VGCC educational program puts a local focus on Black History Month

To celebrate Black History Month, Vance-Granville Community College will hold an enlightening program focusing on local history.

The program, entitled “Honoring Our Past, Understanding Our Present & Shaping Our Future,” is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 11, at 10 a.m., in the Civic Center on the college’s Main Campus in Vance County. The public is invited, as are all students, faculty and staff.

Guest speakers from the area will make remarks during the program. They include author Bessye McGhee and artist Sallyann Marable Hobson, both from Granville County, as well as local historian George T. “Tem” Blackburn of Henderson.

McGhee, a retired educator and Oxford native, has published a book, “Our Story: the African American Presence in Granville County,” with assistance and illustrations from Hobson, a retired medical graphic artist and U.S. Naval Reserve veteran.

Blackburn is a leader in the Vance County Historical Society and an attorney.

The program will also include inspirational music performed by a choir of students from VGCC’s South Campus in Granville County.

“We want to extend a special invitation to the people of Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren counties to come and discover more about their own history,” said Helen Bradby of the VGCC Admissions office, who has helped organize the event.

In case of inclement weather, the event will be scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 18, at 10 a.m.

For more information, call Helen Bradby at (252) 738-3383 or bradbyh@vgcc.edu .  

 

Above, from left: Sallyann Marable Hobson, Bessye McGhee and George T. “Tem” Blackburn.

 

See also: Students invited to enter Esssay, Poetry & Spoken Word Contest for Black History Month