Carolina Public Humanities has many public events planned. You can see them all at humanities.unc.edu/events/. Most require pre-registration. Many of them are free, and others are low-priced.
Read on for just a few of these events.
“She Will Be Quite a Manager”: From Plantation Owner to Girl Boss
Thursday, September 17, 2026
5:30 to 7 p.m.
Ackland Art Museum
101 S. Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, NC
Free (register at above link)
What do a Civil War-era plantation owner and a modern “girl boss” have in common? More than you think.
Adelicia Acklen and Dorothy Thomas were two of the most powerful plantation-owning women—one in the US South and the other in South America—but both wielded the power of ownership by deploying and playing on particular ideas of femininity. This talk traces their unsettling legacy into the present, asking what happens when women gain power within systems built on inequality.
The 21st Century Supreme Court
Tuesday, September 22, 2026
6 to 7:30 p.m.
Chapel Hill Public Library, 100 Library Drive, Chapel Hill, NC, and online
Free (register at above link)
In the past several years, the United States Supreme Court has handed down rulings that have reshaped voting rights, presidential power, elections, immigration, and many more aspects of American life. This panel discussion will dive into some of those recent decisions, providing context and exploring their implications, as well as examine the court itself and the ways its operations have changed.
Education for All? The Past, Present, and Possibility of NC Schools
Saturday, September 26, 2026
9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Chapel Hill Public Library, 100 Library Drive, Chapel Hill, NC, and online
Free (register at above link)
An All-Day Forum Designed for K-12 Educators and the Public
The story of public education in North Carolina is complex. The state’s Declaration of Rights places a right to an education alongside other rights like religious liberty and jury trials. Yet, since Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, judicial, executive, and legislative branches of state government have been inconsistent in their treatment of race and economic inequality, shaping the education of the state’s schoolchildren. While all schoolchildren are guaranteed a sound, basic education in North Carolina, excellence has sometimes proven elusive.
This free, all-day forum, geared towards educators and community members alike, reflects on the 70th anniversary of North Carolina’s adoption of the Pearsall Plan—the state’s unsuccessful legal effort to resist practical implementation of racial desegregation. The program will delve deeply into the history and potential futures of public education in North Carolina through talks and activities examining court cases, legislation, case studies, and classroom perspectives.
This forum, presented in collaboration with the Chapel Hill Public Library, will gather UNC-Chapel Hill scholars, North Carolina educators, and other experts to explore one essential question: How do we best serve our children?
Eudora Welty’s Words and World — Talk & Reception
Monday, October 12, 2026
5 p.m.
Love House, 410 E Franklin St, Chapel Hill, NC
Free (register at above link)
Presented in partnership with Southern Cultures
Join us for a free reception and talk on Eudora Welty’s life and legacy, featuring Durham photojournalist Kate Medley and Michael Pickard, Eudora Welty Chair of Southern Literature at Millsaps College, who recently co-authored an essay on Welty’s home in Southern Cultures. The talk will be hosted by Bill Ferris, folklorist and emeritus professor of History. Complimentary drinks!
Japanese Calligraphy in Performance with Kuniharu Yoshida
Thursday, November 5, 2026
7 p.m.
Current ArtSpace
123 W Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC
Free (register at above link)
Presented in partnership with INSITE Asia.
Kuniharu Yoshida is a Japanese calligrapher and hip-hop dancer based in Los Angeles. He was born into a family of generational master calligraphers and has spent decades practicing traditional calligraphy and finding ways to merge it with contemporary forms of artistic expression. This free performance will merge ink, paper, and movement for a unique experience at the intersections of cultures and arts.
More Than War: Staged Reading and Community Conversation
Saturday, November 7, 2026
2:30 p.m.
Burning Coal Theatre
224 Polk Street, Raleigh, NC
Free (register at above link)
In 1942, Turner Garwood Williams was a student at NC State College navigating both his studies and training to join the fight in World War II. More Than War, created from a trove of letters, drawings, and other documents written between 1942 and 1946 and discovered in a basement decades later, tells Turner’s story in his own words as he navigates transitions into adulthood, life as an infantryman, and enduring love. Published first as a book, this documentary-style play harnesses the tools of the theatre, giving voice to the letters in a new way.
Join CPH for a staged reading of the play script, still in development, and a community conversation afterward about primary source documents, family stories, and how we hold onto our humanity through difficult times.
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More Events
Check out our list of free and cheap events in Raleigh and the rest of the Triangle this weekend, or our full event calendar in the Triangle, or just look at few upcoming events here:
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