News

Community Relations and Outreach
April 26, 2024

Community Relations and Outreach
April 10, 2024

Robert Turpin Visits ETSU

Reece Museum 5-6 PM  April 15, 2024
Dr. Rbobert J. Turpin is an associate professor of history and the assistant director of the honors program at Lees-McRae College. He is the author of First Taste of Freedom: A Cultural History of Bicycle Marketing in the United States.

Community Relations and Outreach
February 7, 2024

Trauma-Informed Tuesdays

Please join the College of Arts & Sciences Office of Community Relations and Outreach for our ongoing "Trauma-Informed Tuesdays" series, where each month we provide a brief didactic followed by group discussion to consider how each of us can do our part to becoming more trauma aware and responsive. These events are open to faculty, staff, and graduate students, and will take place on the following dates: Tues. February 13, Tues. March 26, and Tues. April 16th.

All events will take place in the Culp Center room 303.

2/13: Self-compassion + peer support: How can we lean into healthier relationships with ourselves and others to sustain being kind, curious, and compassionate humans in the face of stress and adversity? 
3/26: Trustworthiness + transparency: How can we build trust in our working relationships and how can we move toward repair once that trust has been compromised? 
4/16: Collaboration + mutuality: How can we invite collaboration and move toward shared power to create a work community that empowers others and cultivates resilience? 

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Daryl Carter.

Community Relations and Outreach
January 31, 2024

Amythyst Kiah at the Martin Center

We are truly excited to announce that we have finally brought back our beloved alumna Amythyst Kiah back to campus for a full concert with her band and our very own ETSU Old-Time Ramblers as opener on February 19, Monday from 7 to 9 p.m. at the ETSU Martin Center Grand Hall.
 
The event is made possible from the collaborative endeavors of various units through the ETSU'S Slocumb Galleries' Crafting Blackness Initiative with funding from the  Student Life & Enrollment SAAC, Black American Studies, Bluegrass, Old-Time & Roots Music, Appalachian Studies, Art & Design and the Office of the Dean at the College of Arts & Sciences, Mary B. Martin School of the Arts with support from the Office of the Provost and external funding from Bravissima! Women Sponsoring the Arts and Tennessee Arts Commission.

Community Relations and Outreach
October 3, 2023

Mr. Anthony Ray Hinton: Black American Studies Lecture Series Fall 2023

Anthony Ray Hinton walked out of the Jefferson County Jail in Birmingham, Alabama, a free man for the first time in 30 years at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, April 3, 2015.

“The sun does shine,” he said as he was embraced by family and friends.

One of the longest serving death row prisoners in Alabama history and among the longest serving condemned prisoners to be freed after presenting evidence of innocence, Mr. Hinton was the 152nd person exonerated from death row since 1983.

Thirty years ago, Mr. Hinton was arrested and charged with two capital murders based solely on the assertion that a revolver taken from his mother’s home was the gun used in both murders and in a third uncharged crime.

Today, as EJI Community Educator, he’s a tireless and powerful advocate for abolition of the death penalty.

Mr. Hinton is scheduled to speak on Thursday, October 12 at 7:00 pm in the Carnegie's Grand Soldiers Ballroom. 

Community Relations and Outreach
September 13, 2023

Special Invitation: A Conversation with Dr. Imani Perry (Thurs., Sept. 28th)

Dr. Imani Perry, the keynote speaker for this year's Equity and Inclusion Conference, will join Dr. Jennifer Adler's African American Religions class on Thursday, September 28th, from 1:20 PM to 2:40 PM in Rogers Stout 328, to discuss her most recent book, South to America (2022). Dr. Adler is extending a warm invitation to you to join her class that day to hear and learn from Dr. Perry.

About Dr. Imani Perry:

Dr. Imani Perry is a Professor of Women, Gender, and Sexuality and of African and African-American Studies at Harvard University. Her work explores the intersections of history, law, race, and culture. Her most recent book, South to America, is a compelling meditation on the South and its role in American history and culture, earning her the 2022 National Book Award for non-fiction.

RSVP and Receive a Free Copy of Dr. Perry's Book

If you would like to join this exciting conversation with Dr. Perry on Sept. 28th, please send Dr. Adler a quick email to RSVP at adlerj@etsu.edu. An added bonus: the first ten students to RSVP will receive a free copy of Dr. Perry's new book.

Community Relations and Outreach
September 5, 2023

Safe Zone 2.0

Safe Zone is excited to announce that they will be hosting three Safe Zone 2.0 trainings this semester. Safe Zone 2.0 is a skills-based continuation of the original Safe Zone experience where you can expect to learn some new concepts and sharpen your allyship skills in the process.

You can register for the training here:

Friday, September 22 from 9:00am-12:00pm

Wednesday, October 25 from 9:00am-12:00pm

Tuesday, November 14 from 1:00pm-4:00pm

There are only 10 slots available for each training, so be sure to register quickly!

Community Relations and Outreach
August 23, 2023

Johnson City Public Art Walking Tour

The Johnson City Public Art Committee will be hosting a walking tour of the newly installed works in our 2023-2025 Phil Pindzola Biennial Sculpture Exhibition. The tour, which will be led by this year's juror Isaac Duncan III, is set for Thursday, September 7 from 5:30-6:30 pm and will meet at Founders Pavilion. In the interest of accessibility, the tour will focus on works situated in the downtown district.

Juror Isaac Duncan III is an internationally renowned Black American sculptor, fabricator, educator, and arts advocate based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Among his many professional accolades are artist residences at Gallery 37/Archi-Treasures, Illinois, the Richard Hunt Studio Center, Michigan, and the Association of Visual Artist, Tennessee, and a Tennessee Arts Commission Individual Artist Fellowship. A champion for the discipline of sculpture, Duncan is Past-President of Mid-South Sculpture Alliance and currently sits on various art boards and committees, including International Sculpture Center, ArtsBuild, and the Tennessee Arts Commission granting committees. 

Community Relations and Outreach
June 12, 2023

Stonewall Rememberance

Community Relations and Outreach

June 1, 2023

Black Music in Appalachia

Community Relations and Outreach

June 1, 2023

An Exhuberant Spirit: The Sammie L. Nicely Collection

Community Relations and Outreach

April 12, 2023

Queer Composers

Community Relations and Outreach

April 6, 2023

Dr. Brian Noland recently published an article on "University Stewardship of a Healing Community" as part of the President to President magazine. You can read the article here or visit our resources website here.

Community Relations and Outreach

March 30, 2023

Trans Support Conversation

Community Relations and Outreach

March 28, 2023

Territoriality

Community Relations and Outreach

March 23, 2023

Understanding Race in 2023 Training

Community Relations and Outreach

March 9, 2023

Black Art History

Community Relations and Outreach

March 7, 2023

Women's Brunch at the Langston Centre

In recognition of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, the Langston Centre will host a brunch on Wednesday, March 8, 2023 from 11:30 am – 1 pm. The event will be catered by Cranberries, and it is designed to encourage fellowship and networking among women professionals in the community. Registration is required and the fee is $20.  

Community Relations and Outreach

March 6, 2023

Territorality

Community Relations and Outreach

February 14, 2023

Album Listening Session with Ted Olsen

ETSU Professor of Appalachian Studies Dr. Ted Olson has produced and curated two new albums, Satan Is Busy In Knoxville: Revisiting the Knoxville Sessions, 1929-1930 and  Birthright: A Black Roots Music Compendium.  These albums—both featuring historically significant recordings by well-known as well as overlooked musicians—are intended to strengthen public awareness of the lasting influence and the aesthetic excellence of Black roots music in Appalachia and across America. Taken together, these albums vividly celebrate one of the essential canons of American vernacular music.

On Friday, February 17 at 12 noon, in conjunction with Black History Month, Dr. Olson will offer a listening session during which he will share and interpret key recordings from both albums. It is hoped that listeners—who will be invited to ask questions about the recordings they will hear—will develop deeper appreciation of Black roots music.

Community Relations and Outreach

February 13, 2023

SHINE: Illuminating Black Stories at the Barter Theatre

Community Relations and Outreach

January 24, 2023

Spring Lobby Weekend Training

In March, the LCRC is planning to travel to Washington D.C. to attend a Spring Lobby Training event that is being hosted by FCNL. Students who are interested should contact Dr. Daryl Carter. You can see more information about the training here.

Community Relations and Outreach

January 24, 2023

Usable Past Safe Travels: Inclusive Tourism in Appalachia

Community Relations and Outreach

January 23, 2023

WGSS on Wednesdays: Women and Old-Time Music

Kalia Yeagle will be the speaker for WOW next week on Wednesday, February 1, at noon. You can register in advance for this meeting here.

Community Relations and Outreach

January 23, 2023

The Dream Continues: The History of the Civil Rights Movement

An Oral History Play Written by Bobby Funk and Directed by Dan Parker

The Dream Continues: The History of the Civil Rights Movement, was created for the opening of the Civil Rights Institute in Birmingham, Alabama in 1992. It was first performed as a one act reader’s theatre piece by students at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The play toured to schools around the Birmingham area throughout that school year. 

The play tells the story of the Civil Rights Movement through the words and songs of those who lived it. The stories are all oral histories. Most of these characters are the people who were in the trenches so to speak. Dr. King is heard from, along with other famous activists, but many of these people have never really had their stories told. That is the purpose of the play, to remember these heroes.

In 2018 the play was updated and expanded to a full-length play thanks in part to a Research Development Committee, Small Grant Award from East Tennessee State University that allowed necessary research to happen in Washington, DC. Much thanks to the Library of Congress and The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture as well as the ETSU Department of Theatre and Dance, the ETSU School of Arts and Sciences and Dr. Daryl Carter.

The production will be presented as a partnership between the ETSU Department of Theatre and Dance, The School of Arts and Sciences Office of Equity & Inclusion and Black American Studies. 

It is a Two Act Reader's Theatre. This play will be on Monday, February 6 at 7 PM in the Bud Frank Theatre. There will be one 10-minute intermission.

Community Relations and Outreach

January 9, 2023

Black History Month Events Presented by the Langston Centre

Community Relations and Outreach

January 9, 2023

Theater Delta Workshop

Community Relations and Outreach

December 28, 2022

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Community Events 2023

Community Relations and Outreach

November 28, 2022

Resources Tab Updates

We have updated our resources page to include LGBTQ+ welcoming therapists in the surrounding area and the university suicide prevention plan. You can view the list of therapists here and the Suicide Prevention Plan here. You can also view these items on the Resources tab.

Community Relations and Outreach

November 17, 2022

Theater & Dance Auditions for Spring 2023 Plays

Community Relations and Outreach

November 8, 2022

Scholarships at ETSU

Community Relations and Outreach

November 4, 2022

Women in Astronomy Course Spring 2023

Community Relations and Outreach

November 2, 2022

Hip-Hop History Month Celebrations

Community Relations and Outreach

October 31, 2022

Community Relations and Outreach

October 27, 2022

Documentary Film Screening: Naked Gardens

Naked Gardens will be screened on campus on Saturday, October 29 in the Ball Hall Auditorium at 7:00 pm. Directors Ivete Lucas & Patrick Bresnan will be available for a Q&A after the screening. 

Community Relations and Outreach

October 24, 2022

Auditions for The Dream Continues

Daniel Parker is directing this Reader's Theatre production  (written by ETSU Theatre and Dance faculty member Bobby Funk), for his Honor's Thesis Project. Auditions are being held October 27 from 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm and October 29 from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm in Campus Center Building Studio 205. The director is looking for 3 Black men, 2 White men, 3 Black women, 1 White woman, and a Chorus. For more information, email parkerd1@etsu.edu.

