Beaufort County Community College (Beaufort CCC) will host a series of events throughout February to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Black History Month. The monthlong program will highlight the historic contributions of Black educators, local families, and community leaders while engaging students and residents in reflection, storytelling, and celebration.
The initiative is a collaboration of the college with Beaufort County NAACP (Branch 51B3-B), PS Jones African American Museum, Brown Library, Rosenwald Schools (Pantego & Ware Creek), The Washington NC Waterfront Underground Railroad Museum, and Odyssey for Democracy’s Black Oral Histories of Beaufort County.
The first week will focus on the legacy of education with a spotlight on Rosenwald Schools. The college’s Lester Library will host a historic display, followed by a presentation on Wednesday, February 4, from Phyllis Johnson, president of the Ware Creek Rosenwald School. An additional Rosenwald program is scheduled for February 12 and will feature a video created in partnership with the Pantego Rosenwald School.
“We are honored to celebrate a century of Black History Month by elevating the voices and experiences that shaped Eastern North Carolina,” said Dr. David Loope, president of Beaufort CCC. “These events not only honor the past but invite our community to imagine a future built on shared history and opportunity.”
Week two will focus on awareness and community presentations, including a scheduled talk by Pastor Aaron Lewis and new awning displays illustrating the arrival of people brought in bondage as they entered Eastern North Carolina through the Port of Bath. The exhibit will chronicle this early chapter of the Black American experience from a regional perspective. These displays will be located in the foyer outside the Lester Library in Building 5.
Week three will highlight oral histories collected from across Beaufort County. The panel will be hosted by Alice Sadler with audio tracks from Clark Curtis’s project “Black Oral Histories of Beaufort County.” The project currently includes stories from more than 20 community members.
The final week will feature a mass combined choir of community churches directed by Fannie Willis, an established recording artist.
At the end of the month, the college will bury a time capsule containing college and community artifacts that commemorate Black history and the month of celebrations.