Author Archives: Sasha Mitchell

About Sasha Mitchell

I am a family and community historian, professional organizer, heirloom seamstress, mom of three sons, foster mom, and all-around digital whiz and helpful person. :) In my day job, I am the Operations Manager for Dogwood Alliance, protecting Southern forests and communities from the harms of industrial logging.

Mountain People’s Assembly Meeting Jan 23

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On Thursday, January 23 at 6:30 pm the newly formed Mountain People’s Assembly, a coalition of area organizations, faith communities and individuals will meet at First Congregational Church, 20 Oak St. in downtown Asheville. The meeting will be held to elect remaining members of a Steering Committee, plan for the Moral March on Raleigh, and begin discussing issues that need to be addressed in the upcoming election year. At this meeting, Action Teams will be formed to begin work on Get Out the Vote (GOTV) efforts, including voter registration, education and engagement.

The non-partisan coalition was created in December 2013 as a chapter of the original HKonJ (Historic Thousands on Jones St.) coalition in Raleigh, which was formed in 2007 based on a 14-point agenda and focused on holding lawmakers accountable for the legislative decisions that impact North Carolinians.

For information, email info@mountainmoralmonday.org or sign up for updates on the tab at the top of this  page.  To learn more about HKonJ, visit www.hkonj.com.

Mars Hill’s Anderson School historic site

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The MLK Association of Asheville is one of the groups working towards the preservation of the Anderson Rosenwald School of Mars Hill, one of very few remaining Rosenwald schools still standing in western North Carolina.

The Anderson Rosenwald School was abandoned in the 1960s, but now an effort is under way to restore the old school. The school represents the initiative that provided quality buildings and reliable access to public education for African Americans in the South. Because “you can just feel the history there,” the community is working to preserve and renovate the school into a Community Cultural Center dedicated to promoting a fuller understanding of black history in the Blue Ridge region. The Mars Hill initiative is part of a nationwide movement to preserve Rosenwald Schools which is coordinated through the National Trust for Historic Conservation. For more information, go to  http://www.preservationnation.org/rosenwald/#.VOdugUKk5ig

YMI Exhibit: Freedom for All

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The Path to Emancipation

During the 150th year of the 1863 signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, a traveling exhibit of illustrated informational panels outline the struggle for freedom by the enslaved people in North Carolina and the nation. It will travel to state history museums, historic sites, libraries and other academic and cultural venues from July 12, 2013- August 10, 2015.

“‘Freedom for All’ on exhibit at YMI this month conveys how securing freedom was more of a process than a single act or proclamation and the exhibit highlights North Carolina’s unique role in that process,” notes Earl James, curator of the African-American History at N.C. Museum of History.

“Freedom for All” focuses on the status of North Carolina before the Civil War events leading up to Lincoln’s issuance of the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation and outcomes and results of the document in the state and nation. The exhibit also examines some of the differences between the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, the final Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment.

Event Details

Where: YMI Cultural Center
When:  January 5, 2014 – February 5, 2014
During Regular Business Hours: Tues – Fri 12-4pm
Cost:  Free

Share the Knowledge: Empowering Young Men for College & Careers

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Join us for the Inaugural “Share the Knowledge” Campaign Event Empowering young men for College & Careers.

  • Special Guest Speaker Leo R. Stoney & Panelists
  • Presentation for Young Men Age 14 and up (and guests)
  • Free Admission, Lunch Provided, Raffle for Prizes
  • Saturday Feb 22, 2014, 2pm – 6pm Ferguson Auditorium, A-B Tech Asheville Campus
  • To register or sponsor, please call Tausha M. Kelly at 828-216-4102 or email mattersoftheheartradio@gmail.com

Presented by AB Tech, Matters of the Heart, WRES-LP 100.7

Kenilworth Presbyterian Church MLK Celebration Jan 20

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Martin Luther King

  • Monday, January 20 in the Fellowship Hall of Kenilworth Presbyterian Church, 123 Kenilworth Ave, Asheville.  Potluck from 5:30-6:30pm and the program from 6:30 until 7:30pm.
  • The program for the evening is the past, present and future of slave history in Buncombe County. Drew Reisinger, Buncombe Co. Register of Deeds, will be speaking about the Buncombe Co. slave deeds that are now available on line and David Quinn, who is helping to restore the South Asheville Cemetery will be speaking about the future of the cemetery.
  • We will have the interactive exhibit “An Unmarked Trail” from the Center for Diversity Education at our celebration. We will have a DJ spinning great tunes and will have craft projects for children.
  • For more information contact Katie Adams 828-252-8872 or email kenilworthpresbyterianchurch@gmail.com

Documentary: The House I Live In

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A-B Community Relations Council

ABCRC presents: The House I Live In
January 19th, 6:00 PM
Firestorm Cafe & Books
48 Commerce St., Asheville 28801

Join us for a screening of the documentary The House I Live In on January 19th at Firestorm Bookstore and Cafe. Seating will be limited, so please arrive early. Donations to ABCRC are welcome. 30 minute informal discussion to follow!