Community Relations and Outreach

October 19, 2022

Community Relations and Outreach

September 23, 2022

ETSU Discrimination and Harassment Important Reminders

• All ETSU Employees are Mandatory Reporters under the ETSU Policy on Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct. As such, if you receive information, a complaint, or a report relating to Sexual Misconduct from a student, fellow employee, or any other person utilizing ETSU’s resources, you are required to report that information immediately to Garrison Burton, Title IX Coordinator. He can be reached at BURTONG@etsu.edu, or COMPLIANCE@etsu.edu. He may also be reached by phone at 423-439-8544. You may not share such information with those who do not need to know, including those who have been accused of misconduct. 
• 
  In case of emergency or ongoing threat, please contact Public Safety immediately at 911 or 423-439-4480. 
• The Title IX Coordinator is always available to discuss any concerns or questions you may have. 
• Please review the ETSU Policy on Limited English Proficiency. The Office of University Compliance is required to log all contacts with persons with Limited English Proficiency under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. This log is provided yearly to the Tennessee Human Rights Commission. As such, if you come into contact with persons with LEP attempting to access services at ETSU, please contact my office to log such contacts as soon as possible. The Office of University Compliance can also provide assistance when translation is necessary. You may email such reports of contacts to LEP@etsu.edu. All departments and offices which serve the general public should be aware of the obligation to provide meaningful access to services for those persons with LEP.  
• 
  Please review the ETSU Clery Act Compliance Policy. Employees identified as Campus Security Authorities will receive training related to Clery Act Compliance and Reporting in the coming weeks. ETSU employees should promptly report any activity that is perceived as criminal, potentially dangerous, or suspicious to Public Safety or a known Campus Security Authority. 
  • 
    ETSU employees should report crimes to Public Safety via 911 or 423-439-4480, in person, or via bucprevention@etsu.edu
• Reports of discrimination based on any protected class can be made with the Office of University Compliance and are handled in accordance with the ETSU Policy on Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct.

Community Relations and Outreach

September 13, 2022

Community Relations and Outreach

September 8, 2022

WGSS on Wednesdays

WGSS on Wednesdays kicks off on September 14 with "Observations, Conversations, and Next Steps: LGBTQ+ Justice in the Court System," a presentation by Drs. Jamie Brown and Mary Langenbrunner. Drs. Brown and Langenbrunner will provide insight from their experience and research to describe the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ individuals navigating the family court system. For more information, please contact wgss@etsu.edu.

Community Relations and Outreach

September 1, 2022

Student Advisory Board

The Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) is looking for student volunteers to serve on a student advisory board. During the 2022 - 2023 academic year, we will be holding several focus groups to address common themes around effective teaching. 

If you are interested in sharing your opinions and discussing what effective teaching looks like at ETSU, please fill out the form linked below.  

The focus group will be limited to 12 participants to ensure a safe and productive environment for discussion.  If more than 12 applications are received, participants will be selected to ensure a diverse and representative group of ETSU students. 

The first session is scheduled for Wednesday, September 14th.  For more information on what role the student board will play, meeting days/ time, and to sign – up…visit the link here and scroll down to “Join Our Student Advisory Board.”

Community Relations and Outreach

August 26, 2022

Minority Enterprise Development Week (MEDWeek) 2022

The MEDWeek Virtual Procurement Forum fosters small business partnerships between various federal, state and local entities and disadvantaged or underrepresented small, minority, service-disabled veteran-owned, veteran-owned, HUBZone, and women-owned businesses. 

This year's MEDWeek is September 19-23. For more information, you can visit the MEDWeek website.

Community Relations and Outreach

August 19, 2022

Congratulations to Dr. Cerrone Foster!

Dr. Cerrone Foster has been awarded the Distinguished Faculty Award in Teaching, the highest honor a faculty member can receive at ETSU. Dr. Foster has been with ETSU for more than a decade. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from The College of New Jersey in 2001 and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from ETSU in 2007.  You can read the full story here.

Community Relations and Outreach

August 19, 2022

Divisive Concepts Syllabus Attachment

The College of Arts & Sciences’ Office of Equity and Inclusion has developed a syllabus attachment for faculty to use in their courses this semester. We developed this document to address concerns raised by recent legislation in Tennessee which became law just in recent weeks. The syllabus attachment, which we have since distributed to other colleges at ETSU, defends academic freedom and integrity of our academic enterprise. You can read the attachment in its entirety here.

Community Relations and Outreach

August 17, 2022

Divisive Concepts Website

The Provost's office has published a website with information and frequently asked questions regarding the new divisive concepts legistlation. You can view the website here.

Community Relations and Outreach

August 9, 2022

JCPL to Hold Voter Education Class with Washington County Administrator of Elections

JOHNSON CITY – Johnson City Public Library (JCPL) will hold a voter education session with Washington County Administrator of Elections Dana Jones on Thursday, August 18 at 6:30 p.m.

Jones will show people how to find the information they need before going to the voting booth, including who is running, who has picked up petitions for offices, and which offices are elected.

JCPL Adult Services Manager Lisa Krekelberg said the library is hosting this event because people often ask library staff for voting and election information.

“People ask us all the time where they can find details about upcoming elections. It can be difficult to find this information, especially for local elections,” Krekelberg said.

As Administrator of Elections, Jones can also provide a behind-the-scenes perspective into Washington County’s local election process and early voting.

“It’s fascinating to learn how our elections work,” Krekelberg said. “Several years ago, I volunteered at a polling location, and that experience helped me understand how much work goes into an election. I'm excited to hear from Dana Jones about our election process.”

Call Adult Services at 423-434-4454 to learn more about the voter education session on Thursday, August 18. For general information about elections and voting, contact the Washington County Election Commission at 423-753-1688.

Community Relations and Outreach

August 1, 2022

Appalachian Places shared an ongoing oral history project highlighting the Elizabethton Blue Grays, an African-American semi-professional baseball team that was active from 1935-1955. You can read the full article here.

Community Relations and Outreach

July 13, 2022

The Black Gaze

ETSU Department of Art & Design and Slocumb Galleries present ‘The Black Gaze’ curated by Lynn Bachman and Lyn Govette at Tipton Gallery from July 7 to August 26, 2022 with a public reception on August 5, First Friday from 6 to 8 p.m., refreshments provided by Taste Budz and performance by Kingsport Ballet with guest of honor Johnson City Commissioner Hon. Aaron Murphy.

Featuring Johnson City’s African American artists, it is the curators’ honor and intention with the BLACK GAZE exhibit, to be part of the movement to course correct for the artists who have displayed their works and the community at large. The artists that are part of this exhibit are local, most self-taught, and some with formal training in academia or a mix of both. They vary in their ages, abilities, preferences, interests, lifestyles and many other ways, but the unique commonality between them is their desire to create and share their passion in their artistic abilities with the world.

This collection of works, The Black Gaze, is a moment in time celebrating local Black artists as recognition of the wonderful complexity that is this region of the Southern Highlands and Johnson City in particular. Each artist allows access into their individual way of expressing what it is the be Black and creative. The artists included in this exhibit are Jonathan Adams, Akintayo Akintobi, Lynn Bachman, Javan Collie, Pam Daniels, Pam Faw, Jason Flack, Doniqua Joyner, Dexter Greenlee, and Ian Taylor.

Accompanying events include Spoken Word by Langston Centre’s Brook’ale Anderson and Jasmine Henderson on July 14,Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m.; and face painting demo/workshop by Lynn Bachman and Karen Sullivan on August 13, Saturday at 3 p.m., both at the Tipton Gallery. The unveiling of the East Tennessee Foundation’s Hope in Action grant-funded community mural ‘Sounds of Our Souls’ by Jason Flack and local youth will be unveiled on August 20, Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Johnson City Pool along Legion Street.

We wish to thank the contributing artists, and our partners ETSU Black American Studies, Mary V. Jordan Multicultural Center, Language & Culture Resource Center, Taste Budz, Kingsport Ballet, Karen LeBlanc Sullivan, Langston Centre, Tennessee Arts Commission, and Black in Appalachia for their support of the arts and this exhibit. The Tipton Gallery is located at 126 Spring Street, Downtown Johnson City with gallery hours on Thursdays and Fridays from 5 to 7 p.m. and by appointment. To schedule a visit, please email contrera@etsu.edu.

Community Relations and Outreach

May 17, 2022

Governor's School Couselor Opportunities

The Center of Excellence in STEM Education is in need of two Residential Counselors for the 2022 Governor's School in the Integration of Biological and Statistical Sciences (a 5 week program here on campus from May 27 - July 1, 2022). The counselor can be 19 years of age and older.  

This Governor’s School has been operating since 2007 and is an excellent program for high school students who excel in their coursework.  They have thirty (30) rising juniors and seniors attending from the state of Tennessee.  The students and the counselors will be housed in Lucille Clement Hall for the 5-week program. The students range in age from 15 to 17 and are all MINORS. 

Counselors will have a private room in Lucille Clement Hall (room and board are included)
All meals are included
The salary will be $2,600.00 for the 5-week period
Counselors will be responsible for leading the students to class, the DP Culp Center for lunch and dinner, local restaurants (weekend lunch and dinner), and Kroger on occasion
Counselors will take students to the CPA when time allows
They will also attend the scheduled field trips with the students
Campus Arboretum Tour
Historic Jonesborough (Music on the Square)
Pisgah National Forest & Roan Mountain State Park
James H. Quillen College of Medicine Tour
Gray Fossil Site and Natural History Museum
Snap-On Tools
Bays Mountain Park and Planetarium
The Carter Family Memorial Music Center (Hilton’s, Virginia)
Aerojet/Rocketdyne Facility
Counselors will have from 9:00am – 11:30am free time (students will be in Probability and Statistics class in Gilbreath Hall room 305/306)
Counselors will have from 1:00pm – 3:30pm free time (students will be in Biology class and lab on Friday’s)
 

This is an excellent opportunity for someone to work with minors who are very smart, competent and eager to learn. Please contact Angela Haga for more information.

Community Relations and Outreach

May 11, 2022

Heritage Alliance Hiring for an AmeriCorps Curator/Arhcivist Position

The Heritage Alliance has an AmeriCorps position available for a Curator/Archivist. Please visit their website for more information.

Community Relations and Outreach

May 10, 2022

Community Relations and Outreach

May 9, 2022

Working, Class:  Appalachian Labor and Economy Seminar

The McKinney Center, Heritage Alliance, Langston Centre, and ETSU’s Black American Studies, would like to invite you to attend a free, online workshop on May 18, 10am, entitled, Working, Class:  Appalachian Labor and Economy.

You can find out more on our Facebook Event page.

You can register here.

Jonesborough/Johnson City, Tennessee, May 18, 10 am-11:30 am –
Over 100 million visitors come to Tennessee each year, and the State typically earns over 20 billion dollars in revenue from tourists. The Usable Past Series continues to explore the opportunities that exist in our own communities to meet the needs of our tourists, achieve the revenue and interpretive goals at our historic and cultural institutions, and create an environment where visitors feel safe and represented.

In historic Northeast Tennessee, heritage tourism is a large part of why people travel: they want to know their history. However, this is a field that has struggled to be inclusive and welcoming to visitors of all backgrounds. The Usable Past Series has engaged tourism industry leaders at all levels and from a variety of venues to discuss their best practices, their own challenges, and their successes in meeting their missions.

Speakers for this session focused on the labor history of Appalachia include Shara Scarborough, writer and oral historian, Emily Hudson, Executive Director of the Southeast Kentucky African-American Museum and Cultural Center, and Dr. Tom Lee, Associate Professor of History at East Tennessee State University. The panelists will also participate in a question-and-answer session after their presentations.

Presenters for this first session, Useable Past, Working, Class: Appalachian Labor and Economy will specifically focus on showcasing efforts and examples in Northeast Tennessee and the surrounding region pertaining to inclusive tourism, difficulties faced, as well as action steps all organizations can take to continue to move forward as a region in providing more inclusive interpretations.

This free workshop will take place online from 10:00 am to 11:30 am on Wednesday, May 18, 2022. Dr. Daryl Carter, Director of the Black American Studies program at East Tennessee University, and Jules Corriere at the McKinney Center will moderate the Q&A session following the presentations. Participants can register for the event through the McKinney Center’s website. Participants must register in advance to receive the Zoom link. More information can be found on the Useable Past Facebook page or at McKinneyCenter.com.

This workshop series is a collaboration between several organizations, including the McKinney Center, the Heritage Alliance of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia, the Langston Centre, and the Black American Studies program at ETSU. The McKinney Center at Booker T. Washington School provides a comprehensive program through Jonesborough’s Mary B. Martin Program for the Arts which teaches various art skills to all participants through a quality program of instruction open to all segments of Jonesborough’s population. The Heritage Alliance is a non-profit dedicated to the preservation of the architectural, historical, and cultural heritage of our region and to providing educational experiences related to history and heritage for a wide range of audiences. The Langston Centre is a cultural facility that promotes multicultural awareness and workforce development through arts, education and leadership activities. The Black American Studies program serves a critical role for the College of Arts & Sciences and ETSU by offering high-quality academic course offerings, superb programming, and opportunities for personal growth through service.

