With Chris Aluka Berry, poet and oral historian Kelly Elaine Navies, and historian Maia A. Surdam.
Meet the authors and join the discussion at these events:
Friday, October 11, 2024 – Weaverville Community Center, 60 Lakeshore Drive in Weaverville, NC from 7-9 p.m.
Saturday, October 12, 2024 – Little Mt. Zion Church, 21 Hillside Street in Weaverville, NC from 5-7 p.m.
The first book of its kind, Affrilachia: Testimonies is an inspired historical artifact that honors, represents, and celebrates the proud people of color whose history and existence has greatly contributed to the broad tapestry of Appalachia.
Chris Aluka Berry has worked in the South as an award-winning documentary photographer for more than twenty years, and his images have appeared in major American and international publications. He currently lives in the Appalachian Mountains in western North Carolina with the love of his life and two beautiful dogs.
Kelly Elaine Navies is a poet, writer, and oral historian. Her oral history projects and interviews are located at the Southern Oral History Program, the Reginald F. Lewis Maryland Museum of African American History and Culture, the Washington DC Public Library Peoples’ Archive, and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, where she currently coordinates the oral history program.
Maia A. Surdam is an historian, educator, and author who lives in western North Carolina. She holds a doctorate in US history and her work centers on rural communities. She is currently the programs director of the Partnership for Appalachian Girls’ Education (PAGE), where she empowers adolescent girls in rural Appalachia.