Mars Hill University

(MARS HILL, NORTH CAROLINA)

Purpose of the project

The 2020-2021 academic year was challenged by COVID-19 pandemic setbacks, social unrest, national elections, and racial justice demonstrations. A new coalition involving students, staff, and faculty from Mars Hill University (MHU) helped to address key issues. MHU, a four-year, private, liberal arts historically white institution (HWI), is located in the Blue Ridge Mountain town of Mars Hill which is in Madison County, NC. MHU has the largest percentage of enrolled students of color than any other higher education institution in Western North Carolina. Amid all of this, three MHU students were able to mobilize community members and campus leaders to support racial justice initiatives. The students and community members of the Madison County Racial Justice Coalition (MCRJC) developed a plan to increase community awareness of Racial Justice issues and to promote an environment that is welcoming and affirming to all people of color. The team leveraged its $6,000 grant from the Bonner foundation to help raise awareness about racial issues in Mars Hill and Madison County. They shaped local policies, including persuading city aldermen to pass a resolution.

The MCRJC presented a unique model for campus and community organizing, with its membership comprised of representatives from Mars Hills University, Downhome North Carolina, ROAR (Rural Organizing and Resilience/Against Racism), and the Alliance of Baptists. The coalition seeks to model strong positive allyship to the communities of color in Madison County in a commitment to racial equity while advocating for the rights of people of color with law enforcement, elected officials, and public institutions through policy. The team especially prioritized the development of racial justice education in the school system and community, gathering and sharing information on bias and residents’ experiences of discrimination with law enforcement, as well as influencing the hiring process of the new sheriff to foster and promote inclusiveness. Grant funds were leveraged to support four organizations that represent, support, and address the needs of local communities of color, including La Esperanza, Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church, ROAR, and Downhome North Carolina.

These Bonners worked with the Madison County Health Department and the YWCA of Asheville to host a community-wide Racial Justice Training day. The YWCA provided the content and facilitators for this training, which focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Participants learned terminology about racial justice, reflected on intersectionality, and connected with community members interested in creating change within themselves and the community.

In the predominantly white community of Madison County, it was the first time that a training on terms, trends, and issues of racial justice was offered. Event participants included elected officials, a town manager, the democratic chairperson, staff from the health department and community services, and staff from community partners.

Meet the Team LEADERSHIP

Team leaders included Caroline Twiggs: Assistant Director of Community Engagement at Mars Hill College along with three students, Jon-Laurence Fleming, Sam Thomas, and Amber Vernon. Caroline, a Bonner graduate of Berea College, works to meet the needs of the community through connecting faculty and students to agencies and nonprofits in the region. She is passionate about teaching, building sustainable relationships, and making a deep impact on identified community needs. Caroline teaches about public policy, social change, and leadership within Mars Hill’s Certificate in Community Engagement and in Social Work. She also serves on the Committee for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Jon-Laurence (JL) Fleming is a rising senior majoring in Integrated Health Science. JL hopes to become a Physical Therapist. “Racial Justice is important because we need to confront the problems in America that have created inequality and racism. If we don't confront these problems then nothing really changes,” he says. Sam Thomas is a rising senior. Sam played a big role in working with the town’s Aldermen, effectively its City Council. Sam recounted how sharing information and stories was an effective strategy to building common ground. People want to be proud of where they live, he suggested. Sam found that this work with government has motivated him to consider career interests in the public sector. Finally Amber Vernon, a junior at Mars Hill University was born and raised nearby in Asheville NC. Amber is a social work major as well as a psychology minor and getting a certificate in community engagement. She decided on this career path because for as long as she can remember all she's wanted to do is help people. Team members praised Amber for all that she did to keep their work moving throughout the year.

WORKING WITH CITY ALDERMEN on ToWN POLICIES

Some of its early work included meeting with town leadership to discuss ways to shift public policies and practices to be more sensitive to local Black residents, who often experienced fear, underrepresentation, and discrimination. On February 1, 2021, the Mayor and Board of Aldermen signed a local resolution recognizing the town’s history and how African American's played a vital role in building the town and Mars Hill University. Town Manager Nathan Bennett said the town administration met with community and university leaders to explore steps the town could take in response to national events last year. Mars Hill University Bonner Scholars played a big role in writing the resolution, with the support and assistance of faculty and other members of the coalition. The goal of the resolution is to support efforts for racial equality and to reinsure that the Mars Hill community is a safe place for people of color living in the community or visiting. 

“Mars Hill had traditionally been known as a sundown town and when the town Aldermen heard that they were shocked and wanted to change that,” Caroline said. JL and his team expressed that the passing of this resolution held deep significance to themselves and the community because it is a declaration of intent to center and address the needs of racial equity within this community.“We actually had the town manager reach out and ask us if we’d like to put together this proclamation for racial and social justice,” JL said. “It's even more impactful that they wanted it done.” Sam added that the coalition was continuing conversations with Aldermen about other city policies and practices, including the hiring of a new sheriff with prior training around anti-racism.

The Madison County Racial Justice Coalition also planned and held a Community Conversation about Race with Mars Hill Town Leadership and Aldermen in April. Five members of the town leadership and six MHU students (including an incoming student) engaged in a conversation with the goal to have an open dialogue around students’ experiences, and to learn more about the Aldermen’s perceptions. Students in the Coalition worked hard to make the conversation happen. The team also persuaded Kathryn Liss, a professor of Sociology at Mars Hill University and expert mediator, to help facilitate conversations about Black-and White-racism.

COllaborating with local schools and teachers

The MHU students worked with Madison County Middle School and Madison County Early College teachers to order and deliver books, DVD’s, posters, and handbooks to the schools. This deeply impacted the teachers who expressed interest in teaching this curriculum but had frustrations with lack of resources for their students. These efforts helped them deepen relationships with the local schools and teachers. “Our group really decided to get some curriculum going for other schools because since Mars Hill is in such a rural area, they don't have a lot of stuff on Black history,” student leader JL explained.

“We wanted to educate people on racism, all the discrimination, and privilege – everything we could about racial justice.” The team engaged and funded its community partner ROAR (Rural Organizing and Resilience/ Against Racism), equipping ten Madison County public school teachers with anti-racist curriculum and books. In Spring 2020, these teachers participated in an educational trip to Montgomery, Alabama to learn about the Civil Rights Movement. This year, teachers will incorporate their learning and experiences into their classrooms and curriculum.

The coalition also engaged and funded its community partner, the Madison County Racial Justice Coalition, to plan educational workshops in the community about fostering dialogue and dismantling racism. Madison County RJC is modeling the training after Asheville's Building Bridges Program with hopes to collaborate with trainers in this program to create a model that is unique to their county and region and addresses their specific needs. The team intends to continue its work, engaging in a summer Strategic Planning Workshop in late July.

CREATING YOUTH INTERNSHIPS

Finally, the coalition is working to form a partnership with the local high school to provide a Racial Justice Internship and Mentoring Program. This would work on relationships in the community by pairing Bonner Scholars in the Racial and Social Justice Issue-Based Team with paid high school interns to share the work of providing training and producing racial equity curriculum development.

“The biggest impact that I saw is that we became a symbol of hope and peace for the people because they know that someone is fighting for them. No one was left out and everyone’s voices were heard. Our goal is to speak for the people of Mars Hill,” Sam said.

READ An ADDITIONAL PROFILE ABOUT
STUDENT LEADER JON-LAURENCE FLEMING HERE

to learn more

Mars Hill University featured a news article on the Town’s Proclamation here.

For more about the organization Downhome NC, visit their website.

For more information about the organization ROAR visit this site.