Fayetteville Technical Community College will host a presentation on topics relevant to African American studies at noon on Wednesday, Feb. 22, in Cumberland Hall auditorium as part of Black History Month.
The presentation is open to the public and is slated for noon to 1:30 pm. Admission is free. Cumberland Hall Auditorium is at 2215 Hull Road on FTCC’s Fayetteville campus.
Faculty members from FTCC and Fayetteville State University will speak:
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- Dwight Smith, an associate professor of visual art in FSU’s Department of Performing
and Fine Arts, will use visual representations to show how resistance breeds hope. In addition to teaching, Smith is an abstract painter and exhibition curator. He founded the Ellington-White Community Development Corp. and Contemporary Art Gallery in Fayetteville and is a board member for several national arts councils. His degrees include a Master of Fine Arts from Lesley University College of Art & Design in Cambridge, Mass.; and a Master of Arts and a Bachelor of Fine Arts, both from Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich.
- Christy Davenport, a history instructor at FTCC, will discuss
depictions of resistance to enslavement in paintings, novels and other popular culture mediums in 19th century America. Davenport is working on a dissertation entitled “From Sundown to Swamp: Finding Limited Freedom in the Great Dismal Swamp.” Her dissertation is her final step in obtaining a Ph.D. in history from Mississippi State University.
- Christopher Thrasher, an instructor in history and political science
at FTCC, will highlight an instance when a formerly enslaved man fought back. Thrasher holds a Ph.D. in history from Texas Tech University. He has multiple publications, including “Suffering in the Army of Tennessee: A Social History of the Confederate Army of the Heartland from Battles for Atlanta to the Retreat.” He is director of the Voices of the Sandhills Oral History Project at FTCC.
- Sonny Kelly, an instructor in communications at FTCC, will discuss
how the United States Colored Troops impacted the American Civil War. In addition to teaching, Kelly is a performer, storyteller, motivational speaker and comedian. His degrees include a Ph.D. in Communication and Performance Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 2022, he founded Legacy Heirs Productions Inc. as a vehicle to entertain, educate and empower individuals and communities.
Founded in 1961, FTCC is the third-largest community college in North Carolina, serving over 28,000 students annually through a wide variety of face-to-face and online programs.
- Dwight Smith, an associate professor of visual art in FSU’s Department of Performing