George Moses Horton was born into slavery in Northampton County, N.C. in the late18th century. He was enslaved in rural Chatham County for most of his life, yet he built a remarkable career for himself off the plantation.
As a child, George secretly taught himself how to read, and as a teenager he began making trips to Chapel Hill where he composed poems for students on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus.
Horton eventually became the first African American in the South to publish a book, and many of his works are now housed atUNC-ChapelHill’s Wilson Library.
The new children’s book “Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton” (Peachtree Publishers/2015) tells the story of George Moses Horton and celebrates his lasting legacy.
Guest host Phoebe Judge talks to author and illustrator Don Tate, and North Carolina Collection curator Bob Anthony about the collection of George Moses Horton works atUNC. Tate launches his book at UNC-Chapel Hill's Wilson Library tonight at 5 p.m.
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