The Walker College of Business’ spring 2023 Courageous Conversation will be about The View from Junaluska: Perspectives from a Black Appalachian Community.
Courageous Conversation: The View from Junaluska
Wednesday, February 22, 5:00 p.m.
Rosen Concert Hall, Broyhill Music Center
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Traci Royster, director of staff development and strategic initiatives, in Appalachian State University's Office of Student Affairs, will moderate a candid discussion on life and work in Boone with local residents of the Junaluska neighborhood, a historically Black community in the High Country.
The multi-generational panel will bring together community members whose career paths have included work at Appalachian State University, including Anitra Ball, Wanda Coles, Roberta Jackson and Lynn Patterson.
The conversation is inspired by Junaluska: Oral Histories of a Black Appalachian Community, a collection of interviews of community residents spanning multiple generations, which is both the current App State Common Reading and the Walker College’s Shared Reading selection. This event is sponosred in part by the Appalachian State University Office of Diversity.
About the Panelists
Anitra Ball
Anitra Ball is a university program associate and office manager in App State’s Intercultural Student Affairs. Ball has worked at App State for more than 18 year and holds an elementary education degree from Lees-McRae College.
Wanda Coles
Wanda Coles retired from Appalachian’s Child Development Center in 2018, where she had cared for the infants and children of the High Country for more than 25 years.
Roberta Jackson
Roberta Jackson is a past staff member at App State and a member of the Junaluska Heritage Society – a community-based organization dedicated to preserving cultural heritage and protecting the neighborhood in Boone, NC. For her significant and lasting contributions to Watauga County’s history, Jackson was inducted into the Watauga County Historical Society Hall of Fame. Jackson is an App State alumnus, having earned her degree in education.
Lynn Patterson
Lynn Patterson is a university program specialist for App State’s Belk Library, where she is responsible for the library’s communications, outreach, social media, event planning, donor relations and scholarships. Patterson is a member of the Appalachian African American Alumni Network and adviser for App State’s Delta Sigma Theta sorority. She has worked for App State for more than 30 years and has been recognized by the university’s Human Resource Services with a Staff Award for outstanding service. Patterson is an App State alumna, having earned her bachelor’s in communications studies.
Register Online
This event is free and open to the public. All members of First Year Seminar are especially encouraged to attend. Kindly register online so refreshments can be planned.
Some courses offer credit for attendance; check with your professors. For a disability accommodation, visit odr.appstate.edu.
About the Common Reading Program
Since 1997, incoming first-year students at Appalachian have been asked to read a book as part of their orientation to the University. By participating in the Common Reading Program, students establish a common experience with other new students that helps develop a sense of community and introduce them to a part of the academic life they are beginning at Appalachian. This program is an exciting facet of the first year experience at Appalachian. Learn more at commonreading.appstate.edu.
About the WCOB Shared Reading Program
The Walker College of Business Shared Reading Initiative brings students, faculty and staff together to read and discuss a work on social and/or environmental justice. The work selected will highlight ways business can help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The shared reading book is selected by the office of Global and Civic Engagement, with input from the Inclusive Excellence Liaisons and/or the Sustainability Steering Committee. Learn more online, business.appstate.edu/shared-reading.
February 22 Courageous Conversation to focus on "The View from Junaluska"
From left are Anitra Ball, Wanda Coles, Roberta Jackson and Lynn Patterson, panelists in the February 22 Courageous Conversation