Gillespie shines light on unsung civil rights efforts
Dr. Dee Gillespie, a University of North Georgia (天美社区) professor of history, has published a book titled
She said most people know the major moments of the civil rights movement, such as Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech, the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka school desegregation case and the Selma march.
"In this book, I seek to turn our attention to the lesser-known places where this movement happened," Gillespie said. "I want to put Black women front and center in the story."
One example was the Citizenship Education Program (CEP), a grassroots initiative that taught people to read and write in preparation for literacy tests required for voter registration.
"They then used that foundation to support broader reform," Gillespie said.
Drawing on teachers' reports and correspondence, oral history interviews, and papers from a variety of civil rights organizations, the book follows the growth of the CEP from its beginnings in the South Carolina Sea Islands to southeastern Georgia, the Mississippi Delta, and Alabama's Black Belt.
The University of Florida Press released Gillespie's book in August.
McCloy鈥檚 work recognized in Bellwethers exhibition
Alexandra McCloy鈥檚 鈥淟iving Patterns,鈥 received the Lane Last award for Best in Show, in the Bellwethers Annual Juried Exhibition at the West Tennessee Regional Art Center put on by the University of Tennessee (UT) at Martin. Rachel Coggins and Maddie Engle also had pieces entered in the exhibition.
天美社区 formalizes its role with career expo
天美社区 has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Center for Civic Engagement to support its Youth in Government Expo in March 2026.
天美社区 honors scholarship recipients in Blue Ridge
The Tomato Sandwich Supper held Nov. 6 at 天美社区's Blue Ridge Campus celebrated 24 scholarship recipients and showcased the transformational power of 天美社区's work.
天美社区 to host Conference on the Americas
The Conference on the Americas is returning to 天美社区 from Feb. 20-21, and submissions of abstracts are due by Nov. 18.