Weekend lecture kicks off Black History Month

Published 6:02 pm Thursday, January 30, 2014

BATH — Historic Bath State Historic Site is offering a perfect antidote for those suffering from cabin fever after this week’s winter story.

The site plans to host a lecture titled “John Day in Liberia: Southern Baptist Missionary and a Founder of the Republic” Saturday at 10 a.m. in the visitor center. The lecture, which kicks off Black History Month, is free.

But anyone wishing to attend should call in advance, advised site manager Leigh Swain.

“Since our speaker, Janie Leigh Carter, is traveling from Providence, N.C., it is possible there could be traveling difficulties for her due to the snow,” Swain said.

The lecture will offer the audience an opportunity to learn about the older brother of Thomas Day, a well known cabinetmaker.

“John Day emigrated to Liberia in 1830 as a participant in the American Colonization Movement,” Swain said. “Based on her research of Day’s letters, Ms. Carter will relay information about his theology, his views on race and slavery, the Liberian people, their culture and more.”

The lecture is made possible by a grant from the North Carolina Humanities Council, a statewide nonprofit and affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, according to Swain.

For more information or to check on the status of the lecture, call the Historic Bath State Historic Site visitors center at 252-923-3971.

Also coming up this month at Historic Bath, the site will host “Women’s Work Winter Workshop 2: Quill You Be My Valentine?” Feb. 12. Site interpreter Robin Suggs will lead the workshop, which focuses on the decorative art technique of twirling paper into intricate designs. Participants will design their own unique Valentine cards during the class, which begins at 10 a.m. Cost for the class is $5, which covers all materials. Space is limited so reservations are recommended.

On Feb. 20, the movie “42” will be screened in the visitors center auditorium beginning at 7 p.m. This free event celebrates the life story of Jackie Robinson, the first African-American Major League Baseball player, and his history-making signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers. The movie is rated PG-13.