Community Relations and Outreach

April 29, 2022

Women's Rights are Human Rights Exhibit Round-Table

The Office of Equity and Inclusion was happy to help support the Women's Rights are Human Rights exhibit and round-table discussion on April 28, 2022. Thank you to everyone who attended and participated.

Community Relations and Outreach

April 21, 2022

Gospel on the Lawn

The ETSU Gospel Choir presents Gospel on the Lawn with special guest Jessica Reedy at the ETSU Ampitheater on Sunday, April 24 at 4 pm (Rain location is the Culp Auditorium). For more information, please contact Multicultural Center.

Community Relations and Outreach

April 21, 2022

Democracy vs. January 6th: Causes and Consequences of Divisive Politics and Civic Unrest

Hood College's Martha E. Church Center for Civic and Community Engagement is pleased to co-sponsor an upcoming event, “Democracy vs. January 6th: Causes and Consequences of Divisive Politics and Civic Unrest,” on Saturday, April 30th, from 8am-3pm (U.S. Eastern Time) in Washington, D.C. and livestreamed. Co-sponsors include the Menard Family Center for Democracy at Miami University, the James Madison University Center for Civic Engagement, Randolph-Macon College's Department of Political Science, the National Capital Area Political Science Association, and the American Political Science Association's Civic Engagement as well as Politics, Literature, and Film Sections.
 
The event features keynote addresses by individuals on the scene January 6th, 2021—Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn and New York Times Congressional Correspondent Luke Broadwater—as well as panel discussions with contributing authors to the special issue about January 6th of the eJournal of Public Affairs and speakers addressing “Perspectives on Narrative and Visual Representations of January 6th.” (See the full agenda below.)
 
Please register here to attend virtually or in person (physical seats are limited and include continental breakfast plus a boxed lunch) here. After registering, your RSVP will be confirmed, and the Zoom link or address of the event will be provided. You can view more information about the event here.

Community Relations and Outreach

April 21, 2022

Langston Centre Higher Education Information Forum

The Langston Centre presents an enlightning morning filled with resources for a wider lens at higher education for students and their families. You can find out more about the program here, or contact Lucas Pino for more information.

Community Relations and Outreach

April 20, 2022

Women's Rights Are Human Rights Exhibition Opening and Round-Table Discussion

Reece Museum, April 28, 2022

3:30-4:30 pm

Join friends and colleagues for a social happy hour.

4:30-6:00 pm

Diverse Discussions: Women's Rights Are Human Rights

Creating a dialogue is a vital function of the visual arts. Artists and designers create works that expose, challenge, and confront social or cultural systems. These systems define the individual lived experience, but are built upon the complex intersections of the human condition. To explore this complexity, scholars from across ETSU will share their expertise and engage in a dialogue inspired by the visual arts.

Round-Table Chair

Jonathon Strube: Assistant Professor, Graphic Design

Round-Table Participants

6:00-8:00 pm

Stay for the reception and enjoy the incredible works!

Community Relations and Outreach

April 18, 2022

Shine: Illuminating Black Stories at Barter Theatre

In the summer of 2020, Barter began collecting stories from local Black communities as part of their Black in Appalachia Initiative, which seeks to ensure all voices in the region have a platform to be heard and celebrated. Join them for an evening of artistic expression, where Black artists explore their identities and experiences in the Appalachian region.

This event will take place on Sunday, April 24 at 7 pm. It is free and open to the public, but registration is required. You can register for the event here.

Community Relations and Outreach

April 18, 2022

Lily Topples the World Screening

Lily Topples the World will screen for free on Monday, April 18th at 7pm at the Culp Auditorium.
 
Before the screening from 5-7pm, the public is invited to join visiting domino artist, Christopher Wright, who appears in the award-winning documentary, "Lily Topples the World," as he creates a unique domino art piece to topple at the film screening on Monday, April 18. Wright will be available to answer questions about domino art while he constructs the piece. A free drawing to win a 100-piece set of Lily Hevesh dominoes will be held at the end of the screening. 
 
Lily Topples the World synopsis:

Lily Topples the World follows 20-year-old sensation Lily Hevesh – the world’s most acclaimed domino toppler and the only girl in her field – as she rises as an artist, role model, and young woman. Filmed for over three years across countless cities and featuring appearances by Jimmy Fallon, Katy Perry, Will Smith, YouTuber Casey Neistat, and a steady stream of Gen-Z creators, Lily Topples the World is a coming-of-age story cloaked within a unique portrait of an artist, a story of how passion and artistry can make dreams come true, and an unlikely American tale of a quiet Chinese adoptee who transforms into a global artistic force with over 1 billion YouTube views. Trailer

Community Relations and Outreach

April 12, 2022

Dr. Leah Christiani: “He Said What?! Group Threat and the Tolerance for Explicit Racial Appeals in American Politics”

Dr. Christiani from UTK Political Science will present her research which focuses on the relationship between threats to group dominance and a willingness to accept derogations of minority groups.

In recent years, the United States has witnessed a resurgence of overt references to race and identity by politicians. This increase is surprising since previ-ous studies suggest citizens reject explicit racial ref-erences. Prof. Christiani examines why this change has occurred. She argues that when members of a dominant group feel their dominance is threatened by a minoritized group, they are more receptive to derogations of that minoritized group. For whites, feeling their dominance is threatened exerts a cross-pressure, challenging their adherence to the norm of racial equality. Prof. Christiani uses experiments, surveys, and observational data to show that when whites feel their group’s status on top of the U.S. racial hierarchy is threatened, they are more tolerant of negative, explicit racial appeals.

2:00PM-3:30PM, April 22, 2022
Rogers-Stout Hall 118
Open to the public!
Contact: David Miller

Community Relations and Outreach

April 8, 2022

Black American Studies Rocks the Martin Center

The Natasha Trethewey event on Wednesday night drew hundreds from around the region. Dr. Carter remarked afterward: “Tonight’s event reflected the growing importance of the Black American Studies program on the campus of ETSU. Black American Studies continues to demonstrate both relevance and cutting edge programming and interdisciplinary collaboration. We are giving students academic and programming opportunities which enrich the undergraduate experience and prepares them for graduate/professional school and the workforce.” If you are in need of a minor, or are simply interested in specific courses, please email Dr. Carter at carterda@etsu.edu.

Community Relations and Outreach

April 6, 2022

Reece Museum Wins Two TAM Awards

The Reece Museum at East Tennessee State University was the recipient of two Tennessee Association of Museums (TAM) Awards of Excellence at the recent TAM conference.

The TAM awards were presented to museums across the state for exceptional projects, programs and events held in 2021. The Awards Ceremony took place in Jonesborough at the McKinney Center at Booker T. Washington School on March 16. The Reece Museum received a Temporary Exhibit Award of Excellence for the “Illustrating Dante’s Divine Comedy” exhibition and a Special Event Award of Excellence for “Hip-Hop History: A Cultural Celebration event series.” 

You can read more about the Reece's accomplishments here.

Community Relations and Outreach

April 5, 2022

Natasha Trethewey Visit 4/6/2022

Natasha Trethewey served two terms as the 19th Poet Laureate of the United States (2012-2014). She is the author of five collections of poetry: Monument (2018), which was longlisted for the 2018 National Book Award; Thrall (2012); Native Guard (2006), for which she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize; Bellocq’s Ophelia (2002); and Domestic Work (2000), selected by Rita Dove as the winner of the inaugural Cave Canem Poetry Prize for the best first book by an African American poet, which also won the 2001 Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Book Prize and the 2001 Lillian Smith Award for Poetry. Her book of nonfiction, Beyond Katrina: A Meditation on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, appeared in 2010. Her memoir, Memorial Drive (2020), was a New York Times Bestseller. She is the recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Guggenheim Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Beinecke Library at Yale, and the Bunting Fellowship Program of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard. At Northwestern University, she is a Board of Trustees Professor of English in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. In 2012, she was named Poet Laureate of the State of Mississippi, and in 2013 she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Trethewey will discuss her latest work, Memorial Drive, with the greater ETSU community on April 6, 2022 at 6 p.m. in the Martin Center Grand Hall. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact Dr. Daryl Carter.

Community Relations and Outreach

April 5, 2022

No Kid Hungry Youth Ambassadors

Share Our Strength has created a program to involve college-aged Youth Ambassadors in the fight against childhood hunger by working with one of our No Kid Hungry community partners.

For the summer program, Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee will host one (1) Youth Ambassador working on initiatives related to the alleviation of childhood hunger via our summer food service program and summer mobile pantry.

You can read the job description here, and apply here.

Community Relations and Outreach

March 30, 2022

ETSU Faculty Panel Discussion: The Impact of Censorship on the Community

This ETSU faculty panel will engage in a thoughtfully diverse discussion on how the impact of censorship and book banning in libraries affects the whole community. With looking at the history of censorship and what the current and future trends are in censorship, how does this current topic effect different members of our community, and how we can effectively support librarians, libraries, and community with the growing rise of censorship.

This is a virtual event on April 13 at 4:00 pm and will be moderated by Tiffany Watson featuring Drs. Daryl Carter, Scott Honeycutt, and Stacey Williams.

Community Relations and Outreach

March 30, 2022

Community Conversations at the Johnson City Public Library

On Saturday, April 2 from 2-4 p.m., Librarian Lisa Williams will hold a facilitated listening circle for those who wish to learn and practice intentional listening skills. This session will continue the Library's series of listening circles, and participants will get to know their community - and themselves! - better.
 
In April we will examine the topic of teaching "divisive concepts." Opposing viewpoints are encouraged in our listening circles as they present participants the opportunity to build intellectual rigor and self-regulation.
 
Community Conversations are held in the Library's Jones Meeting Room. Registration is required to ensure adequate social distancing. Please contact Lisa Williams at (423) 434-4454 with questions. You can register for the event here.

Community Relations and Outreach

March 28, 2022

Listening Session for CAS Students of Color

Black students within the College of Arts and Sciences are invited to pizza and refreshments on Monday, April 4 from 1:00-1:30 in Rogers-Stout 427. This is an opportunity to describe experiences as non-White students to Dr. Daryl Carter and other faculty of the college. Students will be asked questions pertaining to their experiences like, "In your opinion, what could ETSU do to better support Black students?" Please take this opportunity to make your opinion known. You can register for the session here.

Community Relations and Outreach

March 23, 2022

Circus Amok: Queer Performance in the Pubic Sphere

Out of the clubs and into the streets. Circus Amok is New York City’s one and only queer, political free circus spectacular. This circus has been touring the parks of New York City for 25 years with shows that are, madcap, melancholy, dangerous, dirty, ferocious and fabulous. Founder and director Jennifer Miller will discuss the history of this project, its influences and some of the tricks of the trade. How has the landscape for this work changed in the last 25 years as more queer representation has moved in the mainstream. Considering questions of queer assimilation and queer rage we ask, how do we create a queer utopic space that is fun for the whole family.  

Fabulous Jennifer Miller will give a lecture on Wednesday, March 30 at 12 pm as well as workshops on Gender, Drag & Performance and on Social Justice and Circus. 

For more information, contact Ante Ursić.

Community Relations and Outreach

March 23, 2022

The first ever ETSU Collegiate Recovery Academy and Recovery Ally training happening next week, March 30th from 1-4 p.m. in the Culp.

Community Relations and Outreach

March 9, 2022

Media and Cultural Diversity Fall 2022

MCOM 5020-001 CRN 82402 MW 11:00-12:20

Explore race, gender, class, culture, and other factors of identity in the fields of Brand and Media Strategy, Digital Communication, Video Games, Animation, Sports Media, News, and Information.

Please email Dr. Mimi Perreault for more details.

Community Relations and Outreach

March 3, 2022

Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey to Visit ETSU

Natasha Trethewey served two terms as the 19th Poet Laureate of the United States (2012-2014). She is the author of five collections of poetry: Monument (2018), which was longlisted for the 2018 National Book Award; Thrall (2012); Native Guard (2006), for which she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize; Bellocq’s Ophelia (2002); and Domestic Work (2000), selected by Rita Dove as the winner of the inaugural Cave Canem Poetry Prize for the best first book by an African American poet, which also won the 2001 Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Book Prize and the 2001 Lillian Smith Award for Poetry. Her book of nonfiction, Beyond Katrina: A Meditation on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, appeared in 2010. Her memoir, Memorial Drive (2020), was a New York Times Bestseller. She is the recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Guggenheim Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Beinecke Library at Yale, and the Bunting Fellowship Program of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard. At Northwestern University, she is a Board of Trustees Professor of English in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences. In 2012, she was named Poet Laureate of the State of Mississippi, and in 2013 she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Trethewey will discuss her latest work, Memorial Drive, with the greater ETSU community on April 6, 2022 at 6 p.m. in the Mary B. Martin Center Grand Auditorium. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, please contact Dr. Daryl Carter.

