Chris Aluka Berry, Affrilachia: Testimonies Author Discussion

Join us at the Cashiers Community Library for a captivating discussion with author and photographer Chris Aluka Berry. Chris is a photographer who lives in Western North Carolina. He grew up among the pine trees and cotton fields of rural South Carolina. His upbringing in the South by his white mother and Black father made him sensitive to questions of racial representation, which influenced his early foray into photography and continues to inform the questions he asks and images he makes.

Berry will present his book, Affrilachia: Testimonies, a visual history book that honors and celebrates the Black communities of the southern Appalachian Mountains.

Spending six years immersed in the communities of western North Carolina, northeast Georgia, and eastern Tennessee, Berry captures the voices and experiences of African Americans who have called Appalachia home for generations. Through his powerful photography and storytelling, he brings to life the diversity and shared spirit of Black Appalachians.

Completing this comprehensive collection are compelling narratives from the people who call these places home, along with insightful contributions from Appalachian writers Kelly Elaine Navies and Maia A. Surdam. Their poignant poems and essays provide historical context and enrich the book’s archival significance.

Location: Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library

Details: Free and open to the public

This event is a collaboration between the Cashiers Historical Society and the Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library. It is part of the Cashiers Historical Society’s Mountain Heritage Series and Black History Month programming.