Project Unity Listen and Learn Speaker Series: Curtis King, cultural pioneer and visionary

(The Dallas Examiner) – Curtis King, founder of The Black Academy of Arts and Letters Inc., shared the story on Nov. 13 of the humble beginnings that led to the formation of the culturally rich home for the arts known popularly as TBAAL.Born and raised in the small town of Coldwater, Mississippi, public schools were still segregated when King graduated high school in 1969.Related Stories Growing up, he developed a love of Black arts and culture, which led him to attend Jackson State University, an HBCU located in Mississippi. It was during his college years that he had the pivotal, life-changing experience of being mentored by Margaret Walker Alexander, author of the novel Jubilee and poetry collection For My People.“I was just so moved by this woman that I’d read about and had studied in high school, and here I am standing here in her office,” King said, recalling the first time he met her.The following year, Alexander was the keynote speaker for the Conference to Assess the State of Black Arts and Letters in the United States, a star-studded event held in Chicago in 1972. The conference was presented by the Black Academy of Arts and Letters. Known as...