Community Relations and Outreach

March 1, 2022

Appalachian Dream Mechanics

Community Relations and Outreach

February 28, 2022

Faith McPhearson

For Nashville-native Faith McPhearson, most of the courses she had taken about American history simply failed to properly cover slavery, segregation and the lingering civil rights issues connected to those eras.  

That reality helped prompt her to minor in East Tennessee State University’s Black American Studies Program.  

“In the Black American Studies Program, I am honored to be surrounded by people who look like me, but who also bring different perspectives on issues that are affecting us today,” she said. “As we know, those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

A biology major who hopes to attend veterinary school after she graduates from ETSU, McPhearson visited the university for the first time while a senior at Martin Luther King Jr. Academic Magnet for Health Sciences and Engineering High School.  

Participating in DISCOVER ETSU, an initiative by the ETSU Mary V. Jordan Multicultural Center that invites 11th and 12th grade high school students to spend a weekend on campus, what she saw and experienced convinced her to become a Buccaneer.  

She especially loved the staff in the Multicultural Center.  

“I was sold on ETSU’s beautiful campus, and the people I met during DISCOVER ETSU,” she said. “I loved the mountains, and I knew it would be beautiful in the fall.”  

During her time at ETSU, she has worked with many faculty and staff. Dr. Daryl Carter, a professor of history, associate dean and director of the Black American Studies Program, stands out.  

“Dr. Carter is an amazing professor,” she said. “I know I can count on him to support me and other students’ collegiate journeys here at ETSU.” 

Pushed by a friend to seek out the Black American Studies Program, she was encouraged by what she found.

“With the courses,” she said, “I don’t feel like I have to hold my tongue. I get to hear different people’s perspectives from different backgrounds, which is great. They are fun classes.”  

In time, she hopes to see Carter’s program expand. 

“The dialogue, lectures, discussions and readings are fun, intriguing and dive deep into societal problems today,” she said.

Community Relations and Outreach

February 28, 2022

Fandango Johnson City

Join us for a Fandango right here in Johnson City!  It's a party, which seems at odds with current world affairs, but intercultural understanding and connections seem even more important than ever these days. 

The fandango is a key part of culture in the Atlantic coastal region of Veracruz, Mexico. For people who live in our part of Tennessee, this communal celebration might look familiar. Son Jarocho music involves picking and singing, the zapateado dance tradition shares some elements of clogging and flatfooting. Estanzuela will provide music and dance to enliven a fandango in on Thursday March 10, 2022 at 7pm, at the Colombian Coffee Exchange at 1701 W. Market St. in Johnson City, TN. 

Estanzuela is made up of instrument-maker and musician Julio Corro Lara and his two children Aroma and Mariano Corro. Julio makes the instruments used by the group, including the jarana, guitarra de son, and harp. 

Sponsored by the ETSU Language and Culture Resource Center, this event is part of the larger project “Fandangos across borders: Bridging Cultures with Music, Dance, and Education,” a collaboration with the Festival of Texas Fiddling and the Center for Popular Music at MTSU. This project creates cross-cultural experiences for musicians, dancers, and audiences, creating new spaces for intercultural cooperation and community. 

This event is carried out in cooperation with the ETSU program in Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Roots Music Studies, which will host Estanzuela for class visits during their stay, including a visit to Lee Bidgood’s Global String Band course. Through grant funds provided by the ETSU RDC, Bidgood purchased jarana instruments from Corro. This semester a group of students and community members have been learning to play the son jarocho style, placing it in the context of the larger world of string band music. 
Learn more about Son Jarocho, the Corro family, and Estanzuela here.

Contact Lee Bidgood with any questions: bidgood@etsu.edu.

Community Relations and Outreach

February 25, 2022

WGSS on Wednesdays

Join us next Wednesday, March 2, at NOON for Dr. Jean Swindle's talk, "Dangers of Feminism as Oppressive White Liberalism: Insights from Africana Womanism."

In this presentation, Swindle will outline the characteristics of white liberalism and trace its tenets in mainstream and contemporary feminist thought. She will then examine those interstices from a critique grounded in Africana Womanism that aims to shed light on the dangers of essentialist and monolithic frames of reference when challenging any type of oppression.

The live stream can be viewed here.

Community Relations and Outreach

February 22, 2022

Dr. Lindsey E. Cochran, assistant professor of Anthropology, will be delivering a digital lecture this Friday, February 25 from 12-1. It's part of the Digital Archaeological Archive of Comparative Slavery's Conversations with Collaborating Scholars series.

Dr. Cochran will explore her multidisciplinary approach to building a machine learning algorithm to assess historical maps for features and sites that could be overlooked in the archaeological and historical data. She hopes that this could be a useful technique to determining which archaeological sites to prioritize in the face of impacts from the climate emergency. 

You can register for this lecture here.

Community Relations and Outreach

February 14, 2022

Prideful Poets of ETSU

The Dr. Patricia Robertson Pride Center is proud to anounce a new event meant to amplify the creative voices of queer and ally students at East Tennessee State University. The Pride Center is hoping that this will soon become a monthly occurrence. Currently, the first gathering is planned for Wednesday, March 2, 2022 (03.02.2022) from 5:30pm to 6:30pm in the Pride Center (Culp Room 218).

The Pride Center would like to invite any students or faculty interested in sharing their written word creative works with others. They are looking for 3 creative minds for implemented time slots during the event, and volunteers for allotted open forum times. for more information, contact Emerson Pugh.

Community Relations and Outreach

February 11, 2022

All In Career Fair: Spring 2022

March 23, 2022 2-5 pm D.P. Culp Ballroom

The All In: Career Fair Spring 2022 offers students an opportunity to network with a wide range of regional and national employers. All In honors ETSU's commitment to diversity and inclusion and welcomes all students, including those with disabilities, veterans, international students, students of color, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. We invite employer sponsors to donate half their registration fee to ETSU organizations that support diversity, equity, and inclusion: the Mary V. Jordan Multicultural Center, Dr. Patricia Robertson Pride Center, Veterans Affairs, and Disability Services.

Make an appointment in Handshake with University Career Services for resume review, career advisement, Bucky's Career Closet, or interview practice.

Community Relations and Outreach

February 10, 2022

Dr. Dorothy Roberts: Ending the Legacy of Racism in Medicine

At 5 p.m. on Feb. 22 via Zoom, Dr. Dorothy Roberts will speak about health care and Black Americans. Roberts is the author of Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty. Advance registration is required to participate live or access the recording afterward; register online at  https://bit.ly/ETSURoberts. Those who register will receive the Zoom link closer to the date of the event. This event is sponsored by the Quillen College of Medicine, the Office of Equity and Inclusion, and the College of Arts and Sciences.

False biological concepts of race, structural racism, and conscious or unconscious racial bias all contribute to racial inequities in health. The medical profession has long defined disease and treated patients according to race. But race-based medicine can be reaced back to false assumptions about innate biological differences and to excuses for slavery and medical exploitation. Today, race-based medicine diverts attention and resources from the social determinants that cause appalling racial gaps in health. By understanding how racism has helped to structure medical knowledge, practice, and policies, we can end this backward legacy and collectively build a more equitable and healthier society.

Community Relations and Outreach

February 8, 2022

Charlotte Blake Alston to Visit ETSU UPDATE

Please see the corrected times below for this event.

The East Tennessee State University Storytelling Program is proud to present internationally-acclaimed storyteller Charlotte Blake Alston for two evenings of solo performance on Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. and Feb. 10 at 8 p.m. in the Mathes Recital Hall on the ETSU main campus. Each evening will feature a talkback – a time for the audience to engage with Alston. Both events are free and open to the public.

Community Relations and Outreach

February 8, 2022

Black American Studies Lecture Series, Reggie Harris

Black American Studies is proud to present Reggie Harris as part of its 2021-2022 lecture series. Harris will be displaying a combination of story, song, and lecture in his performance titled, "A Family Revealed: Crossing the Barriers of History and Hope." He will be performing on Tuesday, February 8 at 6:00 pm in the Bud Frank Theatre. From Reggie's website, "Reggie Harris writes from a personal sense of mission that merges a world wise point of view with a singularly hopeful stance that life, though often challenging, is filled with possibility and hope. His songs reveal thoughts about life and love and some of the deep aspects of the human experience and cover topics from his own personal journey to world issues and history." 

Community Relations and Outreach

February 7, 2022

A Mile in My Shoes

Empathy is often neatly summed up as ‘putting yourself in someone else’s shoes’. It’s something that all people regardless of age, race, origin, or ethnicity need to be able to do in order to foster unity, appreciation and acceptance within a community.   It allows an opportunity to think about a person’s situation and understand their perspective. 

“A Mile in My Shoes”  is a community event that engulfs the giftings of arts to showcase the sentiments of American icons and history of African Americans who have been instrumental and influential in the history of our nation.  Our goal is to offer a platform of diversity in presentation while challenging the audience to explore with an sensitive eye the life, challenge and great contribution of these historians. This event will be a display of the arts and an opportunity to invite you to step into someone else’s shoes and embark on a mile-long physical, emotional and imaginative journey to see the world through their eyes.

“A Mile in My Shoes” will be held February 28, 2022 at Martin Center for the Arts. 

Community Relations and Outreach

February 4, 2022

Black History Month with Appalachian Studies

For the month of February Appalachian Studies will have two exhibits in the Archives reading room (Sherrod room 422).  One is a selection of ca. 20 photographs from across their collections that highlight a range of African American experiences in Appalachia over time.  The other is a display of books by or about African American Appalachians from their holdings.  They featured both exhibits in this recent Facebook post.

They have provided digital access to the McClatchey Family Photographs (1924 and undated), a collection of 33 photographs related to a specific African American family in Johnson City in the early 20th century. They also featured this collection in a recent Facebook post.  Or the digital collection can be accessed directly here.

Community Relations and Outreach

February 2, 2022

Black History Month

East Tennessee State University will celebrate Black History Month in February with a range of events, school officials announced.

“At ETSU, we are proud to stand for diversity and inclusion,” said Dr. Daryl Carter, a professor of history, associate dean and director of the Black American Studies Program. “The Black American Studies Program is thrilled to support these initiatives, and I encourage students, faculty, staff and members of the community to consider attending what events they can.”   

