Bill Haley Jr., co-founder of the Inherited Roots Project and grandson of world-famous author Alex Haley, opened the University of Tennessee at Martin’s 2026 Fall ENTICE Series on Sept. 23 in the Phillip W. Watkins Auditorium in the Boling University Center.
The theme for the Fall ENTICE Series is “Our Freedom, Our Future,” recognizing the nation’s 250th anniversary.
ENTICE stands for “Evolving Narratives: Tennessee Initiative for Civic Engagement.” Continuing in the tradition of UT Martin’s Civil Rights Conference, which ran from 2001 to 2025, the Fall ENTICE Series blends a slate of speakers with the arts, social topics and student-related events.
The Fall ENTICE Series continues Monday, Oct. 5, with guest speaker Rissi Palmer, who will present the program “Color Me Country: The Soul of Country Music.”
At the start of the Sept. 23 program, Chancellor Yancy Freeman Sr. noted this year’s 50th anniversary of the publication of Alex Haley’s groundbreaking novel “Roots: The Saga of an American Family” that was made into an acclaimed television miniseries, “Roots.”
“Fifty years ago, Alex Haley gave the world more than a book,” he said. “He gave generations of people an invitation: an invitation to remember, to search, to ask questions and to understand where we come from.
“‘Roots’ reminded us that history is not simply a collection of dates and names in a textbook. History is personal, history is family, history is identity and sometimes – just sometimes – discovering our history helps us better understand who we are and, maybe more importantly, who we have an opportunity to become.”
Haley credited the lore of story-telling with making “Roots” so popular.
“The reason why ‘Roots’ is ‘Roots’ today is because there is story-telling, but it’s oral history,” he said. “‘Roots’ sparked so much in the field of genealogy. I always like to go back to the oral history – the stories that are passed down, the stories that are told from generation to generation, person to person.
“I like to use this analogy: You’ve got your documents, you’ve got your pictures, and those are like lyrics in a song, but oral history is like the music behind it. You can have a beautifully written lyric for a beautifully written song, but the song doesn’t sing – it doesn’t resonate – unless you’re adding the memory and the music behind what those documents mean and what’s behind the story of those photos.”
• Rissi Palmer (first name is pronounced “REE-see”) is a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, cultural trailblazer, and leading voice in contemporary American roots music. Blending country, soul, folk and Americana, Palmer is known for her powerful vocals, genre-defying sound and emotionally resonant storytelling.
Palmer first made history in 2007 when her breakout single “Country Girl” became the first song by an African American female artist to chart on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs in nearly two decades. Since then, Palmer has built a critically acclaimed independent career, releasing multiple celebrated projects including “Revival” (2019), which Rolling Stone magazine named one of the Top 25 Country Albums of All Time, “The Back Porch Sessions” EP and “Best Day Ever,” a Grammy-nominated children’s album.
Most recently, she has released “Perspectives,” a four-song EP rooted in country music, culture, identity and lived experience.
Palmer will speak in the Fall ENTICE Series at 6 p.m., Monday, Oct. 5, in the Phillip W. Watkins Auditorium in the Boling University Center on the UT Martin main campus.
• Another presentation of the 2026 Fall ENTICE Series is the quilt exhibition, “Stitches, Stories and Strength,” held through Saturday, Oct. 17, in the Fine Arts Building Gallery. These quilts were created by famed quilters from Gee’s Bend, Alabama, and by students in a spring 2026 class held by Dr. Henri Giles, assistant professor of African American studies. That class had Mary Margaret Pettway of Gee’s Bend as an artist-in-residence.
Gallery hours are 3 to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 1 to 5 p.m. Friday. The exhibit is free and open to the public. There will be a closing reception from 3 to 5 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 17, with artists speaking at 4 p.m.
PHOTO: Posing for a photo at a reception following the Fall ENTICE Series program featuring Bill Haley Jr. on Sept. 23 are (l-r) Chancellor Yancy Freeman Sr.; Dr. Henri Giles, assistant professor of African American studies; Haley; and Dr. Laurie Couch, provost and senior vice chancellor for academic affairs.
