Women of The Movement

Bio of our guests presenters.

Biography of Minerva T. King

Born in Charleston, South Carolina Minerva Brown King graduated from Burke High School and went on to earn the B. A. Degree in sociology from Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri. She continued her education at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) In Tuskegee, Alabama and Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio. She received the Master of Science Degree in Library Science from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. She received the Masters Plus 30 Hours from the Citadel in Charleston and in 2007 received National Board Certification in the field of Library Media.

A former social worker and counselor, Ms. King worked as a librarian, library manager, library media specialist and adjunct professor for a total of 35 years. Since 1992 she has devoted herself to the art of storytelling, using this art for educational and entertainment purposes.

Retiring from St. John’s High School on Johns Island after 18 years, Ms. King now divides her time and talent between her multicultural storytelling business and various civic and religious organizations. Among these are the Charleston Area Justice Ministry, Links, Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, The Association for the Study of African American Life and History, the NAACP, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church vestry, the Altar Guild, The Episcopal Church Women and the Racial Justice and Reconciliation Commission of the Episcopal Diocese in South Carolina. She also serves on the board of the Avey Institute of the College of Charleston.

Growing up in Charleston in the 1950’s and 1960’s in a family deeply involved in the Civil Rights Movement and as the original plaintiff in the local school desegregation case, has endowed Ms. King with a deep sense of community commitment which continues to this day.

Dr. Brown is a lifelong community advocate and spokesperson for economic, social and educational improvements in exploited neighborhoods and communities of color throughout the South, the nation and the world. She specializes in ongoing analysis of the modern civil rights movement, and explores social justice dynamics and intersections of race, gender, caste and class in contemporary society.

 

Brown is co-founder and Project Director of an oral history initiative to identify the “first children”, like herself, to desegregate previously all-white schools (Somebody Had to Do It Project). She has held a variety of history and museum related faculty positions and serves as consultant for numerous museums, historic sites and social justice programs in North and South Carolina.

Ph.D. Florida State University

M.Ed. The Citadel

B.A. College of Charleston

 

Faculty positions held at Claflin University, North Carolina A&T State University, Guilford College, Hofstra University, Bennett College for Women and College of Charleston

Marvin Ross, founder of Peculiar Pig Farm in Summerville, SC.

When Marvin left for college, Ross considered studying forestry, but decided on business management instead. A couple of years into his studies, his grandfather died. Ross returned to the old land, which had gone untended for years, after graduating. In 2009, Ross founded Peculiar Pig Farm, named for the way he remembers watching his grandfather’s hogs shuffle around. He started taking pigs to the market, following the path his grandfather had shown him, and has gradually grown his practices from there.

Marvin farms 12 acres of land, a fraction of what his grandfather once had. Ross raises Yorkshire, Hampshire and Red Duroc hogs, which he rotates through the woodlots and pastures before spreading seeds, as well as chickens and ducks. Later this year, he plans to add geese to the pack, and then he hopes to introduce row crops, working his way up to running an operation similar to the one his grandfather had. “My goal is to do everything that he was doing,” says Ross. “If you integrate everything together, you have a sustainable model. It cuts down on your fertilizer, it cuts down on everything you have to add to your crops, because the animals are doing a majority of the work.”  **Excerpts from Modern Farmer Magazine

Marvin appeared in the Netflix original documentary “High on the Hog” based on the book by the same name by food historian and author Jessica B. Harris.  

He appeared in episode 2 in the segment that was filmed on Daufuske Island with Chefs Sallie Anne Robinson and BJ Dennis. He supplied the hog and assisted BJ Dennis  roast the hog overnight.  We are truly blessed to have Marvin to roast the hog for this event.