Descendants of the Nine Former Slaves who Founded ASU in 1867 to be Hosted on Campus. President Ross to Bring Greetings & Descendant Gary Franklin to Share Insight About Founder that He's Uncovered.
WHEN: Nov. 21 (Tuesday), from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
WHERE: ASU’s Ralph D. Abernathy College of Education Auditorium, on Harris Way.
Alabama State University continues its 150th (Sesquicentennial) celebration during Thanksgiving-Week by hosting descendants of its founding fathers, the Marion Nine; who were all former slaves and who founded the school in Marion, Ala. in 1867 so that their community might be educated.
The event, which is titled “The Marion Nine and Their Descendants: A Genealogical Presentation,” is being held on Nov. 21 (a Tuesday), from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in ASU’s Ralph D. Abernathy College of Education Auditorium. The event is sponsored by ASU's National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture.
ASU's 15th president since its founding, Dr. Quinton T. Ross, Jr., will bring greetings at this historic event.
“As Alabama State University celebrates its sesquicentennial, we want to thank Dean Janice Franklin and the staff of the National Center for providing us with a program that brings to life the period surrounding the founding of Alabama State University and to describe how nine ex-slaves fought against incredible odds to establish a school that still stands 150 years later, Alabama State University,” Ross said.
Dr. Janice Franklin, director of ASU’s National Center, said speakers will recount the daunting conditions that confronted these heroic figures.
“The Marion Nine were courageous leaders of Marion, Alabama, who understood the importance of education at a time when former slaves had been persecuted for learning to read and write,” Franklin said. “Their brave, outstanding contributions, as founders of the Marion Institute, laid the foundation for the evolution of our prestigious institution of higher learning that we honor today as Alabama State University. ASU's National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture is proud to present an opportunity to learn more about these great men of Marion through the genealogical research of one of their descendants, Mr. Gary Franklin.”
Guest speaker Gary Franklin, one of the descendants of the Marion Nine and a genealogist/family researcher, traced his ancestry back to three of the Marion Nine. He will share the most exciting features of his extensive research and will attempt to put a human face on these pioneers. He will provide a genealogical presentation showing how he traced his family ancestry and identified two of the University's founders in his family-tree.
THE MARION NINE
The Marion Nine were nine former slaves who emerged out of post-Civil War Alabama's Black Belt and stepped-up and provided educational opportunities for a newly freed black population of residents. The former slaves founded the Lincoln Normal School in Marion, Ala., with $500 in 1867; which is the parent school of what was to become today's Alabama State University. Now in its 150th year as a school, Alabama State University, is one of the nation’s oldest institutions of higher education founded for black Americans and is a widely respected institution of higher learning, which welcomes students of all races.
Posted By: Reginald Culpepper
Monday, November 13th 2017 at 1:35PM
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