LEWISBURG W.Va (WVDN) – The Greenbrier Historical Society is excited to announce that Board Member Janice Cooley has been selected as a Black Appalachian Storytelling Fellowship Awardee for 2024.
The National Association of Black Storytellers, Inc. (NABS) has selected six artists as the 2024 Black Appalachian Storyteller Fellows. Applicants with connections to six states in the areas designated by the Appalachia Regional Commission of KY, OH, TN, NC, VA, and WV were awarded. Recipients will receive a cash award of $5,000 to support their practice as a Black Appalachian storyteller and culture bearer with opportunities to examine, research, develop and perform and/or document the Black Appalachian storytelling tradition.
Additionally, the fellows receive funds for travel to and lodging at the 42nd and 43rd Annual National “In the Tradition…” Black Storytelling Festival and Conference. Fellows will be welcomed at an opening “Akwaaba Gathering,” and celebrated at the BASF Awards Ceremony during this year’s Festival and Conference in Buffalo, NY, Oct. 23-25.
Next year, the fellows will present during the 2025 festival and conference being held in Atlanta. A one-year membership to the National Association of Black Storytellers is also awarded as part of the fellowship prize.
The NABS Black Appalachian Storytellers Fellowship is made possible through partnerships and funding in part by Mid Atlantic Arts’ Central Appalachia Living Traditions Program and South Arts as part of the In These Mountains, Central Appalachian Folk Arts and Culture. This 3rd year fellowship is an adjudicated award recognizing artistic excellence in representation of Black Appalachian storytelling and cultural heritage.
The co-founders of the National Association of Black Storytellers, Inc. (NABS), Mother Mary Carter Smith and Mama Linda Goss (born and raised in Appalachia Tennessee) conceived the idea of a storytelling festival to give opportunities to African American storytellers to share the stories of their heritage. The first “In The Tradition…” Festival of Black Storytelling was held at Morgan State University (MSU) in 1983. Now in its 42nd year, the Festival and Conference will be in Buffalo, New York and co-hosted by NABS Affiliate, Tradition Keepers: Black Storytellers of Western New York. The 2024 Fellows will be honored and will receive an originally designed award by Tennessee Appalachian Folk Artist, Dena Jennings.
In releasing information about the awardees, NABS said the following: “West Virginia– Janice Lynn Cooley, a native of Lewisburg, WV, is the past President and current board member of the Greenbrier Historical Society. Janice has curated a series of Black Appalachian exhibits . “ Invisible Roots and Legends” was presented to the public through “stories” that provided an opportunity to not only observe but also to be “drawn-in” to clearly understand the lives and lifestyles of individuals and how they contributed and impacted the growth and development of the (Greenbrier County) community through different perspectives. “ Echoes of Slavery; A photographic View of African American History and Stories in the Greenbrier Valley” presented how remnants of slavery still exist in society today – witnessed through our penal system, voter suppression, and education practices. Cooley received the Human and Civil Rights Award from West Virginia Governor, Earl Ray Tomblin and the Martin Luther King Jr. State Holiday Commission in 2017 and has been featured in numerous media publications. She is also an active board member of the Greenbrier Community School, NAACP and an active member of her church Mt. Tabor Baptist.”
Al Emch, President of the Greenbrier Historical Society, said, “We are incredibly proud to call Janice a member of our Board and to work with her as she presents a unique perspective on the contributions of African Americans to our community under the most difficult of circumstances. Her pioneering work on these exhibits has received well-deserved recognition.”
Cooley’s latest project, Hidden History in Western Greenbrier County, is well underway as she and AmeriCorps Member Vicky Neal, assisted by students from Greenbrier West High School, gather oral histories and artifacts for an upcoming exhibit featuring the personal stories of the families associated with the Coal Mining, Timbering, and Railroading industries in that part of the county.
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