2024 AACC Schedule of Events

This event took place on January 27, 2024

Opening Kickoff
Bicentennial Plaza to Lobby, Level 1
10:30–11 a.m.

  • Procession
    Join the procession up Bicentennial Plaza and into the museum lobby to open the event!
    • United States Colored Troops Reenactment Groups
    • Shaw University Platinum Sound Marching Band Drumline
    • Empower Dance Studio Dancers
  • Welcoming Remarks
    • Adrienne Nirdé, director, North Carolina African American Heritage Commission
    • D. Reid Wilson, secretary, North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
    • Dr. Valerie Ann Johnson, chair, North Carolina African American Heritage Commission, and dean, Arts, Sciences, and Humanities, Shaw University
  • Musical Performance

CELEBRATE Music, Movement, and Drama
Daniels Auditorium, Level 1

Host: Warren Keyes, singer, regional stage and voice-over actor

  • 11:15–11:45 a.m.     100 Men in Black Ensemble, gospel chorale
  • 12:15–12:35 p.m.     Empower Dance Studio
  • 1–1:45 p.m.                 North Carolina Association of Black Storytellers  ***
  • 2–2:30 p.m.                 Thomas Rhyant, soul and gospel singer and acoustic guitarist
  • 3–3:30 p.m.                 Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity, Zeta Sigma Chapter, North Carolina Central University, step team
  • 4–4:30 p.m.                 Tha Materials, soul and hip-hop group

                                                  *** American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters are available.

CELEBRATE Literature and the Spoken Word
Demonstration Gallery, Level 1

Cohosts: Naledi Yaziyo, writer, literary activist, and founder of Rofhiwa Book Café and North Durham Farmer’s Market Bookstore (coming April 2024); and Sheila Brown Morris, creator of the African American Literary Tea (Town of Cary); owner, Black Orchid Consultants; and community affairs professional at Environmental Protection Agency (RTP)

  • 11:15 a.m.–Noon Children’s Book Illustration and Comics  **
    • Dare Coulter, Coretta Scott King Award–winning illustrator of An American Story, whose illustrations also appear in the acclaimed titles Zora, the Story Keeper and My NC from A to Z
    • L. Jámal Walton, comic book creator, illustrator, and pop artist
  • 12:15–1 p.m. The Business of Publishing  **
    • Doreen Spicer-Dannelly, producer, director, and screenwriter whose TV and film credits include The Proud Family, Motown Magic, and Jump In! and author of the middle-grade novel Love Double Dutch!
    • Victoria Scott-Miller, creator and author of The Museum Lives in Me book series and owner of North Carolina’s first Black-owned children’s bookstore, Liberation Station, with notable appearances in the Washington Post, New York Times, NPR, Essence, and Black Enterprise
  • 1:15–2 p.m. Exploring Relationships and Romance: Spotlight on Two Black Women Novelists  **
    • Shamara Ray, author of six relationship fiction novels, including The Referral Program
    • Reese Ryan, author of more than 20 romantic fiction novels, including Date for Hire
  • 2:15–2:45 p.m. The Making of Gloomy Gyrl
    • Teri Burnette, award-winning writer and producer of animated short film Gloomy Gyrl 
      Warning: This session includes content related to domestic violence.
  • 3:30–4:30 p.m. The Traditions of Spoken Word  **
    • D. J. Rogers, Durham’s first poet laureate
    • Destiny Hemphill, poet and author of the chapbook Oracle: A Cosmology

         **A book signing will follow these presentations.

CELEBRATE History, Enterprise, and Film
Longleaf A Classroom, SECU Education Center, Level R

Host: Earl Ijames, curator, North Carolina Museum of History

  • 11:45 a.m.–12:15 p.m. North Carolina Freedom Park Monument: The Beacon of Freedom
    • Dr. Reginald Hildebrand, retired UNC Chapel Hill and Durham Tech history professor and Freedom Park board member
    • Adrienne Nirdé, director, North Carolina African American Heritage Commission
  • 12:30–1 p.m. Silent Strength: Unveiling the Legacy of 20th-Century Black Women Domestic Workers in the US (1900–1940)
    • Milaun Brown, community archivist
  • 1:30–2 pm. Searching for Handy Brown (1820–1904): One Family’s Genealogical Odyssey
    • Sibyl Russ, descendant of Handy Brown
    • Monica Woodley, descendant of Handy Brown
  • 2:30–3 p.m. The Peter Oliver (1766–1810) Pavilion Gallery of Old Salem
    • Jordyn K. Jones, education coordinator, Old Salem Museums & Gardens
    • Christie Willow Williams, board chair, Peter Oliver Pavilion Gallery, Creative Corridors Coalition
    • George C. Jones Jr., descendant of Peter Oliver and executive director, Partners for Environmental Justice
  • 3:15–3:45 p.m. North Carolina’s Buffalo Soldiers
    • Howard Burchette, author, genealogist, historian, and host of WNCU’s The Funk Show
  • 4–4:30 p.m. The Birth of Funk and Its North Carolina Roots
    • Curtis Pope, former band director for Wilson Pickett and the Isley Brothers

