Each year, the UNC Visitors Center hosts a series of special tours related to Carolina’s history and landmarks, including the Black & Blue Tour, which focuses on African-American history of the University. At 3 p.m., Friday, Feb. 23, teaching assistant professor Robert Porter will lead this Priceless Gem walking tour, stopping by the UNC School of Government to view the SERVICE mural.

The SERVICE mural at the UNC School of Government, designed and painted in 2010 by artist Colin Quashie, honors the Greensboro Four. On February 1, 1960, these North Carolina A&T State University students launched a nonviolent sit-in movement in protest of racial segregation that spread to 54 cities in nine states. The mural also celebrates the contributions of dozens of African Americans to North Carolina. The SERVICE mural was made possible by funding from the Local Government Federal Credit Union (LGFCU).  

This distinctive walking tour emphasizes the 19th and 20th centuries in the University’s African-American history. The Black & Blue tour is intended to contribute to a greater understanding of our African-American past as we build a more diverse University and create a broader, more-inclusive perspective of Carolina’s history.

Robert Porter, the tour’s guide, has taught for more than 30 years in the Department of African, African American, and Diaspora Studies and has won numerous teaching awards. The tour begins at the UNC Visitors Center, located in the west wing of Carolina's Morehead Planetarium and Science Center at 250 East Franklin Street, and will last about 90 minutes.  

To learn more about the SERVICE mural, visit the School’s website.
To learn more about the UNC Visitors Center’s Priceless Gem tours, visit the University's website.