“Breaking Free from Racism: Can White People Do It?” by John Huie

“Breaking Free from Racism: Can White People Do It?” will be presented by John Huie at the Sunday, January 21, 2024 meeting of the Ethical Humanist Society of Asheville, 2:30 – 4:00 pm at 227 Edgewood Rd, Asheville, NC. John will present in person. There will also be a Zoom option. All are welcome to attend.

John Huie is the subject of a book written by Bill Lightle, “Breaking Free: The John Huie Story”, published in November 2023, available at Malaprops and Amazon. It is a story of a Southern boy from Georgia, who found his way out of a profoundly racist culture to higher ground. The book and John’s presentation will highlight the cultural battles in the Deep South and throughout the United States and John’s inspiring journey influencing and being influenced as he worked for social justice and environmental sanity. Join John as he draws on his life experiences to stimulate discussion around the question of how white people can shed their racism — or can we?

John Huie emerged from humble roots in Albany, Georgia, to become a leader in both experiential education and environmental activism. John is the product of segregated public schools. He attended Davidson College on an athletic scholarship (when Davidson did not admit black students) and majored in American history and psychology. He earned a MA in American Studies from Emory University (wrote his thesis on segregationist Lester Maddox, who became Georgia’s governor in 1966), and earned his Ph.D. in Confluent Education from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

John is the former director of the North Carolina Outward Bound School (1977-1994) a character-building, wilderness-based program; founded and led the Environment Leadership Center of Warren Wilson College for eleven years and continues to work supporting older adults who face declining health find meaning and purpose. John is married to Jaan Ferree, native North Carolinian and former chair of the Asheville Public Arts Commission.