stabilization plan. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of North Carolina Humanities or the National Endowment for the Humanities.