CELEBRATE Craft and Art Traditions
Lobby, Level 1

  • Alfreda Johnson, sweetgrass basket weaver
  • Ben Watford, potter
  • Ebony Raleigh Area Group Stitchers, quilters
  • Pinkie Strother, miniatures artist
  • Tarish “Jeghetto” Pipkins, puppeteer
  • Pamela Washington, jewelry artist

Level 3

  • Betty Williams, hatmaker
  • C. J. Murphy, mixed media and mask artist
  • Neal Thomas, split-oak basket maker

CELEBRATE Education and Heritage
Longleaf B Classroom, SECU Education Center, Level R

Host: Najla McClain, program director, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Duke University

  • 11:30 a.m.–Noon Celebrate Jazz Master Max Roach
    • Douglas Jackson, professor of music at Elizabeth City State University
  • 12:45–1:15 p.m. Uncovering Five Generations of Family History Under One Roof
    • Cheryl Williams, Historic Turner House owner and genealogist
  • 1:45–2:15 p.m. How Hip-Hop Took Shape in North Carolina—And Changed Everything
    • Damon “Doc” Johnson, DJ and radio producer
  • 2:45–3:15 p.m. Black Dance in North Carolina
    • Sherone Price, associate professor of dance studies, Appalachian State University

CELEBRATE Food, Health, and Beauty
Cardinal Classroom, SECU Education Center, Level R

Cohosts: Charlene Marshall, owner of Charlene’s Naturals, a natural hair and body products line; and Dawn Daly-Mack, registered nurse for Rural Health Group and health advocate for Northampton County NAACP

  • Noon–12:30 p.m. Black Maternal Health
    • Ste’Keira Shepperson, owner, Triangle Doulas of Color
    • Sakina O’Uhuru, owner, Gentle Spirit Home Birth Midwifery
  • 1–1:30 p.m. Be Fierce, Be You
    • Jean Garner, CEO and lead fierce image consultant of The Fierce Factor
  • 2–2:30 p.m. Savory Shrimp and Grits with Sarge
    • Julius West, professional chef and entrepreneur
  • 4–4:30 p.m.   H.O.T. Organics
    • Donovan Burton, owner

Hands-on Activities and Information Tables
10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. 

The Story of North Carolina Exhibit, Level 1

  • Passport Activity Hunt:     
    • Somerset Place State Historic Site: Handle reproduction objects in the Made from Off the Land traveling exhibit. *
    • Historic Halifax State Historic Site: Learn about poet George Moses Horton, who protested slavery in his published works while being enslaved.  *
    • Civil War Reenactors: Battery B, 2nd Regiment, US Colored Light Artillery and 35th Regiment, US Colored Troops
    • Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum: Help create a piece of community art in the style of Lois Mailou Jones, Palmer Memorial Institute’s first art teacher. *
    • Pope House Museum, City of Raleigh Museum: Make a doctor’s head mirror, and learn the history of Dr. Manassa T. Pope. *

       * Hands-on children’s activity

Lobby, Level 1

  • AARP: Snap a photo in an interactive photo booth. *
  • Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society
  • North Carolina Association of Black Storytellers
  • North Carolina Museum of History Associates: Sign up for half-price museum memberships.
  • North Carolina Rosenwald Schools Coalition
  • Quilting: Try your hand at stitching a quilt. *
  • Southern First Bank
  • State Capitol: Participate in a freedom hands activity. *
  • You Can Vote

       * Hands-on children’s activity

Level 3

  • Adinkra Stamps: Create your own postcard to take home. *
  • Advance Community Health
  • Gresham Coins, Stamps, Medals, & Sport Memorabilia
  • Make a Hat or Crown: Create your own celebratory hat or crown out of paper. *
  • North Carolina Museum of Art
  • Triangle Friends of African American Arts 
  • Wheel of History: Test your knowledge of Black history. *

       * Hands-on children’s activity

SECU Education Center, Level R

  • North Carolina African American Heritage Commission 
  • North Carolina Leadership Immersion Program 
  • State Archives of North Carolina, Special Collections Section 
  • State Library of North Carolina, Government and Heritage Library
  • Wake Technical Community College

Food Trucks and Food Vendors 
10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Bicentennial Plaza

  • Hustle & Grind Mobile Coffee Shop
  • Lee’s Kitchen: Jamaican foods 
  • Soulbachi: Afro-Asian fusion
  • Sugar Grinders Creamery and Bakery
  • Premier Cakes Diner at the NC Museum of History