Initially enslaved by North Carolina native President James K. Polk, Elias Polk took up the fight for black economic independence after the Civil War. His advocacy and rise as a leading black conservative in the southeast will be examined in a virtual program presented by the President James K. Polk State Historic Site Saturday, Feb. 20, 10 a.m.
“While supporting southern Democrats who had previously enslaved and suppressed his people, Polk’s actions highlight a pragmatic approach from a complex period,” observes Historic Interpreter Kate Moore at President Polk State Historic Site.
The program presenter, Zacharie Kinslow, is a former docent at the James K. Polk ancestral home in Tennessee and current executive director of the Governor Frank G. Clement Railroad Hotel Museum in Dickson, Tenn. President Polk moved to Tennessee with his parents at the age of 11. He was graduated from the University of North Carolina and earned a law degree in Tennessee before entering politics there.
Registration is required at https://polkmemorialsupportfundinc.wildapricot.org/event-4128595 for the free online program. A link to join the program will be provided.
For additional information contact kate.h.moore@ncdcr.gov or call (704) 889-7145. President James K. Polk State Historic Site is located at 12031 Lancaster Highway, Pineville, N.C. 28134.The site is temporarily closed under a local health directive.