The end of the Civil War brought several firsts for African Americans, .most notably the election to local, state, and federal offices. From the North Carolina state legislature to the United States Congress, African American North Carolinians served their nation in political positions.
Thursday, March 17, Earl Ijames, curator of Agriculture and African American History at the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh, will lead an online presentation, “Black Republicans: From the 1868 North Carolina Constitutional Convention to 1901.” This program will provide a chronology of African American men who, for the first time in the state’s history, legally entered the political process on behalf of their race.
Ijames was born in Winston-Salem, N.C., attended George Washington Carver High School, and graduated from North Carolina State University in 1991. He spent his early professional career at the North Carolina State Archives, and in 2008 assumed the position of Curator of Agriculture and African American History at the North Carolina Museum of History. He has been a contributor to numerous community outreach programs and events and has served on various community service organizations including the Economic Development Committee, Town of Wendell, Wake County Historic Preservation Commission, and East Wake County Kiwanis Club.
This free program is hosted by the Western Office of the N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and will be held Thursday, March 17 from 6:30-8 p.m. To register and attend via Zoom, click this registration link. If questions please call (828) 250-3105, email jeff.futch@ncdcr.gov, or visit https://www.ncdcr.gov/about/history/western-office.
About the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
The N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources (NCDNCR) is the state agency with a vision to be the leader in using the state's natural and cultural resources to build the social, cultural, educational and economic future of North Carolina. NCDNCR's mission is to improve the quality of life in our state by creating opportunities to experience excellence in the arts, history, libraries and nature in North Carolina by stimulating learning, inspiring creativity, preserving the state's history, conserving the state's natural heritage, encouraging recreation and cultural tourism, and promoting economic development.
NCDNCR includes 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, three science museums, three aquariums and Jennette's Pier, 41 state parks and recreation areas, the N.C. Zoo, the N.C. Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the State Archives, the N.C. Arts Council, the African American Heritage Commission, State Preservation Office and the Office of State Archaeology, and the Division of Land and Water Stewardship. For more information, please visit www.ncdcr.gov.