Here’s a look at some of the events:  

• Starting at noon on Feb. 2 at the Langston Centre, Carter will give a series of talks about the experience of Black Americans since 2001. These talks will happen each Wednesday, starting at noon, through the month of February. The Centre is located at 315 Elm Street in Johnson City.  
• At 7 p.m. on Feb. 2, an interactive workshop on self-care will be held in the Mary V. Jordan Multicultural Center Presentation Room.
• Starting at 4 p.m. on Feb. 3, a film entitled, “I’m Not a Racist, Am I?” will be screened in the D.P. Culp Student Center, East Tennessee Room 272. For more information, contact Stacy Onks at onkss@etsu.edu or call 423-439-6942.
• Starting at 7 p.m. on Feb. 7 in the Mary V. Jordan Multicultural Center Presentation Room, The Black Affairs Association will host a discussion designed to educate and raise awareness of issues surrounding sex in the Black community, including health protection, relationships and intimacy in honor of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.  
• At 10 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 8 in the D.P. Culp Student Center Collaboration Space 216, free HIV/AIDs testing will be held as the Black Affairs Association honors National Black HIV/AIDs Awareness Day.  
• At 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 8, at the Bud Frank Theatre, entertainer Reggie Harris will perform. Harris is a well-known musician and storyteller. The Bud Frank Theatre is located inside Gilbreath Hall on Stout Drive.  
• At 7 p.m. on Feb. 9 in the D.P. Student Culp Center East Tennessee Room 272, the Black Affairs Association will host an event titled “Shades of Black Discussion.” This event will feature a discussion between black and brown students from different regions of the world about their perceptions of colorism, being black at a PWI (predominantly white institution), and bridging the divide between African and African American students.  
• Starting at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 13 in the Cave at the D.P. Culp Student Center, the Black Affairs Association will host an event entitled, “Jerseys On: The Final Game Watch Party.”  
• At 7 p.m. on Feb. 10 via Zoom, Carter and Dr. Megan Tewell will speak about Black history. Register for the Zoom meeting here: bit.ly/3r06se3.  
• At 6 p.m. on Feb. 18 at the Slocumb Galleries, Carter will participate in “Conversations on the Green Book” and the “Lost Communities of Johnson City.” The Slocumb Galleries is located on the campus of ETSU at 232 Sherrod Drive.
  Starting at 7 p.m. on Feb. 18, the Black Affairs Association, as a part of “Unapologetically Black,” will host “Karaoke Night,” in the Cave 142 room located in the D.P. Culp Student Center.  
• At 11 a.m. on Feb. 21 in the Cave 142 room located in the D.P. Culp Student Center, the Black Affairs Association will host the “Sankofa African American Museum on Wheels,” an exhibit that boasts a unique collection of inventions, rare artifacts, African art, sculptures, paintings and historical articles from black newspapers.  
• At 6 p.m. on Feb. 22 via Zoom, Dorothy Roberts will speak about health care and Black Americans. Roberts is the author of “Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty.” Email waldenrr@etsu.edu for a Zoom link.  
• At 6 p.m. on Feb. 23, Dr. Enkeshi El-Amin will speak about Black Appalachians. For additional information, contact Carter at carterda@etsu.edu.  
• At 7 p.m. on Feb. 23 at the D.P. Culp Student Center, Martha Street Auditorium 101, the Black Affairs Association presents “Step Afrika!,” a performance that blends percussive dance styles practiced by historically African American fraternities and sororities, traditional African dances, an array of contemporary dance and art forms into a cohesive, compelling artistic experience.  
  Starting at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 23 at the Martin Center Recital Hall, the Black American Studies program and members of the ETSU Music Department will present “Celebrating Black American Composers.”
• At 9 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 26, the Black Affairs Association will be hosting an event entitled, “Semi-formal: The All Black Affair,” in Ballroom 316 in the D.P. Culp Student Center.  

For more information regarding the Black Affairs Association and their month-long celebration “Unapologetically Black,” contact Brook’ale Anderson at etsumc@etsu.edu or call 423-439-4844. For additional information, contact Lydia Carr at carrlm@etsu.edu or 423-439-4339. For disability accommodations, call the ETSU Office of Disability Services at  423-439-8346. 

Community Relations and Outreach

January 31, 2022

SHIP Internship Fair

The Southern Hospitality Internship Program and ETSU Career services  is sponsoring an internship fair and hiring event on Tuesday, February 22 from 10-2 in the East Tennessee Room. Internships are for all majors during the summer and fall in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Sevierville. Some companies represented are Dollywood, Rocky Top Wine Trail, Westgate Resorts, and Ripley's Aquarium. For more information, please contact ETSU Career Services at 423-439-4450.

Community Relations and Outreach

January 27, 2022

Charlotte Blake Alston to Visit ETSU

The East Tennessee State University Storytelling Program is proud to present internationally-acclaimed storyteller Charlotte Blake Alston for two evenings of solo performance on Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. and Feb. 10 at 8 p.m. in the Mathes Recital Hall on the ETSU main campus. Each evening will feature a talkback – a time for the audience to engage with Alston. Both events are free and open to the public.

“Six-Triple-Eight” is the story of the African American 6888th Battalion of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps in World War II – the first female battalion deployed overseas. In 1943, the United States established the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps. By the end of the war over 140,000 women had enlisted, including thousands of Americans of African, Japanese, Latino and Native ancestry. The stories of their contributions largely go unacknowledged and untold, organizers noted.

One such story is of the challenges endured, obstacles overcome and major successes achieved by the women of the African American 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. Commanded by major Charity Adams, scholar and educator in civilian life, the women of the “Six Triple-Eight” defied racial stereotypes and low expectations to establish a system of communication critical to the morale of soldiers on the battlefield, organizers said.

“EHSOTI Standing on Tradition” is a weaving of traditional African and African American stories with Alston’s own experiences growing up in the segregated 1950s. Long before the written word of history, organizers said, traditions and cultural values of African people were passed down orally. When Africans were brought to the Americas, the storytelling tradition continued, organizers said, and these traditional tales and songs are the foundation on which many of today’s African American storytellers stand.

Alston grew up in the segregated 1950s in a family, neighborhood and church community that valued, maintained and celebrated their unique traditions and legacies. While her community was maligned from the outside, she was “spoon-fed its cultural riches from the inside. This backdrop, enhanced by a special relationship between father and daughter, became the soil that produced the storyteller she eventually became,” organizers said.

Alston is an acclaimed storyteller, narrator and librettist. She has performed in venues throughout the U.S. and abroad including the Smithsonian Institute and the John F. Kennedy Center. She has been featured at  storytelling festivals including the National Storytelling Festival, the Timpanogos Festival and festivals in Europe and Africa. She is often a featured narrator for symphony orchestras around the country and in 2020 she was named The Official Storyteller, Narrator and Host of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Learn more about her at charlotteblakealston.com/.

For more information, contact Nancy Donoval, ETSU Storytelling program coordinator, at donoval@etsu.edu or 612-889-4043. This residency is made possible by funds provided by the Mary B. Martin School of the Arts and the Department of Communication & Performance.

Community Relations and Outreach

January 24, 2022

Become a BucMate!

Any undergraduate or graduate ETSU students who are motivated and interested in accessibility, inclusion, and disability justice are encouraged to apply, regardless of course of study. Students can build skills, enhance their resumes, and earn digital badges in Equity and Inclusion in Higher Education. 
 
A variety of positions are available and scheduling and time commitments are flexible. We are also absolutely open to working with ETSU departments to coordinate internships, service-learning hours, or other program experience requirements.  
 
Access ETSU 
Access ETSU is a two-year inclusive postsecondary education program at East Tennessee State University that provides young adults with intellectual disabilities a college experience similar to their same age peers.  Access ETSU students participate in all typical campus academic and student life activities. They also engage in high quality and fully inclusive work-based learning experiences aligned with their career interests, strengths, and needs. 
  
Please click here for more general information on the Access ETSU program. 
  
BucMates 
Peer Mentors (BucMates) are the primary direct support for Access ETSU students and the backbone of our inclusive and innovative postsecondary program. Peer mentors (BucMates) are other ETSU students who are paired with Access ETSU students in mutually empowering and positive peer relationships. BucMates support Access ETSU students in navigating university life and the campus community in academic, vocational, and social contexts. 
  
Please click here to fill out a BucMate peer mentor application.  

Community Relations and Outreach

January 20, 2022

LCRC Grants Now Available

The Language and Culture Resource Center (LCRC) at ETSU invites our faculty, staff, and students to apply for our language and culture incentive grants. The LCRC is a resource center after all, and we want to support your initiatives that foster equity and inclusion through the lenses of language and culture. We have two types of opportunities, travel grants and research/ event grants. A total of three $500 travel grants and three $500 research/event grants will be awarded. The committee that will read and judge your grant applications this Spring consists of Dr. Phyllis Thompson, Dr. Chassidy Cooper, Dr. Daryl Carter, Karlota Contreras-Koterbay, Laura Kappel, and Dr. Felipe Fiuza. Any events or conferences happening either in the Spring or the Summer are eligible. To submit your application for the travel grants, please send your abstract and the letter of acceptance from the conference by email to lcrc@etsu.edu cc'ing kappel@etsu.edu then fill this form. To submit an application for the research/event grant please fill this form, and send any supporting materials that you think might be relevant by email to lcrc@etsu.edu cc'ing kappel@etsu.edu.

Community Relations and Outreach

January 19, 2022

I'm Not Racist... Am I?

Join the Office of Equity and Inclusion and the Annual Equity and Inclusion Conference Planning Steering Committee for a presentation of I'm Not Racist... Am I? 

I'm Not Racist... Am I? is a feature documentary following a diverse group of teens through a year-long exploration to get at the heart of racism. Through some tense and painful moments, we see how these difficult conversations affect their relationships with friends and
parents, and ultimately challenge them to look deep within themselves. By the end of their time together, we’ll see these remarkable young people develop deeper bonds, a stronger resolve and a bigger, more significant definition of racism than any of us ever imagined.

Date: February 3, 2022
Time: 4:00-7:00pm
Location: DP Culp Student Center, East Tennessee Room
Light refreshments to be served
Or
*Via zoom (link will be sent to registered attendees only) 

Viewing will be followed by a discussion/Q&A of the documentary film facilitated by Point Made Learning and two students from the film. ETSU faculty/staff, who have completed training by Point Made Learning will assist with the facilitation. Registration is open to all ETSU students, faculty, staff, and members of the community. You can register for the event here.If you have any questions, please contact Kim Maturo at maturo@etsu.eduor at 423-439-4445.

Community Relations and Outreach

January 14, 2022

The Yellow Book

The East Tennessee State University Department of Art & Design and Slocumb Galleries in partnership with ETSU Student Activities Allocation Committee, Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies and Black American Studies Program, present “The Yellow Book” by Johanna Warwick, a collection of photographic works available at Slocumb Galleries through Feb. 18. Warwick will give a talk at 10 a.m. on Monday, January 24, on Zoom (ID: 710 908 4999).

“The Yellow Book” presents two series of photographic works, “Interstate Legacy” and the “Old South Baton Rouge.” Warwick used this book, a yellow-covered publication that lists the locations of interstate highways in the 1950s, as a framework to photograph cities, revealing the consequences and outcomes of interstate construction, the university said.

What makes the two series different from just a documentary of highways, the university said, is Warwick sees through the lens of how the “overwhelming number of the proposed placement of the new highway system cut through thriving black communities.” As the project was created in the 1950s, Warwick said that “it directly reflects the systemic racism in city planning,” as she photographs the “physicality of the highway overshadowing communities.”

“The Yellow Book” exhibition aims to “make records that weave connections between past decisions and current consequences, as these photographs are an acute look at the past as Congress writes the infrastructure bill to guide state government today,” program leaders said. Warwick’s work investigates a survey of all 104 affected cities nationwide, 66 years after it was initiated. She hopes to “define the next generation of infrastructure construction concurrently as our country reckons with systemic racism,” according to the university.

Warwick graduated from Massachusetts College of Art and Design with an MFA in photography in 2010, and from Ryerson University with a BFA in photography in 2006. She is a British-born, Canadian-raised photographer working and living in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she is an associate professor of Art and Photography at Louisiana State University. She has exhibited in New York, Toronto and other major cities

across North America. She has also been featured in The Washington Post. She had a major exhibition of “The Yellow Book: Old South Baton Rouge” at the Capitol Park Museum in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

All events are free and open to the public and will be live simulcasted via ETSU Slocumb Galleries’ Facebookand on Zoom (ID: 710 908 4999). The Slocumb Galleries is located on the campus of ETSU at 232 Sherrod Drive. It is open weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, please email contrera@etsu.edu or visit https://www.etsu.edu/cas/art/galleries.

Community Relations and Outreach

January 11, 2022

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration

ETSU will be honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Friday, January 14, 2022 at 11:30 am at the Alumni Bell Tower. This event is sponsored by the Mary V. Jordan Multicultural Center. For more information, email etsumc@etsu.edu or call 423-439-4844.

Community Relations and Outreach

January 11, 2022

Hunter Museum Undergraduate Student Synopsium

Beyond the Frame will be on view January 28 through May 1. Exploring the curatorial process and 70 years of collecting at the Hunter, the exhibit features highlights of the museum collection as well as new acquisitions and will offer students insight into the formation of a collection as well as the focus on social justice taken by many artists including and major works by Nick Cave, Bisa Butler, Hank Willis Thomas, Dawoud Bey, Gajin Fujita and Deborah Luster. 

This exhibit has also inspired this year’s undergraduate student symposium theme - “The Politics of Choice.” The symposium will be held virtually on April 9 and welcomes papers that investigate the relationship between political discourse and creative choice. How has political discourse limited, restricted, and structured artistic choice, both in the past and today? How have artists’ selection of different materials, contents, and display contexts engaged or challenged political agendas? When is artistic choice a political act in its own right?  

Proposals are due on February 15 and details can be found here. We hope you will share this with your students and encourage them to submit. 

