In recognition of Black History Month, and in partnership with Community Remembrance Coalition Chatham (CRC-C), Chatham Community Library will host  Professor Glenn Hinson as he presents, "Hustling for a Bit of Liberty: The Activist Eloquence of Enslaved Poet George Moses Horton" on Saturday, February 28, from 11:00 am - 1:00 pm in the Holmes Family Meeting Room. This program is free and open to the public.

George Moses Horton (c. 1798–after 1867), was an African-American poet from North Carolina who was enslaved until Union troops, carrying the Emancipation Proclamation, reached North Carolina (1865). Horton is the first African-American author to be published in the United States. He is author of the first book of literature published in North Carolina and was known as the "Slave Poet".  Horton lived in slavery in Chatham County from 1800 to 1865. During that time he was inspired by the rural countryside, the people in his life, and his experiences as a slave to make up and perform poems to express himself. 

Professor Hinson is a folklorist who teaches in both the Anthropology and American Studies Departments at UNC, where his classes focus on African American expressive culture, racial reckoning, public memory, and their intersections. Glenn’s commitment to community engagement and restorative justice currently finds expression in the Descendants Project, an initiative where he works with undergraduate students to uncover the erased stories of lynchings in North Carolina , to discover the family histories of the victims, and to trace and interview their descendants, while working with communities to publicly honor these victims’ memories.

Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history.

Residents may visit the libraries’ website www.chathamlibraries.org, or contact the Library at (919) 545-8084 for information on this and other events and programs.

Members of the media interested in attending/covering this event are asked to please notify Public Information Officer Kara Lusk in advance at 919-542-8258 or kara.lusk@chathamcountync.gov.