Aug. 23, 2017
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Chlorine Grigsby Carter will present “African American Life: A Personal Perspective” in the Archives and History Library at the Culture Center, State Capitol Complex in Charleston on Thursday, Aug. 31. The program, the fourth in the 2017 Block Speakers Series, will begin at 6 p.m. and is free and open to the public.
Carter was born the oldest of two children to the late Yorty and Lillian Grigsby. She attended McKinley Elementary in Pittsburgh until the age of eight when her family moved to Charleston. In Charleston, she attended Boyd Elementary and Junior High and graduated from Garnet High School in 1953. A year later, she married the late Herman Carter of Cabin Creek/Chesapeake, and they had three children: Jovalene Booker and Alexandria Acholonu, who are both deceased, and Maurice Carter of Stone Mountain, Ga. She has six grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and two step-granddaughters. Carter also is a member of the Levi First Missionary Baptist Church.
Carter has operated businesses in the Kanawha Valley, including a canteen for youth in Rand and the West Side and Clo’s Uptown Eatery, a family restaurant on the East End. She worked at the Coyle and Richardson Department Store, the Security Building, as a teacher’s aide in specialized reading at Rand Elementary, the registrar’s office at West Virginia State University and at BB&T bank for 23 years before retiring in 1995.
Carter also has been involved in many organizations in Charleston. She has been a member of Post 57 Auxiliary of the American Legion, Conservative Clubs Auxiliary, Charleston Women's Improvement League, American Cancer Society and the American Lung Association of Charleston. She currently is a member of The Silver Haired Legislature and has served as Speaker of the House.
“The Block” was once considered the heart of Charleston’s black community. It comprised a 25-acre area bounded by Washington Street East, Capitol Street, Smith Street and Sentz Court.
For additional information about the Archives and History lecture series, contact the Archives and History Library at (304) 558-0230.
Patrons may park behind the Culture Center after 5 p.m. on Aug. 31 and enter the building at the back loading dock area. The bus turnaround is open, and handicapped spots are available there. Visitors parking there should enter at the front of the building.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is proud to be able to present its programs at no charge to the public but without a solution to the state’s budget situation, this could be the last year that programs of this type could be offered. The division, led by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, is an agency within the Office of Secretary of Education and the Arts with Gayle Manchin, cabinet secretary. It brings together the past, present and future through programs and services focusing on archives and history, arts, historic preservation and museums. For more information about the division’s programs, events and sites, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
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