Find more Asheville Museum of History Events
Description
Join the Asheville Museum of History (AMoH) and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) on Tuesday, April 21st, from 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM via Zoom or at UNCA's Reuter Center for a special History Hour program: Affrilachia: Testimonies – An intimate portrait of Black Appalachian communities, with Chris Aluka Berry.
About the History Hour Program:
This talk showcases Affrilachia: Testimonies (University Press of Kentucky, 2024), the first photography book to honor rural Black communities of southern Appalachia. The event explores Black life, memory, and place in Appalachia through photography, oral history and poetry, offering a layered and intimate portrait of Affrilachian communities.
Chris Aluka Berry will have copies of Affrilachia: Testimonies available to sign and sell ($55).
About the Speaker:
Chris Aluka Berry (b. 1977) is a documentary photographer based in Marshall, NC. Raised in the American South by a white mother and a Black father, his upbringing fostered a lasting awareness of race, belonging, and representation—concerns that continue to shape his work and the stories he tells.
Aluka’s education began at The State newspaper in Columbia, SC, where he was named SC News Photographer of the Year four times and received the Ambrose Hampton Award for Outstanding Journalism and the Judson Chapman Community Journalism Award. After leaving the paper, he built a freelance career in Atlanta, producing work for Reuters, NPR, The Los Angeles Times, and The New York Times, as well as global corporate clients. His photographs have been exhibited nationally and are held in permanent collections throughout the United States, including the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Asheville Art Museum, and the High Museum of Art in Atlanta.
Aluka is currently working on Affrilachia: Testimonies Volume II.
Additionally, he teaches photography group workshops and provides photography coaching for individuals in NC and beyond.
Tickets:
$10 General Admission / FREE for OLLI & AMoH members. We also have no-cost, community-funded tickets available. We want our events to be accessible to as many people as possible. If you are able, please consider making a donation along with your ticket purchase. These donations are placed in our Community Fund, which allows us to offer tickets at no cost to those who could not attend otherwise. Tickets are limited for in-person lectures, so don't miss your opportunity to secure a spot!
* In-Person Tickets are limited *
Online Viewing:
Registrants will receive a confirmation email with Zoom link with which to view the program. For those attending in person, see "Location & Parking" below.
Location & Parking:
Reuter Center, home of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at UNCA -- 300 Campus View Rd, Asheville, NC 28804
Visitor Parking is available and free (only from 5PM - 6AM) at the Reuter Center, BUT you must register your vehicle through UNCA's Visitor Parking webpage on the day of the event.
For questions about this event:
Email education@ashevillehistory.org or call the Asheville Museum of History (AMoH) at 828-253-9231.
*This event is co-sponsored by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UNC Asheville*
Date & Time
Tue, Apr 21, 2026 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Venue Details
Reuter Center - UNCA/OLLI
300 Campus View RoadAsheville, North Carolina 28804
