Activists and Scholars. Highlander Research and Education Center It was founded in 1932 as Highlander Folk School by Myles Horton, Don West and Jim Dombrowski.

Activists and Scholars

Highlander Research and Education Center

•It was founded in 1932 as Highlander Folk School by Myles Horton, Don West and Jim Dombrowski.

•Originally located in Monteagle, its first mission was organizing southern workers. By the early 40s, this included both blacks and whites.

Miles Horton Zilphia Horton

•Even before the landmark 1954 Supreme Court case, Highlander hosted workshops on civil rights.

•The Citizenship School Program taught basic literacy to people who could then pass the literacy test for voting.

•Southern political leaders began a campaign against Highlander.

•Billboards like the following began to appear.

•King had indeed participated in Highlander workshops, as did Rosa Parks.

•The idea for the Montgomery bus boycott was born at Highlander.

Septima Clark and Rosa Parks at Highlander in the late 1950s.

Highlander Library

•The House Un-American Activities Committee held hearings regarding the school’s Communist ties.

•The charter was revoked in 1961 and the property sold at auction.

•Horton reopened under the present name in Knoxville, then moved to the present grounds in New Market.

•Guy and Candy Carawan made music an essential part of Highlander’s organizing.

Carawan page

•In the seventies the mission of Highlander shifted to land use and community organizing in Appalachia.

•Horton retired in 1972, and Mike Clark became director.

•Under John Gaventa, Highlander played a key role in the Who Owns Appalachia? study.

Current Highlander Programs

Appalshop

Helen Lewis at the 2001 ASA Conference

On the left, former CVC faculty Wilburn Haydon. On the right, ASU Appalachian Studies director Patricia Beaver.

Highlander Director Suzanne Pharr

Donovan Cain, standing. Rich Kirby, seated.

Wilburn Hayden left CVC when Dean Emmet Low abolished the social work program while Helen Lewis was on leave.

Second from left, Shaunna Scott, Paul Salstrom, Robert Weise

Center, Alan Banks

Phil Obermiller

Gordon McKinney

John Gaventa

KY activists and scholars during the NCAA Basketball Tournament