"Woven into the fabric": The Legacy and Labor That Built a University.
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| Title: | "Woven into the fabric": The Legacy and Labor That Built a University. |
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| Authors: | Harper, Liz, Thomas, Adam |
| Source: | Journal of Appalachian Studies. Spring2024, Vol. 30 Issue 1, p8-28. 21p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Black people, Brand identification, Demographic surveys |
| Geographic Terms: | North Carolina |
| People: | Rogers, David |
| Abstract: | This article examines the crucial roles Black people played in the development of Western Carolina University (WCU) in the mountains of Southern Appalachia, and the university's failure to fully acknowledge the contributions those people have made. After introducing some relevant oral history projects, we focus on the history of the WCU land. We first describe the Indigenous dispossession by which the white Rogers family acquired the land in Cullowhee, North Carolina. We then turn to Harriet, an African American woman enslaved by David Rogers, Sr., considering how her and her children's labor shaped the property he eventually transferred to the university. The article subsequently traces the lives of several of Harriet's descendants, and their contributions to the university's growth. We also consider how WCU's expansion relied on the appropriation of land upon which a crucial Black AME Zion Church sat. We contend that, as with the prior Cherokee dispossession, WCU has yet to fully acknowledge the contributions of Black people to its development. The contributions of local Black community members should be recognized especially in light of the university's reliance on its mountain location as the basis of its "brand identity." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Journal of Appalachian Studies is the property of Appalachian Studies Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
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| Abstract: | This article examines the crucial roles Black people played in the development of Western Carolina University (WCU) in the mountains of Southern Appalachia, and the university's failure to fully acknowledge the contributions those people have made. After introducing some relevant oral history projects, we focus on the history of the WCU land. We first describe the Indigenous dispossession by which the white Rogers family acquired the land in Cullowhee, North Carolina. We then turn to Harriet, an African American woman enslaved by David Rogers, Sr., considering how her and her children's labor shaped the property he eventually transferred to the university. The article subsequently traces the lives of several of Harriet's descendants, and their contributions to the university's growth. We also consider how WCU's expansion relied on the appropriation of land upon which a crucial Black AME Zion Church sat. We contend that, as with the prior Cherokee dispossession, WCU has yet to fully acknowledge the contributions of Black people to its development. The contributions of local Black community members should be recognized especially in light of the university's reliance on its mountain location as the basis of its "brand identity." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 10827161 |
| DOI: | 10.5406/23288612.30.1.02 |
