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On Feb. 1, 2025, over 100 North Carolina educators, education leaders, and stakeholders gathered for the DRIVE Coalition Annual Summit. This year’s theme was “Whatever They
See is What They’ll Be: Elevating the Legacy of Black Education through Dr. Charlotte Hawkins
Brown.”
According to a press release, the event highlighted the contributions and ongoing impact of Hawkins Brown, celebrated Black education, and strategized solutions for diversifying the state’s educator workforce.
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Known as “The First Lady of Social Graces,” Hawkins Brown was an impactful educator for over 50 years. Born in Henderson in 1883, her family relocated to Massachusetts in 1888 as a means of escaping the Jim Crow South, according to North Carolina Historic Sites (NCHS).
There she received her earlier education and met educator Alice Freeman Palmer, who became a mentor and the namesake for the school founded by Hawkins Brown following her return to North Carolina.
According to NCHS, what began as a two building school for African American students on 200 acres in Guilford County would go on serve more than 1,000 students until its closing in 1971. Currently, the location houses the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum and serves as the burial grounds for the school’s founder.
This brief account of her impact is a mere glimpse of the profound legacy that the Dudley Flood Center of for Educational Equity and Opportunity (Flood Center) is preserving, honoring, and continuing.
About the DRIVE Summit
DRIVE stands for Developing a Representative and Inclusive Vision for Education. The DRIVE Coalition is a statewide initiative dedicated to increasing diversity in North Carolina’s educator workforce through research, policy, and strategic action.
Since the close of 2023, the Flood Center has served as the governing body for the coalition, stemming from the previous DRIVE Task Force. To learn more about the DRIVE coalition, click here.
Dr. Cherrel Miller Dyce served as the keynote speaker for the summit, held at the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Museum in Gibsonville. Miller Dyce spoke to the impact and lessons we can learn from Hawkins Brown’s work today.
“Dr. Hawkins Brown did her best to protect her students and the school. She provided every
opportunity to give them a well-rounded education with a careful eye for safety, community,
meaning making, and freedom dreaming,” Miller Dyce said. “Beloved Community, we are
not people without hope. Dr. Hawkins Brown showed us what’s possible.”
The summit also featured breakout sessions and panel discussions focused on culturally responsive pedagogy, strategies for retaining teachers of color, and the role of collaboration and partnerships in supporting diversity in education.
The press release stated that sessions included:
- A workshop on culturally responsive pedagogy, led by affiliated practicing teachers
with the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, that provided educators with strategies to integrate Black history into their classrooms. - A panel discussion, “Building Networks of Support: Strategies for Retaining Educators of Color,” moderated by Dr. Deanna Townsend Smith, Senior Director of the Flood Center, that featured experienced educators sharing models for mentorship and professional development.
- A closing session, “Empowering the Next Generation,” that featured reflections from Dr.
Dudley Flood and Dr. James Ford on actionable next steps for advancing the goals of
the DRIVE Coalition.
“This event offered the wisdom and insight we needed in this moment to continue to move forward despite perceived challenges,” said Townsend Smith. “We must remember to never again stop doing the necessary work individually, collectively, and forever.”
Announcing the fellowship
As part of the summit, the Flood Center announced the Charlotte Hawkins Brown Fellows Program, a new initiative designed to support and elevate educators of color in North Carolina. The six-month fellowship will provide professional development, mentorship, and community-building opportunities for teachers committed to fostering equity in education.
Applications for the fellowship will open on Feb. 17, 2025, and the fellowship will run from June to December 2025. Visit the Flood Center’s website for information about the organization and the upcoming fellowship.
