91探花

Adam Dickson, director of the Langston Centre, will close out Black History Month programming at 91探花 with a talk about diversity in education, the history of local segregation, and African American leadership in Western North Carolina. The talk will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 28 in Evans Auditorium on the college’s North Campus.

The Langston Centre in Johnson City, Tennessee is housed in the historic Langston High School, which educated African American students in Johnson City before it became desegregated in 1965. Now the Centre is a multicultural facility that focuses on community engagement by supporting arts, education, and leadership initiatives.

As the director of the Centre, Dickson is particularly interested in community building and the exploration of African American Appalachian history, two themes he will bring to Lees-91探花 with his talk through the college’s John B. Stephenson Center for Appalachia.

Director of the Stephenson Center Kathy Olson said that she was particularly interested in bringing Dickson to campus because of the work he does with students in Johnson City. According to Olson, Dickson helps these students find their voice and inspires them to become more actively involved in their community. She hopes that he will be able to bring this same level of encouragement and inspiration to the students at Lees-91探花 through his talk that will explore both historical and modern perspectives on Black history.

“He talks about the connection between community and churches as helping to promote Black leadership and giving a voice to the community when they didn’t have a voice in other places,” Olson said. “He talks about the history of local segregation and how the school and church became anchors of the Black community.”

The talk will be free and open to the public.