Community Relations and Outreach

January 10, 2022

Syllabus Challenge Workshop - January 12, 2022

Please consider joining us for a CIE-sponsored university-wide workshop for helpful tips to make course syllabi equitable and inclusive as you work on yours this time of year. Dr. Case will be leading the workshop for the entire ETSU community. She gives these workshops all over the country and provides lots of great resources via her website, podcast, books, etc. 
 
The workshop for our campus community is this Wednesday from 2:30-4:30pm via Zoom. 
 
This might be a challenging time to add a workshop to your schedule, so if you can't attend in-person you will be able to view a recording. The recording will be password protected and so please reach out to Kim Maturo in the office of equity and inclusion for access after the event.

Community Relations and Outreach

January 10, 2022

Wednesday, February 2, 2022 
Free Media Skills Workshop: Casting: Insight from an Insider with Karen Noble via Zoom

Noble will talk about her managing casting with the Walt Disney Company and ABC Television Group. She'll give tips to actors trying to land roles and agents and advice for casting films and working with talent. Along with demystifying the inner workings of the casting world, she'll offer advice about ways to consider equity and inclusion when looking for actors. This workshop is co-presented by ETSU’s Media & Communication Department, the Tennessee Entertainment Commission, the Northeast Tennessee Entertainment Alliance, the ETSU College of Arts & Sciences Office of Equity & Inclusion, and Indie Media Arts South (IMAS).

Karen Noble is an entertainment industry veteran with 17 years experience from television to live, themed entertainment. With expertise in talent development, diversity, equity, and inclusion, she is a seasoned producer of diversity talent initiatives. 

Community Relations and Outreach

December 7, 2021

The CAS Office of Equity and Inclusion would like to wish everyone a happy end to the semester and a peaceful holiday season!

Community Relations and Outreach

December 7, 2021

The Knoxville Gay Men's Chorus

The Knoxville Gay Men’s Chorus will present, “Slay, Belles!” a comedic, drag-filled, song and dance spectacular that is sure to put you in the holiday spirit! The concert features familiar Christmas favorites as well as new pieces that will put a smile on your face. Shows are at 3:00 and 7:30 on Saturday, December 11 at the Bijou Theatre in Knoxville and at 4:00 on Sunday, December 12 at the ETSU Martin Center for the Arts. The KGMC was formed in 2012 and celebrates it’s tenth anniversary season this year. Members come from throughout eastern Tennessee and southwestern Virginia, with two rehearsal groups (in Knoxville and Johnson City). The KGMC is directed by Dr. Alan Stevens, also Co-Director of Choral Activities at ETSU.

Note that the show is not recommended for young children due to some suggestive comedy and language.

Community Relations and Outreach

November 22, 2021

The CAS Office of Equity of Inclusion wishes everyone a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving!

Community Relations and Outreach

November 10, 2021

Dr. Kilaru (Biological Sciences) and Professor Mayoraz (Art & Design) will be honored for their tremendous contributions to their respective fields. Please join us as we honor the recipients for theri esteemed contributions to their fields through teaching, research, and service. The event will be via Zoom on Wednesday, November 17 from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. For more information, contact Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. 

Community Relations and Outreach

November 9, 2021

US United Live: Unity in Action

November 18 | 7:00 p.m. | D.P. Culp Center Auditorium  

Ken Nwadike, Jr. (the Free Hugs Project) and Sheriff Chris Swanson (Flint / Genesee County, MI) bring their authentic, fun and at times intense conversations on unity and social justice from the Black and Blue Podcast to live audiences in their presentation entitled, US United Live: Unity in Action. Over the past 10 years, Ken and Chris have literally risked their lives to create UNITY and peace. They will share their stories and engage students in the civil discourse necessary for us all to move forward. This presentation is brought to you by the Erma P. Kaldegg Endowment through the Mary V. Jordan Multicultural Center and Department of Public Safety.

Community Relations and Outreach

November 9, 2021

Workshop: The State of Anti-Black Racism in U.S. SEM

December 6 and 7, 2021

Join the Roundtable on Black Men and Black Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine for a virtual public workshop to explore facets of anti-Black racism in U.S. science, engineering, and medicine. Register here.
 

This workshop will serve as a capstone for the Roundtable to review its work on this important issue. Join us to:

UNDERSTAND how racism continues to be a barrier to increasing the number of African-Americans in SEM. 

DISCUSS how systemic, anti-Black racism affects the educational pathways and mentoring and advising relationships of Black students in SEM.

FOCUS on how anti-Black racism contributes to the financial barriers and psychological factors that impact Black Students in SEM.

EXAMINE the role of anti-Black racism in the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Black Communities.

This is an initiative of the Roundtable on Black Men and Black Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine.

More information available at the Event Page.

Community Relations and Outreach

November 4, 2021

Michael Ray Charles will be on campus Friday, November 5 to participate in FL3TCH3R events. He wanted to invite students, faculty, staff, and the community to the Reece this Friday, between 10 am – 1 pm, for an informal discussion and presentation.

Charles is a world-class artist whose work explores historic African American stereotypes from the Antebellum South. You can read more and see images of his work here.

Community Relations and Outreach

November 3, 2021

Multiple programs at East Tennessee State University have partnered to present Hip-Hop History: A Cultural Celebration, a series of events aimed at recognizing the important contributions hip-hop has made to art and culture.

The Black American Studies Program, the Reece Museum, and the Mary V. Jordan Multicultural Center, with support from the College of Arts and Sciences’ Office of Equity and Inclusion, are working on this initiative.  

 “This partnership and collaborative exercise highlight the importance of Black Americans and their contributions to America, especially in Appalachia,” said Dr. Daryl A. Carter, professor, associate dean and director of Black American Studies.  

Over the summer, the United States Senate passed a resolution that designated November as “Hip-Hop History Month,” elevating hip-hop’s status to other uniquely American genres such as jazz, blues, gospel and rock ‘n’ roll. “Hip-hop artists and supporters, originally of African heritage, now transcend many different ages, ethnicities, religions, locations, political affiliations and socioeconomic statuses,” reads the resolution, “which demonstrates the melting-pot quality of hip-hop art and culture.” 

Rebecca Proffitt, interim director of the Reece Museum, said the collaboration “represents an opportunity to think about the ways that art forms create connective spaces between communities.” 

She added: “I think it’s important to recognize that many art forms that we think of as being traditionally Appalachian are rooted in African and Indigenous cultural expressions, representing a long history of the sharing of ideas and knowledge between culture groups.”  

To start the celebration, the Mary V. Jordan Multicultural Center plans to host singer and songwriter Jonathan Blanchard at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 3, in room 101 of the D.P. Culp Student Center.  

The Reece Museum, located at 363 Stout Drive, will host more events later in the month: 

• At 1 p.m. on Nov. 16, Carter will present a lecture titled “The Business of Hip-Hop.”  
• At 3 p.m. on Nov. 16, there will be a panel discussion featuring ETSU History Professor Dr. Elwood Watson and Director of Black in Appalachia Will Isom.  
• At 1 p.m. on Nov. 18, there will be an artist talk by Johnson City artist Jason Flack, who also has an exhibition at the Reece Museum through the end of November.  
• At 3 p.m. on Nov. 18, Artistic Director of the Good Guy Collective and hip-hop artist Jarius Bush will give a presentation and musical performance. The event will end with a jam session between Bush and musicians from the ETSU Department of Appalachian Studies.   

“We are so thrilled about the many engaging events happening at the Reece Museum in November,” said Proffitt. “We welcome both our ETSU family, as well as the public, to attend.”  

Masks will be required at all indoor events. To learn more about hip-hop history events, call 423-439-4392 or visit www.etsu.edu/reece. For disability accommodations, call the ETSU Office of Disability Services at 423-439-8346. 

Community Relations and Outreach

November 3, 2021

On Thursday, November 4 the LCRC will host a meeting with Dr. Meng Wang, Assistant Professor of Asian Studies, Mercyhurst University.

Dr. Wang received her Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from Purdue University, and her M.A. in Chinese Language and Literature from Nankai University. She will talk about women's identity representation in Chinese literature. Her teaching and research interests are Mandarin Language, Classical Chinese Literature, Pre-modern Chinese vernacular fictions, and East Asian films. For the Zoom information, please contact Dr. Felipe Fiuza.

Community Relations and Outreach

October 22, 2021

Internship Opportunity

The Washington County Library is receiving a TN state grant to fund an intern to work on a  number of genealogy projects at my Jonesborough library. The grant will run from now through May 31, 2022.   

An intern could work at their own schedule (when the library is open) and would be an independent contractor. Pay would be $10.00 per hour up to 125 hours.

Basic duties would include working with the library historical collection on Flickr and helping to develop a local research guide.   Assistance on other projects may be requested. If you are interested in this position, please contact Mr. Richard M. Griffin, Jr.

Community Relations and Outreach

October 18, 2021

Charles Spurgeon Johnson & Lee Street Babtist Church Historical Marker Dedication

The community is invited to attend a historical marker dedication for Charles Spurgeon Johnson & Lee Street Babtist Church (Rev. Charles Henry Johnson) on the east side of Cumberland Square Park on Lee Street. The dedication will take place in Cumberland Square Park in Bristol, VA on Saturday, October 30, 2021 at 2:00 PM.

Community Relations and Outreach

October 15, 2021

100 Men Walk for Health Fair

Carver recreation in partnership with the City of Johnson City invites everyone to come to the 100 Men Walk for Health fair on Saturday, October 23, 2021. Door prizes for the first 100 men to register include T-shirts and pedometers.

9:00-10:00 am: Registration
10:00-11:00 am: Walk around Carver Walking Track
11:00 am: Lunch Provided by Community
12:00 pm: Health Fair Information, Speakers, and Consultations

Community Relations and Outreach

October 12, 2021

Out of the Darkness Walk

East Tennessee State University will host the Out of the Darkness/ETSU Community Walk on Sunday, Oct. 17.  Registration begins at 2 p.m. and the walk will take place 2:30-5 p.m.

The event will be held at the ETSU Intramural Field, 1244 Jack Vest Drive.

An initiative of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the Out of the Darkness Walk raises awareness of the ways in which suicide and mental illnesses have affected the lives of others.

“We all have friends and loved ones who have struggled with mental illness,” said Christy Oaks, a lecturer in the ETSU Clemmer College.  “The past year has been especially difficult as the effects of the pandemic have intensified feelings of isolation and fear.  Being part of the walk is a way to let others know that they are not alone and that they are surrounded by a supporting community.”

Funds raised through the walk will be used to support the research, education, advocacy and support efforts of AFSP.

Registration is free and open to the public, and donations to AFSP are accepted. For more information about registration or the event, email ootdwalk4tricities@gmail.com or call 423-524-7747.  Sponsors of the event include Frontier Health, ETSU Health, Downtown Yoga and Creekside Behavioral Health.

Community Relations and Outreach

October 11, 2021

Dr. William H. Turner Lecture and Book Signing

Dr. Turner will discuss his new book, The Harlan Renaissance, an intimate remembrance of kinship and community from the treasured son of one of the most successful and diverse coal camps in Appalachia's history.

Dr. Turner is the preeminent chronicler of the Black experience in Appalachia. His many honors include: Kentucky’s 2006 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Person of the Year, membership in Kentucky’s Civil Rights Hall of Fame, and the Appalachian Studies Association Lifetime Service Award.

Book signing to follow, with copies available for purchase.

The event will take place on Thursday, October 21 at 7 p.m. in the Cave.

Community Relations and Outreach

October 6, 2021

Al Norte al Sur: Latino Life in the South

Al Norte al Sur: Latino Life in the South is the result of José Galvez's intense documentation of Latinos living in the Southern United States and contains dozens of images of work, play, protest, and celebration. Galvez, a Tucson, Arizona native and a Pulitzer Prize winning artist and documentarian, has been capturing Latino life in the United States for more than forty years. This presentation is streaming live in the Reece Museum and via Zoom on Thursday, October 7 at 5 pm. The exhibit is on display through November 26. For more information, contact the Reece Museum.

Community Relations and Outreach

September 22, 2021

Anthropos is hosting its first meeting of the year. Students are encouraged to come meet their professors, each other, and have discussions. Meeting will be held on Thursday, September 23 at 4:30 pm in Rogers-Stout 224.

