MILESTONES
THE SONJA HAYNES STONE CENTER FOR RESEARCH IN BLACK CULTURE AND HISTORY
UNVEILING A MURAL OF THE LATE DR. SONJA HAYNES STONE
FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK
Dear Stone Center Family,
As we embark on a new calendar year, we take stock of all the things we have accomplished and revel in the ways we have, as the hymn goes, “come this far by faith.” We are always reminded that we are not alone in our work, in our struggles, and in our hope.
I am grateful to you—our Stone Center community—for joining us on this incredible journey of discovery, empowerment, and action. At the heart of our work lies a steadfast belief: that engaged research, rooted in community collaboration, has the power to transform lives and drive meaningful change.
I hope that you will consider making the Stone Center your giving priority and establish a recurring gift in 2025. And as it is spring, please remember that GiveUNC is on the horizon, and we want the Stone Center to be represented well!
Your support fuels our ability to connect scholars, advocates, and students in efforts that uplift voices, solve pressing challenges, and inspire brighter futures. Together, we’re not just imagining a better world—we’re building it.
With gratitude and hope, Dr. Rhon
THE 2025 MCNEIL AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH LECTURE BY CLAUDRENA N. HAROLD
February 20 | 7:00PM Stone Center Auditorium ▲ cont on page 2
THE
2025 MCNEIL AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH LECTURE BY CLAUDRENA N. HAROLD, PROF.
OF HISTORY, U. OF VIRGINIA
February 20 | 7:00PM Stone Center Auditorium
Dr. Claudrena N. Harold is the Edward Stettinius Professor of History and the Associate Dean for the Social Sciences at the University of Virginia. She is the author of three books, The Rise and Fall of the Garvey Movement in the Urban South, 1918-1942, New Negro Politics in the Jim Crow South, and When Sunday Comes: Gospel Music in the Soul and Hip-Hop Eras. She has coedited two volumes, The Punitive Turn: New Approaches to Race and Incarceration and Charlottesville 2017: The Legacy of Race and Inequity
As a part of her ongoing work on the history of African American life at the University of Virginia, she has written, produced, and co-directed with Kevin Everson thirteen short films. These films have screened at the National Gallery of Art, the Whitney Museum, Berlin International Film Festival, the London Film Festival, the Black Star Film Festival, New York Film Festival, and other venues across the world. In 2024, Video Data Bank released Can You Move Like This: Black Fire films by Kevin Jerome Everson and Claudrena N. Harold.
Lecture Title: Truth Is on the Way: Gospel Music, Black Liberation, and the Politics of Freedom in the Soul and Hip-Hop Eras
Abstract: In his pioneering study, Somebody’s Calling My Name, Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker famously writes “What black people are singing religiously will provide a clue as to what is happening to them sociologically.” With Dr. Walker’s provocative assertion in mind and Nikki Giovanni’s 1971 groundbreaking recording, Truth is On the Way as inspiration, this lecture traces the political evolution of gospel music over the past fifty years, concluding with a discussion of the importance of Black sacred music as a critical source and driver of contemporary black experimentation and innovation. On our journey through the sonic and visual world of black gospel music, we will engage the groundbreaking work of musicians Shirley Caesar, Rance Allen, John P. Kee, Walter Hawkins, and Kirk Franklin as well as filmmaker Arthur Jafa.
SPRING 2025 EXHIBIT: WE BUILT THIS – PROFILES OF BLACK ARCHITECTS AND BUILDERS IN NORTH CAROLINA
Open from February 20th –April 30th
Many of the historic buildings we revere in North Carolina are credited to their owners. Rarely are the people responsible for the labor and craftsmanship recognized.
We Built This seeks to acknowledge the countless African Americans who built the historic buildings we collectively treasure.
These individuals were skilled in principles of engineering, construction and business. Many became political and social leaders in their communities. Acknowledging the significance of this history is a start to preserving a tangible link to the past through our built environment.
This exhibition reveals the extraordinary stories of more than two dozen builders, craftsmen, and architects responsible for the construction of some of North Carolina’s treasured landmarks.
Spanning more than three centuries, We Built This provides personal profiles and historic context on key topics including slavery and Reconstruction; the founding of HBCUs and Black churches; Jim Crow and segregation; and the rise of Black civic leaders and professionals. We Built This offers endless opportunities for expanded programming at each venue.
THE AFRICAN DIASPORA LECTURE WITH ARTURO LINDSAY, ARTIST, FILMMAKER, PROFESSOR
February 25 | 6:30PM | Hitchcock Room
Abstract: CONGO ART, AESTHETICS AND THE VISUAL CULTURE OF Taller PORTOBELO
Xam ki nga doon balaa kenn di la wax (Know who you are before someone tells you) -Wolof proverb
The painting workshop of Taller Portobelo (the Portobelo Workshop) was founded in the mid-1990s as an artist cooperative dedicated to the preservation of Congo history and culture through works of art. The founders include the renown photographer Sandra Eleta, Virgilio “Yaneca” Esquina, a leading member of the Congo community and artist, cultural investigator and educator Dr. Arturo Lindsay. Portobelo is nestled in a bay on the Caribbean coast of the Republic of Panama.
