Print

Print

Dear Geography and Sustainability Community,

 

Please see announcement below. 

 

It is my great pleasure to announce the recent awarding of an honorary doctorate to Robert Booker just a couple of days ago.

 

Mr. (now Dr. ) Booker is a long-time friend of our Department. He has spoken at one of our Geography Awareness Week events and helped many students and faculty members partnering with the Beck Center to address the negative impact of urban renewal on Black Knoxville. 

 

Dr. Booker is a local treasure—historian, author, civil rights activist, journalist, former state elected officials, and a person with limitless kindness and desire to speak “truth to power.” What a well-deserved and long overdue honor for this legend.  

 

Thanks for your time,

DA

 

Derek H. Alderman, PhD

He / Him / His

Professor of Geography, Dept. of Geography & Sustainability

President-Elect, Faculty Senate

University of Tennessee

Member, Federal Advisory Committee on Reconciliation in Place Names (DOI)

https://derekalderman.com/

 

Subject: Congratulations Dr. Robert J. Booker

 

Doctor of Humanities Degree

What's Going On @ The Beck

 

View this email in your browser

 

 

African American History & Culture

 

 

Congratulations 


DR. ROBERT J. BOOKER

 

 

It is our pleasure to announce that during a formal ceremony on Saturday, February 10, 2024, the University of Tennessee Board of Trustees upon the recommendation of the Faculty and by authority granted to the President and Chancellor, has conferred on Robert J. Booker the degree of Doctor of Humanities.

 

 

We invite all to join with us in celebrating Dr. Robert J. Booker

 

 

I am delighted that my mentor and friend, Robert J. Booker, has been awarded an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree from the prestigious University of Tennessee, Knoxville. This well-deserved recognition is a testament to his unwavering efforts in researching and preserving the rich history and culture of African Americans in East Tennessee. Dr. Robert J. Booker's exceptional contributions to society have made a significant impact, and we are incredibly fortunate to have such an outstanding individual among us. His achievements are truly inspiring, and this honor is a fitting acknowledgment of his remarkable accomplishments.


Rev. Reneé Kesler
Beck, president

 

 

 

 

 

BECK MEMBERSHIP

 

Are You A Member of Beck?

We Need Your Support. If you have not joined Beck or renewed your Beck membership, please update your membership today. Your support of Beck keeps Beck going for generations to come.

For More Information Call Us Today at
865-524-8461 or Visit

http://www.beckcenter.net/beck-membership/


Absent of Beck, there is no single organization in the region providing this invaluable service. Beck is the storehouse of African American History and Culture.
 
THANK YOU

 

 

ABOUT BECK
Beck is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that was established in 1975 as a result of Knoxville’s Urban Renewal projects.  The Urban Renewal projects began in 1959 under Title I of the Housing Act of 1949. The projects relocated and displaced many Black families and businesses. Much of the heritage of the Black community was erased from the map. Except for one or two structures in the city and the historic buildings at Knoxville College, edifices that once stood as monuments to the struggles of early leaders no longer exist. Absent of the establishment of Beck, these places and the people may never have existed. 
 
Beck is the only organization in the region dedicated to local and regional African American history and culture.  Beck is the storehouse of African American history and culture and is designated by the state as a primary repository of Black history and culture in East Tennessee.


MISSION
To be the place where African American history and culture are preserved, nurtured, taught, & continued.
 

Beck is named in honor of James Garfield (1881-1969) and Ethel Benson (1897-1970) Beck, two of the most glamorous and influential members of the Black community in Knoxville during the period of the 1920s-1960s

 

BECK CULTURAL EXCHANGE CENTER
African American History & Culture 
1927 Dandridge Avenue
Office: 865.524.8461
www.BeckCenter.net 
Email: [log in to unmask] 

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
FREE OF CHARGE
Tuesday - Saturday | 10am-3pm
Extended hours by appointment only






-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- To review the archives of CLUBGGY or Join/Leave the list go to: http://listserv.utk.edu/archives/clubggy.html