This webinar is the ninth and final installment of the nine-part Zoom webinar series, “Growing Our Griots Strengthening North Carolina’s Black Heritage-Keepers,” designed to offer guidance and strategies around numerous topics.
Want to hear from heritage practitioners in your state? Come join us for conversation with NC heritage practitioners on their experience in the field.
Presenters
Sara Blanchett graduated from UNC Charlotte with a Bachelor of Arts in Africana Studies in 2008, and a Master of Arts in History in 2013. Beginning in the fall of 2022, she will begin her last degree in the Educational Leadership & Cultural Foundations doctoral program at UNC Greensboro. She has interned and worked in living history sites, historic sites, art museums, and community museums in North Carolina and Virginia. Sara currently works as the Curator of Education for the High Point Museum. In this role, she provides educational programs of the museum, historical park, and exhibitions for schools and the general public to understand and enjoy.
Bernard George is a retired city planner and historian. A graduate of North Carolina Central University, he has earned membership in the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and gained state and national recognition for his expertise. Bernard's passion for community building and community empowerment, which fuels his active engagement in community affairs, dates to the Civil Rights era and the impact it had on him as a high school and college student. He is an avid historian/preservationist who traces his family's New Bern/Craven County roots back to the late 17th Century. In recognition of his knowledge of state and local African American history, he was among the first persons appointed to serve on the NC African American Heritage Commission. As a member of New Bern's 300th Anniversary Committee, Bernard organized a historic trip to Ghana, West Africa for more than thirty high school students and adults. In addition to serving on several commissions and boards, he has led many city-wide events celebrating African American history and culture. Along with his church and community volunteer work he is a performing artist, historical interpreter, and Civil War re-enactor. The father of four adult children and four grandchildren, Bernard is married to attorney Brenda Carter George.
Dewana Little is a Fourth Generation Native of Asheville NC, a Mother, and a Community Activist. As the full-time Community Relation Officer for Self-Help Credit Union, Dewana also makes time to address the needs of her community as the current Executive Director of YMI Cultural Center, and the Vice Chair of the Reparations Commission for Asheville and Buncombe County. She is the founder of the youth leadership organization, Positive Changes, and serves on the Affordable Housing Advisory Council. " I believe that the preservation of black culture is essential for the truth and reconciliation that is needed to bring balance to this world.
"Growing Our Griots: Strengthening North Carolina's Black Heritage-Keepers" is supported in part by North Carolina Humanities, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act. www.nchumanities.org