Community Relations and Outreach

September 22, 2021

Next week, Monday the 27th, will be the start of the Dr. Patricia Robertson Pride Center's fall Facet Series in which we will be hosting various guest panelists to discuss intersections of the LGBT+2S community. Their first discussion will be on race and sexuality. They have two prominent guest speakers, Khia Hudgins-Smith, Bernard Flythe, and potentially Brook'ale Anderson. The event will take place in the Carrier Center of the Culp, room 219 from 3pm-5pm.

October 4th will be the Queer History Month Kick-Off from 1-4:30pm in the Culp Cave. This will be a short festival which students have put a lot of effort into programming. They are excited to sponsor the Storytelling Department who will be sharing brief LGBT+2S stories as people walk through. They have several different partnered events throughout the month of October. 

Other scheduled events for the year include the following:
October 25th- Facet Discussion, The Intersection of LGBT+2S Sexuality and Disability
November 15th- Facet Discussion, Transgender & NonBinary Identities
November 22nd- Queer Thanksgiving
December 9th- Lavender Graduation

Community Relations and Outreach

September 14, 2021

Celebrating 50 Years of Giving Power to Young Adult Voices

This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the ratification of the 26th Amendment—the amendment that guaranteed 18-year-olds the right to vote in all US elections and outlawed age discrimination among eligible voters. Throughout this landmark anniversary we celebrate the youth vote, while recognizing that barriers facing young people, and particularly college students, have prevented us from fulfilling the full promise of the 26th Amendment. And expanding the youth vote is about more than just age. Today’s youngest generations are the most diverse in our country’s history, and achieving the full promise of the 26th Amendment goes hand-in-hand with striving for racial justice – and against voter suppression. This year’s anniversary highlights the importance of youth voting rights activism, and its role in creating a more diverse and equitable democracy.

Join us Thursday, September 23 via Zoom for a conversation with a panel of students, faculty, staff on the ongoing project of fulfilling the promise of the Twenty-Sixth Amendment today. Dr. Carter will be attending the panel event and encourages everyone to attend, as well.

Community Relations and Outreach

September 9, 2021

Southern Circuit 2021-2022

2021

Stateless – September 12-15

The Event: https://watch.eventive.org/southerncircuit/play/611c0c941e155c004c3e2f3a

Watch the Trailer: https://vimeo.com/412322234

In 1937, tens of thousands of Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent were exterminated by the Dominican army, based on anti-black hatred fomented by the Dominican government. In this dangerous climate, a young attorney named Rosa Iris mounts a grassroots campaign, challenging electoral corruption and advocating for social justice. Director Michèle Stephenson’s new documentary Stateless traces the complex tributaries of history and present-day politics, as state-sanctioned racism seeps into mundane offices, living room meetings, and street protests.

At the Ready – September 26-29

The Event: https://watch.eventive.org/southerncircuit/play/611c0f37364e6f0054dd35ec

The Film’s Website: https://atthereadyfilm.com/

Home to one of the region's largest law enforcement education programs, students at Horizon High School in El Paso train to become police officers and Border Patrol agents as they discover the realities of their dream jobs may be at odds with the truths and people they hold most dear.

Not Going Quietly – October 10-13

The Event: https://watch.eventive.org/southerncircuit/play/611c11693cb3d10053b21db1

Watch the Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89Gt4iHvdtA

When 32-year-old activist and father Ady Barkan is diagnosed with ALS and given four years to live, he finds himself in a deep depression, struggling to connect with his newborn son, whose presence reminds him of the future he will miss. But after a chance confrontation with Senator Jeff Flake goes viral, Ady decides to embark on a cross-country tour of America, using his final breaths to fight for healthcare justice. Ultimately, Ady discovers that collective action and speaking truth to power offers a source of hope for the future that transforms his relationship with his son and his belief in what is possible for his family.

And So I Stayed – October 24-27

The Event: https://watch.eventive.org/southerncircuit/play/611c0e015420df00699a666b

The Film’s Website: https://andsoistayedfilm.com/

And So I Stayed is an award-winning documentary about survivors of abuse fighting for their lives and spending years behind bars. Activist and formerly incarcerated survivor Kim Dadou Brown, who met her wife while incarcerated, is a driving force in the passage of New York’s Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act (DVSJA), a new law meant to prevent survivors from receiving harsh prison sentences for their acts of survival. Nikki Addimando, a mother of two young children, suffered the consequences when a judge didn’t follow the law’s guidelines. Tanisha Davis, a single mother who was ripped away from her son in 2013, is hopeful the new law is her way out of a harsh prison sentence.

Duty Free – November 7-10

The Event: https://watch.eventive.org/southerncircuit/play/611c10569b02680070997e0c

Watch the Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAUhLmWZ1c8

After a 75-year-old immigrant mother gets fired without cause from her lifelong job as a hotel housekeeper, her son takes her on a bucket-list adventure to reclaim her life. As she struggles to find work, he documents a journey that uncovers the economic insecurity shaping not only her future, but that of an entire generation.

2022

Proper Pronouns – February 6 (filmmaker visit February 14)

The Event: https://watch.eventive.org/southerncircuit/play/611c1c48799cf70a481dc1a2

Watch the Trailer: https://vimeo.com/347854141

There are 30 transgender, ordained ministers in the United States; six are in North Carolina. Dawn Flynn, Mykal Shannon, Liam Hooper, and Debra Hopkins are battling narrow-mindedness within the religious community, their families, and NC natives. In order to live their authentic selves, some have thrown their loved ones into personal identity crises. They are bravely preaching from a pulpit despite the danger they face not only as a transgender person living in the South but also as transgender ministers navigating their way through local, state, and national governing bodies who decide what it means to be a human being.

My Name is Pauli Murray – February 20-23

The Event: https://watch.eventive.org/southerncircuit/play/611c1b36140fee034e3cfe86

Watch the Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZOfYTOtfig

Told largely in Pauli’s own words, My Name is Pauli Murray is a candid recounting of that unique and extraordinary journey. Fifteen years before Rosa Parks refused to surrender her bus seat, a full decade before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned separate-but-equal legislation, Pauli Murray was already knee-deep fighting for social justice. A pioneering attorney, activist and dedicated memoirist, Murray shaped landmark litigation—and consciousness— around race and gender equity. As an African American youth raised in the segregated South—who was also wrestling with broader notions of gender identity—Pauli understood, intrinsically, what it was to exist beyond previously accepted categories and cultural norms. Both Pauli’s personal path and tireless advocacy foreshadowed some of the most politically consequential issues of our time.

The Neutral Ground – April 3 (filmmaker visit February 28)

The Event: https://watch.eventive.org/southerncircuit/play/611c1d681e155c004c3e3a5e

Watch the Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoDaHOii5o4

The Neutral Ground documents New Orleans’ fight over monuments and America’s troubled romance with the Lost Cause. In 2015, director CJ Hunt was filming the New Orleans City Council’s vote to remove four confederate monuments. But when that removal is halted by death threats, CJ sets out to understand why a losing army from 1865 still holds so much power in America.

Los Hermanos/The Brothers – March 13-16

The Event: https://watch.eventive.org/southerncircuit/play/611c1a01364e6f0054dd3df2

Watch the Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AWF-XM3_1U

Virtuoso Afro-Cuban-born brothers—violinist Ilmar and pianist Aldo—live on opposite sides of a geopolitical chasm a half-century wide. Tracking their parallel lives in New York and Havana, their poignant reunion, and their momentous first performances together, Los Hermanos/The Brothers offers a nuanced, often startling view of estranged nations through the lens of music and family.

Lily Topples the World – April 24 (filmmaker visit April 18)

The Event: https://watch.eventive.org/southerncircuit/play/611c18b3caaba100a9d93054

Watch the Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6BUbCK1IWU

Lily Topples the World follows 20-year-old sensation Lily Hevesh – the world’s most acclaimed domino toppler and the only girl in her field – as she rises as an artist, role model, and young woman. Filmed for over 3 years across countless cities and featuring appearances by Jimmy Fallon, Katy Perry, Will Smith, YouTuber Casey Neistat, and a steady stream of Gen-Z creators, Lily Topples the World is a coming-of-age story cloaked within a unique portrait of an artist, a story of how passion and artistry can make dreams come true, and an unlikely American tale of a quiet Chinese adoptee who transforms into a global artistic force with over 1 billion YouTube views.

Community Relations and Outreach

September 3, 2021

Toward Justice and Share Humanity
Dr. Ollie Watts Davis, soprano, and Dr. Casey Robards, pianist, will present a recital featuring the works of black composers that explores how their music relates to their heritage.
The recital is presented as part of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Seminar held on the ETSU Campus.
Tickets are $15 General Admission, $10 for Seniors, and FREE for Students. (Available at the door)
The recital will be held in the Powell Recital Hall in the ETSU Martin Center for the Arts.

Community Relations and Outreach

September 2, 2021

The Umoja Festival is happening this year for one day only. Come down to King Commons Park in Downtown Johnson City on Saturday, September 11 starting at 4 pm for artisan crafts, family fun, and live music. For more information, click here.

Community Relations and Outreach

September 2, 2021

If you identify as trans, nonbinary, or gender nonconforming... or if you are questioning your gender identity, consider reaching out and coming to ASPECTS. Every other Thursday from 1-2:30 pm. Email pridecenter@etsu.edu or oaksca@etsu.edu for details.

Community Relations and Outreach

August 25, 2021

AUDITIONS

Auditions for both Men on Boats and Straight White Men will be held:

September 1 at 7:00 pm in the Bach Theatre (Martin Center for the Arts)

Please perform a 60 second contemporary monologue.  If you do not have a monologue prepared, one will be provided for you.

Call backs will be held:

Men on Boats: September 2 at 7:00 pm in the Bach Theatre (Martin Center for the Arts)

Straight White Men: September 2 at 7:00 pm in Studio 205 (Campus Center Building)

About Men on Boats:

Men on Boats*, a comedy by Jaclyn Backhaus, tells the “true(ish)” story of 10 explorers — a one-armed captain and crew of insane yet loyal volunteers — who set out to chart the course of the Colorado River during an 1869 expedition, writes Dramatists Play Service.  The show runs Nov. 18-21. 

*Contains strong language.

NOTE from the PLAYWRIGHT on Men on Boats CASTING:

The characters in MEN ON BOATS were historically cisgender white males. The cast should be made up entirely of people who are not. I'm talking about racially diverse actors who are female­ identifying, trans-identifying, genderfluid, and/or non-gender­ conforming.

About Straight White Men:

In Young Jean Lee’s  Straight White Men*, when Ed and his three adult sons come together to celebrate Christmas, they enjoy cheerful trash-talking, pranks, and takeout Chinese. Then they confront a problem that even being a happy family can’t solve: when identity matters, and privilege is problematic, what is the value of being a straight white man? The show runs February 17-20. 

*Contains strong language.

NOTE from the PLAYWRIGHT on Straight White Men CASTING:

Ideally, Person in Charge 1 and Person in Charge 2 should be played by transgender or non-binary performers (preferably of color).  Because the opening speech should be in the voices of the People in Charge and express their points of view, the performers should be very clear on why they want to participate in the production and be prepared to collaborate on their own text.

Hope to see you at auditions!

Community Relations and Outreach

August 23, 2021

The CAS Office of Equity & Inclusion and the Strong Brain Institute (SBI) have partnered to work on ways to promote a resilient campus community. Here is a document which discusses ways all of us can promote resilience during these difficult times. Please take a look at this brief video (link). Thank you for taking the time to read this and to listen to this short video. Have a great start to the fall semester. If you have any question please do not hesitate to reach out to Dr. Carter, Dr. Diana Morelen, or Dr. Dixon.

Community Relations and Outreach

August 20, 2021

The Ultimate Guide to Campus Resources

With the COVID-19 Delta variant spreading rapidly throughout our region and the nation, we must continue to be diligent in following health and safety precautions.  Below you will find information and links from our Bucs Are Back website that address some of the frequently asked questions that have been raised.

Vaccine Challenge
Policy on Face Coverings
Vaccinations
Testing
COVID-19 Dashboard
Self-Reporting of COVID-19 diagnosis: If you have tested positive or think you may have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19, please call 423-439-7785.  A member of the Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety Sciences and Safety team will fill out an intake form, coordinate contact tracing efforts, and provide guidance on any quarantine requirements.

Important Resources to Know:

Housing and Residence Life: Learn more about ETSU halls and apartments and submit a housing application by visiting the Housing and Residence Life website. You can also contact staff at housing@etsu.edu or 423-439-4446.

