Lunch and Learn: African American Experiences in the Smokies

Lunch and Learn: African American Experiences in the Smokies: Making the Invisible Visible

African Americans have been present in Southern Appalachia from as early as the 1540s to the modern day. In our June Lunch and Learn, research assistant Atalaya Dorfield will share the history, stories, and experiences of Black life from the early 1540s to present day in what is now Great Smoky Mountains National Park and its surrounding areas.

Atalaya Dorfield is the research assistant for the African American Experiences in the Smokies project at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. She is from Charlotte, NC and currently resides in Asheville, NC. After completing her Bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in Art History at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Atalaya went on to earn a Master’s degree in Black British Writing at Goldsmiths, University of London. With a professional background in the Higher Education and Arts & Culture fields, she is passionate about educating and connecting communities with African American and other Black diasporic histories and cultures.

This Lunch and Learn event is in-person in the Museum’s Digital Learning Center; no RSVPs are required to attend this free event. It will also be livestreamed on the Museum’s website at TNMuseum.org/Videos.

Boxed lunches made by Apple Spice Nashville are available for purchase for $12 to enjoy during the event. The lunches will include a sandwich, chips, and a cookie. Lunch orders must be placed by noon on Tuesday, June 21. Please order your boxed lunch on the ticket registration page.