The Congos are descendants of cimarronesmaroons. On January 20th - St Sebastian’s feast day - the Congo flag is raised declaring that Tempe de Soto, meaning, “our time” has begun. This period is dedicated to the remembrance of their ancestors through a series of festive performances know as el juego de Congo
Congo Art, Aesthetics and the Visual Culture of Taller Portobelo is a slide/video/lecture that provides an insider’s understanding of a new Afro-centric Panamanian art movement known as Arte Congo that was born at Taller Portobelo. This presentation explores Congo traditions by examining how the artists of Taller Portobelo recount the history of their ancestors by memorializing past, present and unknown Congos. Seminal to Arte Congo is the depiction of the beauty of the Black woman. This presentation includes a description of Congo social structure, music, dance, language, unscripted traditional performances, the use of buffoonery as a subterfuge, material culture, intangible cultural expressions and more.
The paintings of five original artists of Taller Portobelo are carefully examined based on the ways in which the artists manipulate the elements of art and principles of design in constructing their work. Close attention is paid to African aesthetic retentions in the art of Taller Portobelo.
▼ cont from front page
MURAL UNVEILING
Our Fall 2024 Pamela Nicole Cummings Visiting Artist, Angelika Wallace-Whitfield, has brought a vibrant vision to life with a stunning mural celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Research in Black Culture and History.
Renowned for her dynamic use of color and storytelling through art, Angelika has channeled the spirit and history of the Stone Center in a breathtaking piece that honors its legacy, community, and the late Dr. Sonja Haynes Stone.
Commissioned by Dr. LeRhonda Manigault-Bryant, the Director of the Stone Center, this mural is a tribute to the past and an inspiration for the future, making it a must-see landmark for visitors and locals alike.
2025 WRITERS DISCUSSION SERIES
April 10: 3:30PM | Bulls Head Bookshop
Sexual Violence and American Slavery – The Making of Rape Culture in the Antebellum South by Shannon Eaves
Book Description: It is impossible to separate histories of sexual violence and the enslavement of Black women in the antebellum South. Rape permeated the lives of all who existed in that system: Black and white, male and female, adult and child, enslaved and free. Shannon C. Eaves unflinchingly investigates how both enslaved people and their enslavers experienced the systematic rape and sexual exploitation of bondswomen and came to understand what this culture of sexualized violence meant for themselves and others.
Eaves mines a wealth of primary sources including autobiographies, diaries, court records, and more to show that rape and other forms of sexual exploitation entangled slaves and slave owners in battles over power to protect oneself and one’s community, power to avenge hurt and humiliation, and power to punish and eliminate future threats. By placing sexual violence at the center of the systems of power and culture, Eaves shows how the South’s rape culture was revealed in enslaved people’s and their enslavers’ interactions with one another and with members of their respective communities.
About the Author: Shannon Eaves is associate professor of African American History at the College of Charleston.
Bio: Shannon C. Eaves earned her Ph.D. in History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and currently serves as an Associate Professor of African American History at the College of Charleston. She specializes in 19thcentury U.S. History, African American History, and Slavery and Gender in the Antebellum South.
Her book, Sexual Violence and American Slavery: The Making of a Rape Culture in the Antebellum South, was published by UNC Press in 2024. This study examines how the rape and sexual exploitation of enslaved women created a rape culture that was woven into the very fabric of antebellum society, influencing daily life for both the enslaved and enslavers.
Eaves has been awarded postdoctoral research fellowships from the American Association of University Women and Rutgers University. At the College of Charleston, she serves on the executive board for the Center for the Study of Slavery in Charleston and the Committee on Commemoration and Landscapes.
2024 MOORE UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH APPRENTICE PROGRAM (MURAP)
Last summer, MURAP, under the leadership of Dr. Kumarini Silva, brought together talented undergraduate students interested in graduate education from UNC-Chapel Hill and universities across the country to spend 10 weeks at Carolina.
Student fellows worked closely with their faculty mentor to produce original research that they presented at Tuesday seminars, as well as at the 30th Annual MURAP Conference— themed ‘Solidarity’—which took place on July 23-24.
In addition to their research projects, students also participated in weekly seminar style workshops ranging from academic writing to communication and presentation, and graduate and professional development.
All of this was complemented by plenty of community building activities, including a special tour of the Kenan Football Center and Hall of Honor and a closing banquet that included student and faculty performances!
UNDERGRADUATE INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP (UISF)
UISF recipients are awarded up to $2,500 towards academic research or study in an international setting either as a primary or secondary source of support.
Although the fellowship encourages students to study in Africa or in an African diaspora country, there are no restrictions on the intended country of study. And, ideally, students are prioritizing research on communities within or topics relevant to communities of the African diaspora.
Students who plan to study abroad in the summer or fall of 2025, who are in good standing and enrolled full-time, are eligible to apply for the fellowship.
