The North Carolina African American Heritage Commission and the State Archives of North Carolina are partnering with the WeGOJA Foundation on a new initiative, Black Carolinians Speak: Portraits of a Pandemic, to capture the experiences of African Americans in the Carolinas during the COVID-19 pandemic. The project will gather first-person testimonies, letters, music, images, art and other documents that will be part of a physical and virtual exhibit.
The initiative recognizes that this is an especially difficult period for residents of the Carolinas. African Americans, as reported in state and national media, have been disproportionately impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying social and economic distress it has caused. The pandemic has also exacerbated existing inequalities and disparities in education, health and employment. Future generations will likely seek to understand how this global pandemic redefined what it means to be Black in the Carolinas and how the crisis altered the rhythms and traditions of African American life in both states.
This work is supported through funding from the 1772 Foundation as a means to expand this oral history initiative that began in 2020 in South Carolina. This funding supports an expansion of the project, capturing more stories, and archiving them in both North and South Carolina’s state oral history collections. A virtual exhibit of both states’ submissions will be developed in the spring of 2022.
“We are very excited about this project and collaboration with South Carolina,” said Angela Thorpe, director of the N.C. African American Heritage Commission, which is part of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. “This is a tremendous opportunity to gather and share stories of the Black experience in a particularly challenging time. This project will serve as a resource for generations to come.”
“We are grateful to the 1772 Foundation for supporting what has become one of our most complex and meaningful projects, and for having the confidence in us to record this history,” said Dawn Dawson-House, executive director of the WeGOJA Foundation. “With their support, we are better able to share these submissions with the public so that the African American voice is reflected in both states’ stories.”
To learn more about the project and to share your story, please visit: https://aahc.nc.gov/programs/black-carolinians-speak
About the N.C. African American Commission
Created in 2008, the African American Heritage Commission is a division of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. The commission works across the department to preserve, protect and promote the state’s African American history, art and culture for all people. Its endeavors include the identification of heritage sites, compiling resources for educators, extending the work of national programs such as the National Park Service’s Network to Freedom Underground Railroad, and independent initiatives including Oasis Spaces: Green Book Project. aahc.nc.gov
About the NC Archives
The Division of Archives and Records is part of the Office of Archives and History and the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. The name “Archives and Records” reflects the dual role of the division: to provide guidance concerning the preservation and management of government records to state, county, city and state university officials; and to collect, preserve and provide public access to historically significant archival materials relating to North Carolina. archives.ncdcr.gov
About the WeGOJA Foundation
The Foundation supports the mission of the South Carolina African American Heritage Commission (SCAAHC,) which is to identify and promote the preservation of historic sites, structures, buildings, and the culture of the African American experience in South Carolina. The Commission also works to assist and enhance the efforts of the South Carolina Department of Archives and History. The 15-member commission includes representatives from all regions of the state. It was established as a council in 1993 by joint legislative resolution and became a commission in 2001 by executive order of Governor Jim Hodges. For more information about the WeGOJA Foundation, visit WeGOJA.org. For more information about the SCAAHC, click here.
About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NCDNCR) is the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state's natural and cultural resources to build the social, cultural, educational and economic future of North Carolina. NCDNCR's mission is to improve the quality of life in our state by creating opportunities to experience excellence in the arts, history, libraries and nature in North Carolina by stimulating learning, inspiring creativity, preserving the state's history, conserving the state's natural heritage, encouraging recreation and cultural tourism, and promoting economic development.
NCDNCR includes 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, three science museums, three aquariums and Jennette's Pier, 41 state parks and recreation areas, the N.C. Zoo, the N.C. Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, State Preservation Office and the Office of State Archaeology, and the Division of Land and Water Stewardship. For more information, please visit www.ncdcr.gov.