A new book by the founding director of North Carolina African American Heritage Commission teaches children about the history of African Americans’ contributions to the state.
The book titled “My N.C. from A to Z” was written by Michelle Lanier, who advocated for legislation that created the commission, according to a news release from the state Department of Natural and Cultural Releases. She then served as its founding executive director.
In 2018 Lanier became the first African American director of North Carolina's Division of State Historic Sites.
Each letter of the alphabet represents African American people and places rooted in North Carolina. For example, B stands for Black Wall Street, which was a four-block area in Durham where African American enterprise thrived in the late 1800s and early 1900s. T stands for Thomas Day of Milton, a furniture maker in the 1800s whose pieces are still collected today.
The commission and the Office of Archives and History published the book this month.
Dare Coulter, an award-winning artist who specializes in public art, illustrated the book. The book can be ordered from UNC Press.
