Social Justice
Ethics or morals do not exist in a vacuum; they require our interaction with others. How should we relate to a family member, to a neighbor or a stranger, to whole segments of our society? We must manage inevitable conflicts among value systems, somehow navigating them without sinking. In order for Social Justice not to be a cliche, the concept must have relevance to our daily lives. What is Social Justice? How much should we care about it? If we care about it, what are the priorities? And how might anything be accomplished – really?
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Social Justice
My Story - Ashley McGhee Whittle - Part Four
Part Four
"Norfolk Southern is one of the few places here in the South that has unions. Just as soon as Daddy was eligible to join, he did."
Social Justice
Urban Renewal's Impact on Asheville's Black Community
featuring Priscilla Ndiaye Robinson
"Ms. Bernice Littlejohn, a widow, lived at 106 Black Street. She used to make the best cupcakes. You could smell the aroma coming out of the house."
Social Justice
Asheville Reparations Commission Part Two
Part Two: Mission and Work
Five work groups are responsible for analyzing detailed information on the Impact Focus Areas and reporting key findings to the full commission.
Social Justice
WWWD - The November 5, 2024 U.S. Election
The November 5, 2024 U.S. Eection
"If you know what's good for you in the long run, DIAL IT BACK."
Social Justice
Music by MAR and Friends
May 18, 2024 at Black Wall Street in Asheville, North Carolina
Originally from Peru and based in Asheville, MAR is a trans/non-binary artist, multi-instrumentaist, and advocate who draws from South American roots.
Social Justice
Asheville Reparations Commission - Part One
Part One: Background and Resolution
"In July 2020, the Asheville City Council passed a resolution supporting community reparations for Black Asheville..."
Social Justice
Natalie Baszile announcement
Author will live for two months at Wilma's childhood home in Lynn Cove just north of Asheville, NC
“The Wilma Dykeman WIR program represents the rare gift of time and space, something that is difficult to sustain in my life in San Francisco."
Social Justice
Malcolm X speaks in Detroit - February 1965 - Part Two
Part Two
"The masses of our people still have bad housing, bad schooling, and inferior jobs..."
Social Justice
Malcolm X speaks in Detroit - February 1965 - Part One
Part One
"I was in a house last night that was bombed - my own."
Social Justice
Nappy Thoughts: What I Want My White Friends to Know about Racism and Our Friendship
What I Want My White Friends to Know about Racism and Our Friendship
"I'm going to share five tips. Five things I want to see my White friends do."
Social Justice
Black In Asheville - a 2023 documentary film by Todd Gragg
A 2023 documentary film by Todd Gragg
Todd's simple question to himself, "Why aren't there more successful Black businessmen in Asheville, North Carolina?" led to his making this film.
Social Justice
The Asheville View
The Wilma Dykeman Legacy and Social Justice
"Our programs include supporting black artists, publishing black voices, and working in white space to educate about passive and active racism."
Social Justice
K-12 Education
Report from U.S. Government Accountability Office
A history of discriminatory practices has contributed to inequities in education, which are intertwined with disparities in wealth, income, & housing.
Social Justice
Children's Health and Safety
as reported by the U.S. Government Accountability Office
"It is difficult to know if the states' efforts to improve the quality of child care are working."
Social Justice
Tribal and Native American Issues
as reported by the U.S. Government Accountability Office
"American Indians and Alaska Natives continue to rank near the bottom of all Americans in terms of health, education, and employment."
Social Justice
Allen High School Reminiscence by Mary Othella Burnette
My days at Allen High School: 1948-1949
"And Allen was integrated in a way I had never seen before."
Social Justice
The Allen School in Asheville, North Carolina, 1887-1974
An Extraordinary Educational Opportunity for African Americans
By 1972, more than three-quarters of Allen High School graduates attended four-year colleges.
Social Justice
Shanita Jackson is the 2nd Wilma Dykeman Writer-in-Residence at UNCA
Author will live for a month at Wilma's childhood home in Lynn Cove just north of Asheville, NC
"It is a full circle and a dream come true to return to my stomping grounds with the soul purpose of creating, writing..."
Social Justice
Ashley McGhee Whittle - My Story: Part Three
Paul Brigmon as a Youth
And they went to every race they could get to in Asheville. Those were illegal races. That big long straightaway in front of where Sam's Club is now..
Social Justice
Ashley McGhee Whittle: My Story - Part One
The Black Andersons
M signified Mulatto. The word "mulatto," while never precise, most often connoted a White father and Black mother.
Social Justice
A Day Of Listening
How can active listening be used to heal and improve our community?
