You can learn more about the history of desegregation and profiles of those who have shaped the area during a September 9 meeting in Oak Ridge.
It’s a kick-off meeting for Women’s Interfaith Dialogue of Oak Ridge. It is scheduled to start with a brief meet-and-greet at 10:45 a.m. Monday, Saturday 9, at St. Stephens Episcopal Church at 212 North Tulane Avenue, and the program will start at 11 a.m.
Rose Weaver—an active member of the Oak Ridge community, a poet, and a historian—is currently working on researching the history of desegregation of the area and the people who have had the greatest impacts in shaping Oak Ridge, a press release said.
Weaver will also speak about the exciting NAACP Tennessee State Convention that is being hosted in Oak Ridge from Thursday, September 26, through Saturday, September 28, the press release said.
Weaver is a vital part of the Blossom Center and served as a teacher at the Scarboro Learning Center, the press release said. During the past 15-plus years, Weaver and her late brother, Terry Weaver, have been gathering oral histories and artifacts for a traveling exhibit that tells the stories of the rich history of Oak Ridge. She will bring a portion of this exhibit with her to the September 9 meeting, the press release said. Titled “African-American Experience in Oak Ridge during the later 1940s-1950s,†the exhibit has traveled throughout Tennessee over the years. Through the viewing of this exhibit, she could help all the people of Oak Ridge learn more about their history and help them to “awaken our determination and resolve, and as well embrace the untold contributions to the Secret City,†Weaver said in the press release.
“We can do so much in the community if we can sit down and blend our issues and concerns into opportunities,” Weaver said. “We all just seek the essentials: food, shelter, housing, and finally, fairness in all assets of life.â€
Weaver graduated from Berea College in Kentucky and earned her master’s in government contracting while working at the Oak Ridge Department of Energy facility, where she retired after 37 years. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, East Tennessee Contracting Management Association, and the NAACP. She is also active at Spurgeon Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church, where she serves as Christian education director and superintendent of its Sunday School.
Women’s Interfaith Dialogue Group brings together women of diverse faith, color, and culture to explore, understand, and learn from one another for the purpose of advancing justice, compassion, friendship, and human rights with a focus on women and children. All are welcome, the press release said.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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