Berea College Employees Hit the Road for 2017 Civil Rights Seminar and Tour
Tag: interracial education
Making an Impact with Black History
This week we feature two African American staff/faculty members―Carl Thomas and Dr. Alicestyne Turley―whose work and personal influence is having a significant impact on Berea College students. Like others on campus and beyond, they are “investing in lives of great promise.” Continue reading Making an Impact with Black History →
Berea College is Central to Black History
Respect for All People
When Grace Gillette, Foundation ’66, arrived on Berea College’s campus in the fall of 1964, she was an “oddity,” she said.
When students heard a Native American was on campus, they expected her to dress differently – “like you would expect a Native American to look as portrayed in history books,” she said. “A lot of them thought we were gone. To this day, history makes it sound like Native people are gone.” Continue reading Respect for All People →
Rev. John Gregg Fee, Berea College Founder, Inducted to National Abolition Hall of Fame; First Southerner With This Distinction
The National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum (NAHOF) has added Reverend John Gregg Fee to the Hall of Fame. Other inductees in the 2016 class include Beriah Green, Angelina Grimké, and James W.C. Pennington. Continue reading Rev. John Gregg Fee, Berea College Founder, Inducted to National Abolition Hall of Fame; First Southerner With This Distinction →
Berea College at #18 in “The 50 Best Colleges for African-Americans”
ESSENCE Magazine ranks Berea College 18 out of 50 on its list of top colleges for African-Americans. ESSENCE collaborated with MONEY Magazine to “create a definitive list of schools that serve us the most,” said Kenneth Terrell, a writer with ESSENCE. Continue reading Berea College at #18 in “The 50 Best Colleges for African-Americans” →
Accolades, Accomplishments, and Awards for Bereans
Members of the Berea College community continue to distinguish themselves and the College by achieving recognition from regional and national organizations. Each success story below demonstrates an aspect of how Berea College carries out its Great Commitments through outstanding educational programs and their impact in serving “All peoples of the earth.” What follows is a small sampling of some of the recent honors. Continue reading Accolades, Accomplishments, and Awards for Bereans →
Edwin Embree, Berea Founder’s Grandson, the Focus of Article about Racial Prejudice
The racial injustices toward Japanese Americans confined in U.S. camps during World War II and one man’s efforts to help them is the focus of a recently-published article in HistPhil. Authored by historian Alfred Perkins, the story describes the role of philanthropist Edwin Embree, the grandson of Berea’s founder, John Gregg Fee, in protecting civil rights and ending discriminatory practices against citizens of Japanese ancestry, particularly those relocated from the west coast to the numerous internment camps in the central United States. Continue reading Edwin Embree, Berea Founder’s Grandson, the Focus of Article about Racial Prejudice →
Berea College and the Day Law
“An Act to Prohibit White and Colored Persons from Attending the Same School” was introduced in the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1904 by Breathitt County Representative Carl Day. The intent of the legislation (which became known as the Day Law) was simple and sinister; it would prohibit interracial education in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Continue reading Berea College and the Day Law →
Berea’s Fearless Female Founders
Women were equal partners in the founding of Berea College community. Shoulder to shoulder with their husbands, Matilda Fee and Elizabeth Rogers were integral players in the challenging drama of Berea’s earliest years.
