Speaker Bios, Video Clips & Articles Serena Wilson History Maker

We have chosen education as the bridge to understanding.

Dr. Howard L. Wilson - Retired Lt. Col., Musician, Husband & Father of three, Entrepreneur.

Born in Bramwell, WV he was the saluditorian of Bluestone High School Class of 1951, WV. He graduated from West Virginia State College with a Bachleors of Music degree and was the first national president of WVSU Alumni Association.  A retired Lt. Col., he served the US Army in Korea, Germany, Vietnam and USA. Decorations include Meritorious Service Medal, Bronze Star, Air Medal with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Gallantry Cross Medal with Palms. After serving twenty years, he retired and moved to Columbus OH and worked twenty years for the Department of Public Safety in the capacity of Assistant Safety Director, where he supervised the Administrative Operations of the Divisions of Police and Fire. Howard and Serena are co-owners of Plantation Quilts & gifts.

Affiliations:  He is a member of the Silver Honoree Club - West Virginia State University, ROTC Hall of Fame, Path Christian Ministries, Life member Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. Tau Chapter, Schomburg

Videos: We would like to share video clips, articles from previous presentations. 

Serena Strother-Wilson:   History Maker Bio Page for griot, master-quilter, educator and entrepreneur.

Affiliations: Quilters for Christ, Member of NAACP, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Alpha Sigma Omega Chapter (Golden) Life Member, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Path Christian Ministry Church, Friends of Freedom National Alumni of West Virginia State University, Bluefield State College, Wayne State University, Ohio State University (Grad. work), National Museum of African American History & Culture (NMAAHC), Underground Railroad National Freedom Center Charter Member, The National Museum of African American History and Culture 


Click on the CBS Video page link below to see Harry Smith at the Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Cincinati, OH and our family's contibution to its grand opening.

Serena Wilson on the Early Show CBS "Commemorating Slaves Freedom"

 MEDIA COVERAGE OF UGRR FAMILY QUILT CODE       

OPRAH Winfrey Show - Chicago IL

Essence Magazine, New York, NY

ABC News

National Geographic

    The History Maker's Index to Oral History Interview with Ms. Strother-Wilson "Oral History Project"    
(Index to 5 video taped interviews) 

"Simply Quilts" HGTV Program  Serena appeared with author Jacquelin Tobin and made the CrossRoads Quilt Block.

Appeared on Channel WCSC TV 5-Charleston, SC "Randolf's Journal with co-author Jacqueline Tobin     

ABC News - Interview co-author Raymond Dobard on the book Hidden in Plain View

Serena Wilson appeared on Community 19 TV Columbus, OH

The Daily News - Williamson, WV
Serena Wilson interviewed with her sister, Viola Witcher by Audrey Carter, News Editor

Call & Post Newspaper - Columbus, OH Slave Escape Codes Hidden In Quilts

Mrs. Teresa Kemp: Director UGRR Secret Quilt Code Museum Traveling Exhibits, quilter, historian, wife & mother

Affiliations: Day Star Tabernacle International Church, Brown Sugar Stitcher's (honorary member), Tuskegee Airman, Inc., Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, USTA, National Museum of African American History & Culture (NMAAHC), Friends of Drayton Hall, The National Museum of African American History and Culture (a Smithsonian Institution museum), Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

Editor of  Keepers of the Fire: The Ibo Blacksmith of Awka, Nigeria; Churches and the UGRR; Human Trafficking Slavery By Any Other Name is Still Slavery"

Author of  "Up country vs Low Country Plantations"; "The Farrows of Dover Hall Plantation"

Co Authored "God Gave Herbs for the service of Man My Families Remedies Treatments and Cures"; Secret Messages in Quilts, Songs and Music

Alumni: West Virginia State University, DeVry University, Ohio State University, Berlin American High School - Berlin, West Germany. 

Visit the Georgia Public Broadcasting Website "State of the Arts" Program who filmed an episode at the  UGRR Quilt Code Museum formerly located in Underground Atlanta GA click on the link below. 

 http://www.gpb.org/stateofthearts/term/quilt     Director Mrs. Teresa Kemp in front of Sampler Quilt at the Underground Railroad Quilt Code Museum

Channel 2's People 2 People program

Ambassador P. M. BOPE  Video Projects 
Did You See Us in the video at the Pan African Film Festival Feb. 2010? Jean Claude B. Bope  
Presented "The Trianglelar Slave Trade" for Juneteenth Celebration Aired the week of June 19th, 2009

Ms. Kemp and the UGRR Quilt Code Museum were in the video with scenes filmed at our location by Ambassador Bope
(Ambassador of the Democratic Republic of Congo to Namibia) featured in the
documentary entitled "The BrotherHood Against Apartheid".    

Articles:       

Traditional Quiltworks Magazine "Underground Railroad More Secrets Revealed" Quiltworks

"African-American SEP to offer mix of heritage, education"  DSCC Federal Voice (The Columbus Federal Voice) 

"Patterns of Controversy" US News & World Reports

 Bluefield State College

UGRR Secrets of the Quilts Presentations
We have created unique, dynamic programs for: 

Partial Client Listing: Since 1999 our family has conducted over 4,000 programs for colleges, universities, historical societies, quilting groups, book clubs, business, government agencies and schools throughout the United States.

Bauder College - Atlanta, GA

Booker T. Washington's Childhood Home - Malden, WV

Concord State College - Concord, WV

DeVry Institute of Technology - Decatur GA

Georgia Perimeter State College ESL Class - Norcross, GA

Kent State University - Kent, OH

Morehouse College - Atlanta, GA

Oberlin College Oberlin, OH

Ohio State University - Columbus, OH

Spelman College - Atlanta, GA (Women of the UGRR Quilt Code)

Temple University- Philadelphia, PA (Family Reunion Conference)

West Virginia State University - Institute WV

Kent State University - Kent, OH

Imhotep Charter School - Atlanta, GA

Booker T. Washington High School - Atlanta, GA  

Sutton Middle School - Atlanta, GA

Fulton County Central Library - Atlanta, GA

Annie Peters Washington Park Library - Atlanta, GA  

Auburn Avemue African- American Reserch Library - Atlanta, GA  

National Park Service Department of Interior

NPS Kennasaw Mountain National Battlefield - Kennasaw, Georgia

National Park Service Charles Pickney Plantation, Sullivan Island, SC

Geechie Gullah Festival - South Carolina

United Nations Women's Conference - Salt Lake City, UT 

DCSS Multi-Cultual Day- Columbus, OH

Amtrack Employ's Union - Washington D.C.

US EEOC Department  - Atlanta, GA

Georgia Pacific Shared Accounting  Atlanta, GA (Team Building Task Force)

US Postal Service - Zanesville, OH (Unveiling of Gees Bend Quilting Stamps)

First Baptist Church - Savannah Georgia (Churches of the Underground Railroad)

First Afrikan Church Youth Development Ministry Council's
Heshima & Kijana Rite of Passage Program

Simpson Street Baptist Church - Atlanta, GA (Churches of the Underground Railroad)