Henderson County’s Black History Research Committee was first established in the 1990’s to document the accomplishments and challenges of African Americans in Henderson County North Carolina. After publishing the pioneering book A Brief History of the Black Presence in Henderson County in 1996, the group remained dormant for twenty-five years.
In 2020, a group of local citizens came together to reconvene Henderson County’s Black History Research Committee. We are a diverse group that includes educators, entrepreneurs, a veteran, a communications technician, a librarian and a diplomat, all of whom share a common belief that we can better understand our community today by building a stronger understanding of its past.
With a small grant from the Dogwood Trust, and the support of modern technology, we are working to collect, develop and share further information about the history of African Americans in Henderson County. This website, which includes much of the original material from A Brief History of the Black Presence in Henderson County, is our first project. In the future the website will be expanded to include new research, oral histories, more recipes and more photos. This is a community project, by people of Henderson County, for the people of Henderson County.
Current members of the Black History Research Committee include:
- Ronnie Pepper, President
- Shirley Davidson
- Suzanne Hale
- Melinda Lowrance
- Ron Partin
- Johnny Washington
- Jerome Williams
- Terry Young
For further information contact Ronnie Pepper at: Pepper@BlackHistories.org.
Photo Credit – Mr. Jasper Hopper Sharing with Ry-Lei Young, by the Black History Research Group of Henderson County and Jakob Kindermann
