Evelyn Holt-Fuller

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Evelyn Holt-Fuller was born in Mebane, NC. After graduating high school, she attended Durham Business College, graduating with a diploma in accounting (Associate Degree equivalency). In 1989, she received a B.A. (cum laude) in English/journalism from North Carolina Central University, where she was a staff editor for Campus Echo. She followed that degree with a Masters of Education degree in 1991. Pursuing her calling to teach, she completed teacher certification in the Program in Education at Duke University in 1995, and was hired immediately by Durham Public Schools, where she taught standard, Academically Gifted and honors classes. In 2000, she obtained certification in learning disabilities, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and began teaching in the Exceptional Children’s Program. During her tenure, she became the first coordinator of the inaugural Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program. She also was nominated for Teacher of the Year. She retired from DPS in 2015.

Evelyn kept a library of her published and unpublished works: The Harvest Is White (unpublished work, 1981); Don’t Mind If I Do: Classroom Warm-Up Exercises to Sharpen the Mind (Thomson Custom Publishing, 2002); Wisdom and Truth (National Poets Anthology, circa 2004); To My Brown Babies: A Great-Grandmother’s Letter to African-American Girls and Their Friends (DogEar Press, 2012); Truly Grounded: Insights For The Seasons Of Life (2024); and Kinfolks and Other Unrelated Relatives (upcoming, 2025).

Evelyn also received many honors and awards in earlier years. She received the Certificate of Merit from North Carolina Central University (1979); the Govenor’s Community Service Award (1980); rushed for the Chi Eta Phi nursing sorority (1981); honored with “Evelyn Holt-Fuller Day” while at Glenn Grove United Holy Church; honorable mention in Law and Contemporary Problems (Duke Law School scholarly journal) (1993), and Duke Law Journal (signed copies of articles by David Steinberg, 1992 and Reena Glazer, 1993); Teacher of the Year nomination, Durham Public Schools (2007); “Get Involved Initiative,” Durham Public Schools (2012). She was a member of the Durham Association of Educators.

Evelyn has been a member of the Associate Ministry Team at Union Baptist Church since 2015. She serves on the Rest Home Ministry, writes for Union’s Advent and Lenten Series, serves as Connect Group leader during Lent, and is adjunct teacher for the Sunday School on Wednesday (SSOW) Sunday School class. Since 2024, she has been on the Board of Directors of the Alvin L. Forte Foundation.