Manasota Association for the Study of African American Life, a local branch of the National ASALH, has hired Jada Wright-Greene as its first executive director.
ASALH’s Manasota branch serves Sarasota and Manatee counties and the surrounding areas and was founded in 1996. Manasota ASALH is currently the largest of the 50 sister branches nationwide and has seen significant growth over the past two years following the implementation of its Freedom School.
Previous coverage: Freedom School, local effort to teach Black history for Sarasota-Manatee students, returns
Wright-Greene’s background in art and history was significant to the current mission of ASALH organization, which is to promote African Americans and the arts, its board president Harold Young explained in a press release.
“Hiring Jada Wright-Greene creates a pivotal moment for the board. The board will face interesting and exciting challenges as it embarks upon its next level of community engagement,” Young said. “Wright-Greene will lend her talents to bridge our current membership to a new generation of professionals interested in disseminating the true history of Africa and African Americans.”