About The House I Live In: Since Richard Nixon declared the war on drugs 40 years ago, millions of people have been incarcerated for low-level drug law violations, resulting in disproportionate impacts on poor and low-income communities and communities of color, a growing epidemic of drug overdose fatalities, and increased rates of addiction and misuse. The drug war plays a major role in feeding the crisis of mass incarceration, where an ever-increasing number of Americans are imprisoned or placed under criminal justice supervision for low-level offenses – costing taxpayers billions of dollars every year. It will take a drastic shift in public consciousness and perception to create the change needed to effectively and successful end the war on drugs. THE HOUSE I LIVE IN provides an opportunity to educate and engage policymakers, faith and community leaders, and individuals working in the public and private sectors about the colossal failure of the drug war.

http://www.thehouseilivein.org/

watch the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvFobm01kBw

We look forward to seeing you there!  For more information or questions about the event, please contact ABCRC at 828/252-4713.

Slave Deeds of Buncombe County

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When you visit Pack Square in downtown Asheville, you can’t help but notice that monument to Zeublon Vance, Confederate military officer, and former slave owner. It is less well known that the site of Vance monument also marks the location of the courthouse, where slave auctions were once held.

Since the late 1700’s the records of the buying and selling of slaves as property were kept in the Buncombe County Deed Books. These books have now been scanned and digitized by the office of the Register of Deeds. Drew Reisinger, Register of Deeds, and Deborah Miles of the Center for Diversity Education worked to have these records indexed so that this history: the names of the enslaved people, and those who bought and sold them, is no longer hidden away.

The Buncombe County Register of Deeds has produced a video about these deeds and the importance of exposing them to the light of day. These are valuable for family historians, for historians seeking to learn about Western North Carolina’s slaveholding past, and for ordinary citizens, black and white to have a full picture of their community history.

Heritage of Black Highlanders Collection 1888-1972

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One of UNC Asheville’s collections at Ramsey Library is the Heritage of Black Highlanders Collection. This collection includes photos, oral histories, biographies. Stories of community leaders and common people, churches, schools, businesses, community and social groups. Although a visit to the library would be wonderful, there is a great deal to see on the website itself. Our history is too important for us not to embrace it and learn what we can from the past in order to direct our future steps.

Crossroads – a look at Asheville’s historic black neighborhoods

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In the Fall of 2010, the North Carolina Humanities Council published Crossroads, which took a close look at East End, South Side, Stumptown and Hill Street & Burton Street. These were once thriving communities, often built around areas where during segregation African Americans of Asheville lived in small areas with local churches, schools, and businesses and community organizations.

Asheville was one of many cities across the United States that participated in urban renewal, part of a national effort during the 1950s through the 1970s
to improve so-called blighted areas of cities. in theory, urban renewal would enhance the landscape of cities and provide displaced residents model housing. in practice, however, many rich and vibrant communities of color were flattened throughout the United States. replacing these neighborhoods were wide roadways, highways, and new multi-story build- ings. residents, some of whom were homeowners, were either relegated to substandard public housing or forced to relocate elsewhere. (Page 1, Crossroads)

As we look at Asheville today and seek answers to how we got here and how we must move forward, we can’t help but look at the trauma caused to the black community by the forced removal of these neighborhoods. We can’t go back in time, nor would we want to go back to the days of segregation. Desegregation removed painful barriers to upward mobility, even as it took away a built-in customer base for many black businesses. While we don’t have some of the same thriving neighborhoods that once were part of Asheville, we now have new and powerful tools for networking and can “vote with our dollars” to support Asheville’s black businesses.

If you aren’t familiar with this history, please read Crossroads, and learn about the amazing history of Asheville’s black citizens.

Asheville African American Heritage Commission Vote TUESDAY NIGHT!

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On Tuesday, January 14, 2014 there will be a presentation encouraging Asheville City Council to approve a joint City-County resolution establishing an Asheville African American Heritage Commission. We’re hoping for a packed gallery – need the community to be present. Please come out and support this worthy cause. The presentation will be done towards the end of the Agenda. See under VI. NEW BUSINESS on the link below. You will also find a link to the Resolution there. It’s difficult to determine what time we’ll get to present. We are asking folks to arrive by 6 – 6:30 at the latest. Spread the word.