Meet the director of the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission, Michelle Lanier.
Note: This program is a rebroadcast. It originally aired May 2, 2016.
Michelle Lanier’s roots in North Carolina are so deep that she describes “every branch of her family tree having at least a sapling that crosses into the state.” She has a great-grandparent who preached at the oldest black Episcopal church in the state, one who was salesmen on Durham’s Black Wall Street, and one who helped establish the state’s first black high school.
From a young age, Michelle Lanier has been curious about her roots and how history and culture shape the world around her. She did amonologueon Rosa Parks in5thgrade, attended a makeshift weekend school on African-American history in high school, and was mentored by important leaders inSouth Carolina’s historic Gullah community. In her adult life, she has turned her deep curiosity about the world into a profession. She has served as the curator of multicultural initiatives for the state’s historic sites, taught classes aboutoral history at Duke University, and now directs theNorth Carolina African American Heritage Commission.
Host Frank Stasio talks with Michelle Lanier about the forces that shape her, and how she aims to continue her family’s legacy of civic engagement in North Carolina.
Copyright 2016 North Carolina Public Radio