Establishing any community in an untamed wilderness that had to be cleared of dense thickets was a notable accomplishment, one that required perseverance and lots of hard work. Yet, an even greater accomplishment was establishing a community here based on the equality of all people. In Kentucky during the pre-Civil War era, mainstream society considered it radical – almost unimaginable – to acknowledge blacks and whites, and women and men, as social equals. Continue reading Berea’s Fearless Female Founders →
Bereans Still Making Black History
From Berea’s earliest days, African Americans have been central to the history of Berea College and the wider world. In this last installment of features for Black History Month 2016, we feature a diverse group of Berea College alumni who, each in their own way, continue to make Black History. Continue reading Bereans Still Making Black History →
Alex Haley: Inspiring, Governing, Trailblazing and Leading by Example
As a pioneer in interracial education, particularly in the South, Berea College has focused on racial equality from its inception. Egalitarianism has not been limited to the classrooms, but has been a part of the College’s leadership and governance, too, with African-Americans serving as Trustees of Berea from the 1800s to the present. Continue reading Alex Haley: Inspiring, Governing, Trailblazing and Leading by Example →
Green P. Russell and Jessie Reasor Zander
Berea’s long standing commitment to education
As beneficiaries of Berea College’s commitment to interracial education, throughout the decades many Bereans have extended the legacy of education to others. This profile features two such alumni, one from the 1800s and one from the 1900s, who are representative of thousands of other teachers and educators who have carried Berea’s values into the wider world. Continue reading Green P. Russell and Jessie Reasor Zander →
Students Attend Presidential Inauguration
Published originally in the Spring 2009 edition of the Berea College Magazine
“The inauguration of Barack Obama was a historical moment for our nation that Berea’s founders could not have imagine—but one they certainly wold have embraced. In some ways, it was a fulfillment of Berea’s interracial mission and history—and we are witnesses to that moment,” said President Shinn. Continue reading Students Attend Presidential Inauguration →
Linda Strong-Leek a Steadfast Passion for Teaching
Published Originally in the Winter/Spring 2012 Issue of Berea College Magazine
By Erica Cook, ’13
Professor Linda Strong-Leek
“The students are the best thing about teaching at Berea College,” says Linda Strong-Leek, Ph.D., Berea College professor and administrator. “I love seeing changes, those light bulb moments when a student gets it.” Continue reading Linda Strong-Leek a Steadfast Passion for Teaching →
Green P. Russell and Jessie Reasor Zander Illuminate Berea’s Long-Standing Commitment to Education
As beneficiaries of Berea College’s commitment to interracial education, throughout the decades many Bereans have extended the legacy of education to others. This profile features two such alumni, one from the 1800s and one from the 1900s, who are representative of thousands of other teachers and educators who have carried Berea’s values into the wider world. Continue reading Green P. Russell and Jessie Reasor Zander Illuminate Berea’s Long-Standing Commitment to Education →
Remembering the Educators
Published Originally in the Winter/Spring 2012 Issue of Berea College Magazine
Robert Moore, ’13
The life of a Lincoln Institute founder, Kirke Smith, Berea College class of 1894, was dedicated to upholding the ideals expressed in Berea’s motto, “God has made of one blood all peoples of the earth (Acts 17:26).” On the ninety-ninth anniversary of the founding of the Lincoln Institute, President Larry Shinn presented the John G. Fee Award to five of Smith’s grandchildren at the twelfth annual Berea College Founders’ Day Convocation at Phelps Stokes Chapel. The award was accepted on their behalf by Kentucky State University sociology professor Alvin M. Seals, one of Smith’s grandsons. Continue reading Remembering the Educators →
Berea College Joins the Nation in Recognizing the Passing This Weekend of Julian Bond
Throughout his career as a legislator and activist for civil rights, Julian Bond came to Berea several times—first in the 1970s—to speak to the campus community. Julian Bond’s ties to Berea College were deep, going back three generations. Continue reading Berea College Joins the Nation in Recognizing the Passing This Weekend of Julian Bond →
Two Appointees Strengthen Berea’s Historic Interracial Education Commitment
Berea College has appointed Dr. Alicestyne Turley as the first director of the Carter G. Woodson Center for Interracial Education and Monica Jones as the new director of the Black Cultural Center. Turley will also serve as assistant professor of African and African American Studies. Both appointments will become effective in July, 2012. Continue reading Two Appointees Strengthen Berea’s Historic Interracial Education Commitment →
Berea College Plans Carter G. Woodson Center for Interracial Education
Honoring Berea alumnus Carter G. Woodson, the “Father of Black History,” the Berea College board of trustees has approved the creation of the Carter G. Woodson Center for Interracial Education that integrates the college’s Black Cultural Center and the African and African-American studies program. Continue reading Berea College Plans Carter G. Woodson Center for Interracial Education →