During Black History Month, everyone will have the opportunity to engage with the University’s students, staff and faculty whose influence and leadership have shaped opportunities for African Americans.

This opportunity is made possible by a self-guided historical tour of the University’s campus,  available through the Red, WhiteandBlack web app available on smartphones and other mobile devices. The historical tours are also available online for those who can’t access the app.

“The inspiration for the web tour was actually the first in-person tour that the Libraries helped organize [in] April 2011 that was led by Toni Thorpe of NC State’s African American Cultural Center and Professor Walter Jackson of the History Department. We had a large turnout and the information Ms. Thorpe and Dr. Jackson shared was fascinating,” Marian Fragola , director of program planning and outreach at N.C. State Libraries, said.

The large interest in the initial tours and talks, held by the N.C. State Libraries, the Department of History, and the African American Cultural Center, helped spark the idea for the web app. The initial tours consisted of discussions, led by Dr. Blair Kelley of the Department of History, and a walking tour led by Dr. Walter Jackson from the Department of History and Ms. Toni Thorpe of the African American Cultural Center.

“It’s also a wonderful gateway into our special collections, including Historical State, which has a wealth of information to discover about the history of the university. At the same time, if you have an opportunity to hear Ms. Thorpe and Dr. Jackson give the in-person tour, you shouldn’t miss it,” Fragola said.

The Red, White and Black app contains audio and showcases photos and significant events from the University’s  history. It’s also very convenient and easy to navigate through, from what students say.

“It was easy to use, and detailed. I feel that the app was very well designed and a creative way to incorporate the African American history into an ever-changing time. It’s something I would continue to follow up on,” Sharka Holmes, junior in agriculture business management, said.

The app features tours highlighting various locations on campus that hold significant experiences to the University’s history. Riddick Hall is one of the highlighted buildings in the app; it’s where the University’s first African American engineering students attended classes.

“I think the new app is a cool resource for educating everyone on the University’s rich history, important information they would have otherwise maybe not been exposed to,” Sarah Flecher , freshmen in College of Management, said.

Irwin Holmes is one of many historical African American leaders featured in the app. Holmes was the first African American student to earn an undergraduate degree from the University, in 1960, graduating with a degree in electrical engineering.  He also played collegiate tennis and served as co-captain of the University’s first integrated athletic team.

“Because N.C. State Libraries has such an amazing staff of talented digital technologies librarians, as well as incredible special collections with photos and information, we thought the app was a great way to extend the experience of the tour and make it available to anyone, anytime,” Fragola said.

To experience more of the University’s African American history, you can visit the AfricanAmericanCulturalCenter in Witherspoon Student Center. The African American Cultural Center will continue to celebrate Black History Month with a wide range of events for the rest of the month, and throughout the year.

“I think the web tour can enhance anyone’s experience of history for Black History Month because they can, on their own schedule, explore the spaces and places that have impacted African American students, staff, and faculty. You can be in an actual place on campus where history was made–and find out all about this history while you are standing there.  It can be a very immediate and powerful experience,” Fragola said.

One of the events includes a living wax museum held Saturday, February 11 in the Witherspoon Student Center. Student actors will portray different influential Americans of the past and present, including tennis star Althea Gibson and President Barack Obama, just to name a few. The event is free, and all are welcome to attend it. The living wax museum starts at 10 a.m., and will continue till noon.

“The reaction to the web tour has been great and we have gotten a lot of appreciative comments. For example, one faculty member sent us an email that said, ‘Excellent start to a [Black History] Month, which tapped into the “wired” generation who is not likely to know this history.’ We couldn’t be more pleased with that sort of feedback,” Fragola said.

To learn more about the Red, White and Black web app, visit http://www.lib.NCSU.edu/m/exhibits/redwhiteblack/