ETSU Bookstore: Visit the ETSU Campus Store located on the 1st floor of the D.P. Culp Student Center. Contact cbirdwell@follett.com or 423-439-4436.

Tutoring: The Learning Services offers tutoring sessions for all subjects supported in the center.

Dining Services: Our friends at Sodexo ensure that our students have access to multiple dining options seven days a week. Many of these dining options are open in the D.P. Culp Student Center.

Disability Services: Disability Services staff provide services for eligible students and are available to meet by phone or Zoom. Students or faculty who have questions related to disability accommodations should contact Disability Services at 423-439-8346 or littleme@etsu.eduor singletonlb@etsu.edu.

Academic Advising: Academic advisors across campus are committed to the success of our students. Currently, academic advisors are advising in person, via phone, email and Zoom. Please use the Advisor Contact List (search query) to contact your academic advisor. To find you advisor, visit etsu.edu/advisement, email advisement@etsu.edu or 423-439-8557.

University Health Center provides acute and episodic care and supports wellness to university students and employees. Learn more about services and hours of operation by visiting the center’s website.

Financial Aid and Scholarships: Stop by between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, to drop off documents or ask general financial aid and scholarship questions, or meet with your financial aid counselor. Schedule a FASTPASS Zoom appointment for a time that works for you. An online chatbox, a video series about commonly asked questions, a library of short and informative videos, and other resources can be found on the Financial Aid website.  Learn more at etsu.edu/finaid, email finaid@etsu.edu or 423-439-4300.

Counseling Center: The Counseling Center is open and providing in-person tele-mental health counseling sessions via Zoom. Staff is also available to provide consultation to help you find local resources, and our 24/7/365 telephone mental health helpline, Bucs Press 2, is always available to provide counseling support by phone.  To access BucsPress2, dial 423-439-4841 and just press “2.” Learn more at etsu.edu/students/counseling. To establish as a client, contact the Counseling Center to initiate service at 423-439-3333.

University Career Services: University Career Services offers ongoing career support and planning to students. Learn more by visiting etsu.edu/students/careers/. You may also contact the office at careers@etsu.edu or 423-439-4450.

Mary V. Jordan Multicultural Center is a gathering place for students and offers workshops, programming, and leadership opportunities. For more information, call 423-439-4844 or email etsumc@etsu.edu.

CPA - Basler Center for Physical Activity (Campus Recreation): The CPA is open. All students and members are required to wear face coverings while in the facility but may remove them while working out or exercising. Visit etsu.edu/students/campusrec or contact campusrec@etsu.edu or 423-439-7980.

Patricia Robertson Pride Center provides programming, campus resources, and educational training for ETSU students, faculty, staff and the community. Learn more by emailing pridecenter@etsu.edu or calling 423-439-8408.

D.P. Culp Student Center: The D.P. Culp Student Center is your campus living room where you can gather with friends, enjoy a meal, shop at the bookstore, attend events, visit one of the centers or offices, or participate in a meeting. Learn more at here or call 423-439-4286.
BucShot, Campus Shuttle: This free campus shuttle service is available for ETSU students, faculty and staff and is powered by Johnson City Transit. More information and a route map are available at etsu.edu/facilities/parking/bucshot.php.

Bucky's Food Pantry: Bucky's Food Pantry is available to assist students. Call 423-439-2825 to arrange for a box of food.

Dean of Students: Learn about services available to help support you during your journey at ETSU.

New Student & Family Programs: ETSU has an office responsible for both assisting new students and parents/family members with the transition to ETSU and a formal family group - the Buccaneer Family Association.

Student Activities and Organizations (SAO): Historically, students have reported that making the choice to get involved with campus organizations was one of the best decisions they ever made at ETSU. Learn more about the many organizations available to students. For more information, email sao@etsu.edu or call 423-439-6633

Fraternity and Sorority Life: Hoping to join a fraternity or sorority? New member recruitment is going on now! Check out the College Panhellenic Instagram page for more information @etsupanhellenic. Interfraternity Council requires interested students to register on their website. National Pan-Hellenic Council chapters host “interest” or “informational” meetings for students. Follow our chapters on social media to receive updates! Chapters can be found by going to @etsu_nphc on Instagram. General questions may be directed to Maggie Darden, Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life at dardenm@etsu.edu or 423-439-6837.  More information is on the Fraternity and Sorority Life website.

ID Services: Visit the ID Services website to upload your own photo and for information on the various ways you can use your ETSU ID including using ID BUC$ at many off-campus merchants. Learn more at etsu.edu/students/idservices/default.php or IDBUCS@etsu.edu or 423-439-8316.

ITS Help Desk: Need tech assistance? The ITS Help Desk is the place to go for IT support, training, or info. 

Sherrod Library:
Sherrod Library building and service hours: https://libraries.etsu.edu/about/hours. Most all Sherrod Library services and collections are available online: https://libraries.etsu.edu/

Study rooms and spaces for individuals and groups on every floor: https://libraries.etsu.edu/use/study

100+ computers and printing on floors 1-3: https://libraries.etsu.edu/use/computers
Research help is available via:
Email: refdesk@etsu.edu
Chat with Us: https://libraries.etsu.edu
Schedule your personal Research Help appointment: https://libanswers.etsu.edu
For more help contact refdesk@etsu.edu or call 423-439-4307 or 1-866-542-3878 (1-866-LIB-ETSU)

Community Relations and Outreach

August 12, 2021

The Department of Theatre and Dance at East Tennessee State University will present its 2021-2022 season in the Martin Center for the Arts beginning in November.

The season opens with “Men on Boats,” a comedy by Jaclyn Backhaus.  Featuring an all-female cast, “Men on Boats” tells the “true(ish)” story of 10 explorers – a one-armed captain and crew of insane yet loyal volunteers – who set out to chart the course of the Colorado River during an 1869 expedition, writes Dramatists Play Service.  The show contains strong language.

The show runs November 18-21 and will be directed by ETSU faculty member Cara Harker.  The creative team includes Melissa Shafer (lighting and sound design), Jonathon Taylor (scenic design), Ante Ursic (movement/choreography), Sarah Slagle (costume design), Zach Olsen (technical design), Caroline Daniels (assistant lighting designer) and Emma-Rae Carson (stage management).

“Straight White Men” will be performed February 17-20.  The show is written by Young Jean Lee, who was the first Asian American to have a play produced on Broadway.  “Straight White Men” ran on Broadway in 2018 and features three brothers – Drew, Jake, and Matt – who have gathered at their Midwestern home on Christmas Eve with their widowed father, Ed.

Melissa Shafer will direct “Straight White Men” with Ante Ursic (movement/choreography), Zach Olsen (technical design), Jonathon Taylor (scenic design), Caroline Daniels (assistant lighting design), Beth Skinner (costume design) and Ian Shockley (lighting design).  “Straight White Men” contains adult themes and strong language.

“Bright Star,” a musical written and composed by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, will take the stage April 1-10.  Set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina during the mid-1940s, “Bright Star” tells the story of literary editor Alice Murphy who meets a young soldier upon his return home following World War II.  The show is produced through special arrangement with, and all authorized performance materials are supplied by, Theatrical Rights Worldwide.

The musical will be directed by Bobby Funk, with music direction by Brad Fugate.  The “Bright Star” design team includes Cara Harker (movement/choreography), Jonathon Taylor (scenic design), Beth Skinner (costume design), Melissa Shafer (lighting design), Zach Olsen (technical design), Emma-Rae Carson (stage management), Kallie Jenkins (assistant scenic design), Lucy McGee (assistant costume design) and Ian Shockley (assistant lighting design).

Tickets will go on sale later in the fall.  For more information about the 2021-2022 season, visit www.etsu.edu/theatre.

Community Relations and Outreach

August 11, 2021

The First Tennessee Development District is sponsoring several internships in the area, including one at the Langston Centre. You can check out all the opportunities here.

Community Relations and Outreach

JULY 27, 2021

Black Men in White Coats

Fewer black men applied to medical school in 2014 than 1978 nationally and in Tennessee. The number is still down. The East Tennessee State University, Quillen College of Medicine, Color My World Healthy Library and Carver Recreation, Johnson City will be hosting the documentary “Black Men in White Coats” this Thursday, July 29, 6:00 at Carver Recreation. Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, students, school and community leaders, such as yourselves, have and are being invited to attend this event. Dr. Scott Malone, Quillen ’92, along with members of the Quillen Student National Medical Association will be speaking.

Community Relations and Outreach

JULY 20, 2021

The Young Appalachian Story Summit (YASS) 

The Young Appalachian Story Summit is a storied leadership summit for young adult Appalachians ages 18-25 who live and work in the Appalachian region, and who care about issues affecting this region and how we can use story as a leadership tool to help brighten Appalachia’s future. We are especially focused on amplifying voices from historically marginalized backgrounds, and challenging the monoculture myth of Appalachia. We’re also challenging the “poor hillbilly” stereotype by highlighting the creative/professional/grass-roots/etc. kinds of projects in which young Appalachians are engaged.

The theme for the 2021 YASS is “Crossroads” and will focus on the intersections of who we are and how we engage with the wider community. It will be held Sunday, September 12 from 9:00am-4:30pm at our Center in Jonesborough, Tennessee, and will feature several regional experts in their fields covering everything from civic engagement to social media to racial justice. The day-long intensive will feature workshops, networking, a panel discussion, and story circles all aimed at empowering young adults to share their voices in their wider communities. The fee is only $30, and we have scholarships and travel stipends available (as well as housing options for those travelling greater than 100 miles.) Click here for more information.

Community Relations and Outreach

JULY 19, 2021

The FL3TCH3R Exhibit Call for Entries

The 2021 9th Annual FL3TCH3R EXHIBIT is an international juried exhibit focused on socially and politically engaged art. Socially and politically engaged art has been integral in creative expression since the beginning of visual arts. This exhibition explores the current trends and trajectory in this field and these collective creative works hopefully serve as an avenue or agent for societal transformation and exposure of social and political points of view. The goal is to recognize and advance this endeavor by providing a venue for the exhibition of socially and politically engaged art. Furthermore, the exhibit’s proceeds after expenses will fund the Fletcher H. Dyer Memorial Scholarship for an art and design student. You can find out more about the FL3TCH3R Exhibit, here and download a prospectus, here.

Community Relations and Outreach

JULY 7, 2021

You might enjoy hiking, kayaking, or a relaxing weekend in the mountains. But, because of your racial/ethnic identification and longtime stories about regional history, you may decide not to participate.

INCOMPASS is a recent initiative promoting inclusion in the outdoors. On Wednesday, 7/21/21 at 7 pm, INCOMPASS will host a Listening Session at the Langston Centre. They want to know your thoughts to the following questions:

• ·   Do you as a minority feel uncomfortable in the outdoors?
• ·   Have you ever experienced discrimination while enjoying an outdoor outing?
• ·   Do you think you would plan more outdoor activities if you knew the environment was inclusive?
• ·   What ideas do you have to encourage more minorities to engage in outdoor activities?

Community Relations and Outreach

JULY 1, 2021

Michael Young Scholarship

Students should consider applying for the Michael Young Scholarship, a new scholarship at East Tennessee State University that will support students who are active participants at the Langston Centre in Johnson City.

The center is a multicultural facility focused on arts, education and community leadership.  The scholarship is named in memory of Michael Young, a member of the Langston High School Class of 1965 who was the last student to graduate from the school.  From 1893-1965, Langston was Johnson City’s school for African American students.  Young passed away April 4, 2020.

This new scholarship is being established between the Langston Education and Arts Development (LEAD) organization and ETSU.  Adam Dickson, supervisor of the Langston Centre, says Young chaired LEAD’s board and was instrumental in advocating for his alma mater and ushering the community-driven effort to create the Langston Centre.

Young served in the U.S. Air Force from 1965-69 and earned a bachelor’s degree in history from ETSU.  He retired from CSX Railroad in 2014.

“The Michael Young Scholarship recognizes a really good man who loved his high school,” Dickson said. “This initiative furthers Langston’s motto to ‘Enter to Learn, Depart to Serve’ and will open the door for more young people to learn, grow and ultimately become trailblazers and agents of change.”

For more information about the scholarship, or to make a donation to the Michael Young Scholarship Fund, contact Dessi Foster in ETSU University Advancement at 423-439-5125 or fosterdk@etsu.edu.