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MILLIGAN COLLEGE, TENN. (February 17, 2010) – Dr. C.H. Charlton, a local professor and pastor who also served as the first African-American mayor in Southwest Virginia, will speak at Milligan College as part of the college’s Multicultural Awareness Week. Charlton will deliver a lecture titled “From Hope to Fruition” on Thursday, Feb. 25, at 7 p.m. in Milligan’s Gregory Center for the Liberal Arts.
The event, which is free and open to the public, will also include an exhibit highlighting African-American contributions in Tennessee art.
Charlton has served as pastor of Friendship Baptist Church in Johnson City for 32 years. He is also an associate professor at Northeast State Community College, where he teaches reading, learning strategies, comparative religions, humanities, black studies and speed reading.
Charlton is a man of many “firsts,” which include his two-year stint as mayor of Radford, Va., making him the first African-American mayor in Southwest Virginia. He was also the first African-American member of the Radford Jaycees (Junior Chamber of Commerce), serving as the organization’s internal vice president and public speaking chairman. While in Radford, Charlton was a chemist and chief operator at a wastewater treatment plant. He was the organization’s first African-American employee.
After moving to Johnson City, Charlton served on the Johnson City Commission for four years, including two years as vice mayor, and he chaired the Charter Review Commission for the City of Johnson City. He has also served on the Johnson City Board of Education and the Johnson City Regional Planning Commission.
Multicultural Week also includes a screening of the movie “The Express,” on Monday, Feb. 22, at 6 p.m. in Milligan’s Hyder Auditorium. “The Express” depicts the true story of Ernie Davis, the first African-American football player to win the Heisman Trophy.
Other events during Multicultural Awareness Week include “Buffaloes Against Hunger Trivia Night” on Tuesday, Feb. 23, at 7:30 p.m. in the lower level of Milligan’s Seeger Memorial Chapel. Milligan’s chapter of Alpha Chi National Honor Society is sponsoring the event to raise money to purchase a water buffalo for a Filipino village through Heifer International, an organization that works with communities to end hunger and poverty by providing appropriate livestock, training and related services to small-scale farmers and communities worldwide.
Milligan will host a Multicultural Festival on Wednesday, Feb. 24, at 6:30 p.m. McMahan Student Center. The week will culminate with “FUSION Live,” an evening of music fun and food on Friday, Feb. 26, at 7 p.m. in the Gregory Center for the Liberal Arts.
For more information, contact Nathaniel Moultrie, Milligan’s director of diversity services, at 423.461.8492.