JOHNSON CITY — “The Many Uses of the Drum in African Culture” is the focus of a free public talk by Rev. Vincent Dial to be held Thursday, Feb. 20, at East Tennessee State University.

In his talk, which will take place at 12:30 p.m. in Rogers-Stout Hall, room 101, Dial will discuss the impact of the drum on the political, economic, cultural and social development of Africa, as well as its various uses in America by Africans who entered the United States during and after the Colonial Era.

Dial, an ETSU alumnus, was a teacher and administrator in the Johnson City School System before becoming pastor of Bethel Christian Church in Jonesborough.

This talk is sponsored by the Africana Studies Program at ETSU in conjunction with Black History Month. Refreshments will be provided following the talk.

For more information, contact Dr. Dorothy Drinkard-Hawkshawe, ETSU professor of History and director of Africana Studies, at 423-439-6688 or drinkard@etsu.edu. For disability accommodations, call the ETSU Office of Disability Services at 423-439-8346.