News briefs: Waters to deliver talk on historical memory, Confederate monuments

WHOSE STORY: UNC Asheville professor Darin Waters speaks during the fourth annual African Americans in Western North Carolina and Southern Appalachia Conference. Waters will deliver a talk titled Whose Story?: Democratizing America’s Collective Memory on Feb. 28. Photo courtesy of UNC Asheville

Waters to talk Confederate monument controversy

Darin Waters, UNC Asheville associate history professor, will present “Whose Story? Democratizing America’s Collective Memory,” on Thursday, Feb. 28, at Lenoir-Rhyne University’s Asheville Center, 36 Montford Ave. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the talk begins at 6:30 p.m.

Waters’ presentation will examine circumstances surrounding the construction of Confederate monuments in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He will also discuss how the absence of African-American voices shaped the nation’s collective historical memory, leading to a lack of awareness of injustices perpetrated against black Americans.

Oralene Simmons, president of event sponsor The Martin Luther King Jr. Association of Asheville and Buncombe County, said in a press release, “We want to extend an invitation to everyone to join us as we remember and honor the lives of the black people who had a positive and significant impact on our society.”

The event is free and open to the public. Attendees must RSVP and can register online (avl.mx/5pl).

Input sessions set for Thomas Wolfe Cabin rehabilitation

A primitive cabin in East Asheville where author Thomas Wolfe spent the summer of 1937 could become the site of a public park or a writer’s retreat. The city of Asheville, which has owned the cabin property since 2001, will hold two listening sessions to gather ideas for the cabin’s rehabilitation and reuse.

The sessions will take place 5:30-7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27, at the Thomas Wolfe Memorial, 52 N. Market St., and 3-4:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, at the Murphy-Oakley Community Center, 749 Fairview Road.

Grandfather Mountain wind speed record

A three-second gust of wind clocked at 121.3 mph tore across Grandfather Mountain the morning of Feb. 13, surpassing the previous record.

The nonprofit nature park’s weather recording station picked up the sudden gale at 4 a.m. The previous record of 120.7 mph was recorded on Dec. 21, 2012.

“We were really surprised by the high winds overnight,” Jesse Pope, president and executive director of the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation, said in a press release. “We exceeded our all-time record and fortunately sustained no damage to the park.”

Humane Society photo contest

The Blue Ridge Humane Society is holding a photo contest fundraiser through Thursday, Feb. 28, to benefit animals at the Blue Ridge Humane Adoption Center.

Owners of rescue pets can submit photos on the organization’s website (avl.mx/5pk) for a $15 donation per photo. Funds raised through the contest will pay for veterinary services.

Winners will be notified by March 4, and a reception will celebrate the winning and runner-up photos at 5 p.m. Thursday, March 7, at Dry Falls Brewing,  425 Kanuga Road, Hendersonville. The venue will donate $1 per pint or 10 percent of sales that evening to the Blue Ridge Humane Society.

Angela Prodrick, the executive director of the Humane Society, said in a press release the organization has raised more than $1,000 for shelter animal medical expenses through the contest in prior years.

 

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About David Floyd
David Floyd was a reporter for the Mountain Xpress. He previously worked as a general-assignment reporter for the Johnson City Press.

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4 thoughts on “News briefs: Waters to deliver talk on historical memory, Confederate monuments

  1. M Balin

    Since the Confederates lost, there shouldn’t be any Confederate monuments. But, since they exist, just ignore them. These are an unfortunate part of history. History should not be revised to suit anyone’s current politics. While it is certainly true that very bad things were done to blacks in the past, they would be much more respected if they dropped the victim stuff, and just lived respectably, and worked hard. Nobody is owed anything for long past injustice.

  2. Jim

    More virtue signaling against evil white people that had nothing to do with slavery, think that will make them respect you more? More Democrat agitation for political purposes.

    • C-Law

      Hear-hear Jim!

      Just another day living as a subject of the Yankee Empire…aggressive abroad, despotic at home.

      Cultural genocide against the independent Southern civilization must never be allowed to end for the Yankee to hang on for dear life as their Empire rots from within and will likely soon crumble from without. Sadly TPTB don’t have the decency or sense that at least the British Empire did to at some point devolve power back to their colonies.

      The South is doomed to always be perched on the footstool of ignorance and repentance, never being granted absolution…the only civilization in world history deemed unworthy of the right of self-determination and rule by consent of the governed.

      • bsummers

        Preach, My Brother. The only Real Victim™ in this 240-year-long “American Experiment” is the White Southern Gentleman.

        “Sadly TPTB don’t have the decency or sense that at least the British Empire did to at some point devolve power back to their colonies.”

        You’re right. As everyone knows, the British Empire voluntarily “devolved power” back to the Colonies. The so-called “American Revolution” taught in government screwels is actually “Fake News™”. Never happened. Alex Jones has the tapes.

        Anyone with any sense knows the Yankee Empire should have allowed the Independent Southern Civilization to secede with our ̶s̶l̶a̶v̶e̶s “peculiar institution”. How uncivilized of them to deny Us Our Rights.
        https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peculiar%20institution

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