WELCH, W.Va. – Acclaimed historian and author Dr. William (Bill) H. Turner, author of The Harlan Renaissance: Stories of Black Life in Appalachian Coal Towns will give a presentation at the Jack Caffrey Arts and Cultural Center on Monday, February 6th, 2023 starting at 6:00 p.m.

Dr. Turner, the fifth of ten children, was born in 1946 in the coal town of Lynch, Kentucky, in Harlan County. His grandfathers, father, four uncles and older brother were coal miners.

Bill has spent his professional career studying and working on behalf of marginalized communities, helping them create opportunities in the larger world while not abandoning their important cultural ties.

He is best-known for his ground-breaking research on African-American communities in Appalachia, but Bill’s work is universal. As an academic and a consultant, he has studied economic systems and social structures in the urban South and burgeoning Latino communities in the Southwest.

What he strives for on behalf of his clients and their communities is what we all want: prosperity, understanding and respect.

The event is free of charge and will feature remarks from the author, a book signing and refreshments for the audience.

Today, Bill and his wife, Vivian – the retired President of the R.J. Reynolds Foundation in Winston-Salem, N.C. – live near their children and grandchildren in Houston.

While in West Virginia, Dr. Turner will also visit New River Community College and Bluefield State University as part of their 2023 Black History Month events.