A N.C. Central University professor has been appointed chairman of the state's African-American Heritage Commission.

Gov. Beverly Perdue has named Freddie L. Parker to the post. Parker, currently the interim chair of NCCU's history department, joined the commission at its formation two years ago.

The General Assembly established the commission to advise and assist the Secretary of Cultural Resources in preserving, interpreting and promoting African-American history, arts and culture.

An NCCU alumnus, Parker has lent his time to a number of organizations related to history. He is past chairman of the North Carolina Historical Highway Marker Commission and currently is chairman of the African American History Project Advisory Board at Tryon Palace in New Bern.

Last fall, he was elected vice-president of the Historical Society of North Carolina and will become its president this year.
 
In January, Parker won entry into the North Caroliniana Society, a nonprofit group that selects as members North Carolinians who meet the strict criterion of "adjudged performance" in service to the state's heritage.
 
Parker received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history from NCCU in 1975 and 1977 respectively, and the Ph.D. in American History from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1987. He is the author of “Running for Freedom: Slave Runaways in NC, 1775-1840,” and “Stealing a Little Freedom: Advertisements for Slave Runaways in NC, 1791-1840.”