SEAN DOUGLAS LEADERSHIP FELLOWSHIP (SDLF)
The Sean Douglas initiative is an opportunity to support undergraduate students in their efforts to gain professional development experience through internships with the Stone Center’s director.
Led by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and the Douglas family, this effort memorializes Sean Douglas, a U.S. Army veteran, aviator, and community leader.
Through this initiative, fellows are to be awarded semesterlong paid fellowships and work directly with our director to develop meaningful leadership experiences on campus and in the surrounding communities.
The application deadline for the Summer or Fall of 2025 UISF and Sean Douglas Leadership Fellowship is March 28, 2025 at 5pm. Submit your application by email to: stonecenter@unc. edu, or you may hand-deliver to the Stone Center, Room 215, The Stone Center. For information call (919) 962-9001.
For more information or to apply, visit the Stone Center Website
DONOR SPOTLIGHT: BURROUGHS WELLCOME FUND
We are thrilled to spotlight the Burroughs Wellcome Fund for their generous support in selecting our Communiversity Youth Program as an award recipient. This recognition is not only an incredible honor but also a testament to the shared vision of empowering the next generation through education, community, and opportunity.
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund has long been a champion of transformative initiatives, and their support underscores the importance of programs that bridge the gap between academic achievement and community engagement. Their investment in the Communiversity Youth Program will directly impact our ability to provide mentorship, resources, and opportunities to youth who are eager to grow, lead, and make a difference in their communities.
With this partnership, we look forward to expanding our outreach, enhancing our programming, and continuing to create a lasting impact for years to come. Thank you, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, for believing in our mission and empowering us to dream bigger. Together, we are building stronger communities and brighter tomorrows.
STONE CENTER STAFF DIRECTORY
LeRhonda Manigault-Bryant Director 919-962-9001 rhon@unc.edu
Sheriff Drammeh Senior Program Manager 919-843-2669 sheriff7@email.unc.edu
Brittany Yarborough Executive Assistant 919-843-02668 blyarb@unc.edu
Javier Jaimes-Ayala Facilities Manager 919-962-7025 jaimes@email.unc.edu
Safiyyah Elahi Community and Undergraduate Programs Coordinator 919-962-9001 selahi@unc.edu
Kara Endsley Philanthropy Officer 919-962-9001 karase@unc.edu
Jordyn Cooper Admin Support Associate jordyjor@unc.edu
Rodney Whitmore Building Security Officer 919-962-9001 rwhitmor@email.unc.edu
Stone Center Faculty Leaders
Kumi Silva Faculty Director, Moore Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship Program (MURAP) kumi@email.unc.edu
Anna S. Agbe-Davies Faculty Co-Director, Student Learning to Advance Truth and Equity (SLATE) agbe-davies@unc.edu
Renée Alexander Craft Faculty Co-Director, Student Learning to Advance Truth and Equity (SLATE) renee.alexander.craft@unc.edu
Stone Center Library Staff
Gregg Moore Stone Center Library Manager 919-843-5804 moorejg@email.unc.edu
Brittany Monique Hutchison Graduate Assistant 919-843-5804 bhutchi@unc.edu
NEW STAFF
Kara Endsley is a seasoned professional with over two decades of experience in fundraising, program management, and training & development. Her impressive career includes work with a variety of prominent organizations, such as DePauw University, the American Heart Association, United Way of Central Indiana, North Carolina Central University, The Geena Davis Institute on Gender and Media, and the Winston-Salem State University Foundation.
She has a notable track record of delivering high-quality, engaging presentations and workshops on topics including cultural competency, media advocacy, coalition building, and strategic planning. Kara’s expertise has been sought after by a wide range of audiences across the US, including several states and federal agencies like the Substance Abuse Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA).
Kara holds a BA in Political Science from DePauw University and a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from Oakland City University. She recently earned a certificate in Fundraising Leadership from the Indiana University Lilly School of Philanthropy.
In her community, Kara is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., volunteers with Dress for Success and her church, Baptist Grove, and resides in Morrisville, NC, with her husband, Houston Vines.
Her dedication to enhancing the capacity and growth of large and small nonprofits and community organizations underscores her passion for service and commitment to underserved populations.
Jordyn Cooper is the Admin Support Associate at the Stone Center. She joined the center in 2024 and plays a key role in supporting the Moore Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (MURAP) and Student Learning to Advance Truth and Education (SLATE). Jordyn’s work includes supporting the development and implementation of academic programs, facilitating research opportunities for students, and promoting cultural awareness and understanding within the university community.
An interdisciplinary researcher, Jordyn’s academic focus has examined the intersections of race and its economic, cultural, and political impacts. Recently, her research has expanded to explore geographic effects, particularly the physical expansion of carcerality in response to political and social movements and its implications for various communities. She views research as an essential tool for understanding complex societal issues and driving meaningful change.
Jordyn holds a bachelor’s degree in Global Studies and Political Science from UNC Greensboro and a master’s degree in Global Studies from UNC Chapel Hill.
