Bag Lunch Arts EXTRA

BAG LUNCH EXTRA —Spotlighting the Brevard Rosenwald School

Betty J. Reed will spotlight the history of one local segregated school for black students. Her presentation will include information from personal interviews with over 100 individuals and facts gleaned from personal research at state and local archives. This program will reveal the power of community and feature the achievements of selected students, while also delving into the integration process and its effects.

Betty commenced her research into the Rosenwald legacy in the 1990s and served as a “surveyor” of Rosenwald schools for the North Carolina Office of Historic Preservation. She has made presentations about her findings at the Celebration of African American Culture for the NC History Museum, for VISION of Transylvania County, OLLI, and for the national Rosenwald centennial celebration at Tuskegee Institute. Professional honors include being named an Outstanding Educator of North Carolina (1970) and receiving the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching (1991). Betty is the author of The Brevard Rosenwald School: Black Education and Community Building in a Southern Appalachian Town, 1920-1966 (McFarland, 2004) and School Segregation in Western North Carolina: A History, 1860s-1970s (McFarland, 2011) which received awards of merit from the American Association for State and Local History.

For a complete list of upcoming scheduled Bag Lunch programs click here.

Our monthly Bag Lunch Arts Series spotlights authors, artists, performers, and speakers sharing their talent and knowledge. Bag Lunch EXTRA programs are on Tuesdays of some months at 12 noon in the Rogow Family Community Room. Patrons are encouraged to bring along a bag lunch to enjoy before the program. Cookies and coffee are courtesy of the Friends of the Library. Programs last approximately one hour.