Charles Fischer - High School English - Charlottesville VA
Social Justice
Building Community Brick by Brick
Can building a wall create a more inclusive community of both "insiders" and "outsiders?"
Rachel Reaves - Erwin Middle School - Asheville NC
Social Justice
John Vercher is the 1st Wilma Dykeman Writer-in-Residence at UNCA
Author will live for a month at Wilma's childhood home in Lynn Cove just north of Asheville, NC
“We are living in an era where our words are under fire, and...UNC Asheville is [leading] a movement to change the world with our writing."
Social Justice
Rob Thomas: My Story - Part Six
Part Six
What's next is still waiting to be defined. I want to find my own financial security, because honestly, I still feel like I'm in slavery.
Social Justice
Rob Thomas - My Story - Part Five
Part Five
When I got out at 31, April 28th, 2018, I came home with a plan this time. I was in Asheville, just out of prison.
Social Justice
Rob Thomas: My Story - Part Four
Part Four
From the time my parents lost their house in Shiloh, around the age of seven, until I got out of prison at the age of 31, those are all dark years.
Social Justice
Rob Thomas - My Story - Part Three
Part Three
I went to Asheville Middle from 6th to 8th grade. I was a quite, shy kid who had straight A's...Then I went to Asheville High, but I didn't graduate.
Social Justice
Rob Thomas: My Story - Part Two
Part Two
"So I looked around, I knew what was around me, and I saw that drug dealers had a lot of respect. They had what I felt like I wanted..."
Social Justice
Rob Thomas: My Story - Part One
Part One
"I was born May 25th, 1987, here in Asheville, North Carolina, I think at St. Joseph's Hospital. My parents were actual high school sweethearts..."
Social Justice
My Story - Mary Othella Burnette
Mary Othella Burnette
"I was born into a small, close-knit African American community of the Swannanoa Valley..."
Social Justice
Darin Waters on Wilma Dykeman and Neither Black Nor White - Part Two
Video of Dr. Waters' 9/29/13 talk on Wilma Dykeman as Journalist - Part Two
"For me, the work that Wilma Dykeman and her husband did represents an effort to force the Southern region at that time to face itself."
Social Justice
Darin Waters on Wilma Dykeman and Neither Black Nor White - Part One
Video of Dr. Waters' 9/29/13 talk on Wilma Dykeman as Journalist - Part One
"It was her passion that enabled her to be so productive over the course of her lifetime."
Social Justice
Hillbilly – a 2018 documentary film
How does contemporary America view poverty and rural identity?
"Poverty that has a white face definitely gives a lie to the whole idea of the American dream, democracy, so we push white poverty into the hills."
Social Justice
Martin Luther King, Jr. speaks - Part Three
1964 speech on “The American Dream” at Drew University, Madison NJ
"And that is another thing about this philosophy..."
Social Justice
Martin Luther King, Jr. speaks - Part Two
1964 speech on “The American Dream” at Drew University, Madison NJ
"The third thing that must be done, in order to make The American Dream a reality..."
Social Justice
Martin Luther King, Jr. speaks – Part One
1964 speech on “The American Dream” at Drew University, Madison NJ
On February 5, 1964, Drew University proudly hosted Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as a convocation speaker.
Social Justice
Immigration - 1946 film from Encyclopedia Britannica Films
This post-World War II video is worth watching to remind us how we are a nation of immigrants.
This 10-minute film from 1946 - made for instruction - plays surprisingly well in 21st century America.
Social Justice
The Trail of Tears - Part Two
Forced Removal of the Cherokee Nation
Cherokee culture thrived for thousands of years in the southeastern United States before European contact.
Social Justice
The Trail of Tears - Part One
Forced Removal of the Cherokee Nation from their Homeland
The caravan was ready to move out. One witness reported that "there was a silence and stillness of the voice that betrayed the sadness of the heart."
Social Justice
Debate over Race Relations
Resolved: Asheville has disenfranchised its African-American population
On November 13, 2015 the Wilma Dykeman Legacy and the Asheville High / SILSA Speech and Debate Team sponsored a debate between community leaders.
Social Justice
Fellowship for Black Women Writers
Deadline to apply is January 6, 2023
Participants will receive a ten-day residency, a $1,000 stipend, and transportation to and from Asheville, NC.
Social Justice
On Womaning by Meta Commerse
by Meta Commerse
The phrase “writing out of pain” conjures something very basic for me. What I mean is the tradition of African Americans who knew that their pain was
Social Justice
Escape to Freedom
Narrative of the Life of J.D. Green, A Runaway Slave From Kentucky
During the 1830’s and 1840’s, Mr. Green made multiple attempts to escape slavery. In the following excerpt from his Narrative of the life of…