Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
Affrilachian Agency and the Myth of Western North Carolina's Racial Innocence: The Integration of Brevard, NC
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
This case study addresses an understudied field of Appalachian historical scholarship by analyzing race relations and the integration of Western North Carolina in the mid-twentieth century. Tourism played a vital role in formulating public opinion and popular responses to integration in Brevard, North Carolina. Elites in the region deliberately manipulated and controlled public discourse in order to present a tranquil image to outsiders visiting the area. This deliberate control created a misleading and often wholly inaccurate picture of integration that future generations have held on to. Memory holds that the town desegregated voluntarily and without racial unrest, paving the path for other towns in the region. In reality, Transylvania County Schools only integrated after a court decision in Federal District Court forced compliance with federal law. Brevard did desegregate peacefully in comparison to lowland cities that monopolize the Civil Rights discussion. This peace was not the result of mountaineer’s racial innocence. Instead, this perceived tranquility was the result of deliberate control of public discourse by local elites.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Elisabeth Moore studies history at Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, NC. Her research focuses primarily on late nineteenth and twentieth century Appalachia, with a focus on Western North Carolina. This research has been presented at multiple scholarly conferences, and is currently submitted for publication.
Affrilachian Agency and the Myth of Western North Carolina's Racial Innocence: The Integration of Brevard, NC
This case study addresses an understudied field of Appalachian historical scholarship by analyzing race relations and the integration of Western North Carolina in the mid-twentieth century. Tourism played a vital role in formulating public opinion and popular responses to integration in Brevard, North Carolina. Elites in the region deliberately manipulated and controlled public discourse in order to present a tranquil image to outsiders visiting the area. This deliberate control created a misleading and often wholly inaccurate picture of integration that future generations have held on to. Memory holds that the town desegregated voluntarily and without racial unrest, paving the path for other towns in the region. In reality, Transylvania County Schools only integrated after a court decision in Federal District Court forced compliance with federal law. Brevard did desegregate peacefully in comparison to lowland cities that monopolize the Civil Rights discussion. This peace was not the result of mountaineer’s racial innocence. Instead, this perceived tranquility was the result of deliberate control of public discourse by local elites.
