Gov. Bev Perdue will be the keynote speaker at Livingstone College’s Founders’ Day Convocation next Thursday, according to college officials.
The event begins at 10 a.m. in Varick Auditorium on the campus, located at 701 W. Monroe St.
This will be Perdue’s first appearance in Salisbury since she took the oath of office earlier this month, becoming the first woman to serve as governor of North Carolina.
She visited Salisbury at least twice during the campaign season.
Thursday, as she proclaimed February to be Black History Month, Perdue alluded to Barack Obama, who took office just a few days after she did.
“Celebrating Black History Month this year is even more relevant as we honor the inauguration of the nation’s first African-American president,” Perdue said in a press release Thursday.
When she speaks at Livingstone, she’ll be on the campus of a private, historically black college steeped in history ó going back to its first president, Dr. Joseph Charles Price (1854-1893), who was a scholar, preacher, orator and advocate for the common man. Price sought to educate the whole man ó his hands, his head and his heart.
The college was founded in 1879 ó 130 years ago.
As part of the Founders’ Day celebration, the college will dedicate two facilities, the Learning Center and a new dormitory.
Following the convocation, a wreath ceremony and the litany for the dedication of the two facilities will take place.
Dr. Jimmy R. Jenkins, the 12th president of Livingstone, will preside over the day’s activities. The event is free and open to the public.