A $10,000 Grant from the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation Awarded to the More Than a Fraction Foundation

*Historian Dr. Kerri Moseley-Hobbs, founder of the More Than a Fraction Foundation (MTAFF), announced recently that The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation has awarded MTAFF with a $10,000 grant for its heritage program, the Merry Tree Memorial – renamed “1872 Forward.” The More Than a Fraction Foundation is presenting the “1872 Forward: Celebrating Virginia Tech” series of events in partnership with the Council for Virginia Tech History. The three-day event, happening on March 24-26, 2022 at Virginia Tech (VT), is celebrating 150 years of Virginia Tech history, which includes recognition of the Merry Tree’s importance to the enslaved African community, and it’s continued importance to the local community today. The Merry Tree fell from a storm in 2020. The event will also recognize the culture and history of the communities that make the history of the site that is today Virginia Tech University (Indigenous, European, and
African).

The “1872 Forward” program of activities include the “1872 Forward: Native American Land Unveiling” on Thursday March 24, 2022 at 4pmEST (Owens Ballroom), the “1872 Forward: A Cultural Arts Celebration” on Friday, March 25^th at 8pmEST (Moss Arts Center) with arts, music, dance and poetry performances, and on Saturday, March 26^th tours of Historic Smithfield and the Solitude house (where the Merry Tree stood for almost 300 years) as well as a presentation on “Contested Spaces: A Tri-Racial Conversation.” These programs are funded in part by this grant from The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation.

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The More Than a Fraction Foundation operates under the mantel “From Separation to Reunification” with a mission to re-explore pre-Civil War American history from the point of view of the African peoples of the period. Its partnership with the Council for Virginia Tech History is one of several collaborations established to accomplish its mission. Its heritage programs seek to expand research and education on the history, culture and experiences of Africans in America and African-Americans in America as it connects to our society today. MTAFF promotes new angles of research and education from innovative lenses and focus points.

Other activities during the “1872 Forward” series of event include a book launch by Professor Dan Thorp (Owens Ballroom), moderated by Laura Belmonte, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences on Thursday, March 24^th starting at 12noonEST. Friday, March 25^th events also  include another book launch held for Professor Peter Wallenstein, which will be moderated by Sylvester Johnson, Professor of CLAHA and Director of the Virginia Tech Center for Humanities (Owens Ballroom) starting at 12noonEST and the Official Dedication of Hoge Hall (named after Janie and William Hoge who took in eight pioneering black students) and Whitehurst Hall (named after James Leslie Whitehurst, Jr. who was the 1^st black student allowed to live and eat on campus and the 1^st on VT’s Board of Visitors) at 3pmEST. Registration for “1872 Forward” is via Virginia Tech’s Office for Strategic Affairs at www.StrategicAffairs.vt.edu/CouncilonVTHistory/1872-forward–celebrating-virginia-tech.html.

www.MoreThanaFraction.org

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Freelance Associates

Contact: Dr. Eunice Moseley

Long Beach, CA 90807

Off: (562) 424-3836

E-mail: [email protected]

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