Tagged: African-Americans

Durham, North Carolina is one of the most diverse communities in the state. Mayor Bill Bell likes to say it’s the city with NO racial majority. Then why is it so hard to find an African American Santa Claus?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of being labeled an “African-American artist”? That question is at the heart of a new exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of Art. It features the works of 31 contemporary artists - photography, video, sculpture and more – with each piece revealing a bit about the experience of blacks in America. Host Frank Stasio discusses the “30 Americans” exhibit with Durham photographer Titus Brooks Heagins and Richard Powell, the John Spencer Bassett professor of art and art history at Duke University.

The North Carolina African-American Heritage Commission presented findings today of an information-gathering process that involved more than 200 citizens and spanned six communities. Acting director Michelle Lanier says the commission will focus on four priority goals of sustainability, partnerships, recognition and awareness:

"I think when we recognize that the African-American story is an American story, is a North Carolina story, and that we are interested in connecting with people rather than dividing people, then people start to listen a lot more."

Former State Auditor Ralph Campbell has died. He was the first African-American elected to a statewide executive office in North Carolina.