South East Rural Community Outreach will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the purchase of the Harriet Barber House property in Hopkins, SC with two public events about African American land ownership and the history and culture of African Americans in Richland County. The first event is a film screening and discussion of “Restoration: A Concert Film,” which explores stories of Southern Black self-determination and struggles for land justice. The second event will be a virtual discussion with scholars and authors Dr. William Darrity and Kirsten Mullen about the history of black land ownership in the South. The film screening is scheduled for January 28, 2023. A virtual discussion will take place on June 1, 2023. SC Humanities supported this program with a Major Grant.
The Harriet Barber House was constructed in Hopkins in 1880 and expanded in the early 20th century. The house is an important landmark due to its ties to the SC Land Commission, whose goal was to give freedmen the opportunity to own land. Even though many freedmen lost their land over time, the land on which the Barber House was built has been owned by the same family since 1872.
The “Commemoration on the Land” programming will honor the 150th anniversary of the Harriet Barber House property by investigatging themes of black land remembrance, restoration, and reparation. The programs seek to engage an inter-generational dialogue about the continuing significance of African American land ownership in South Carolina.
Film Screening
Saturday, January 28, 2023
The first event will be a screening of Restoration: A Concert Film. Created by Lowcountry hip-hop duo Native Son (Benny Starr and Rodrick Cliche’) in collaboration with Acres of Ancestry Initiative / Black Agrarian Fund, Restoration: A Concert Film explores Southern Black agrarian stories of self-determination, land ownership, and folkwit and amplifies ongoing struggles for restorative land justice in this country including the Black Farmers’ Appeal: Cancel Pigford Debt Campaign. The film also weaves together live musical performances from Native Son and the personal narratives of Black legacy farmers and land stewards.
The film will be screened at the St. John Holistic Wellness Center (230 Reverend Neal Cir, Hopkins, SC 29061) on Saturday, January 28, 2023 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. There will be a reception and a discussion with the filmmakers. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, email sercoevents@gmail.com.
Virtual Discussion
On Thursday, June 1, 2023 at 7:00 p.m., there will be a virtual discussion with scholars and authors Dr. William Darity and A. Kirsten Mullen, authors of “From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the 21st Century” about the history of black land ownership in the South and the question of reparatory justice for slavery and other forms of oppression and discrimination. The program will take place 150 years after Harriet Barber made the final payment on their property in Hopkins (April 3, 1879). The program will be on Zoom. Zoom registration is available HERE.
The mission of SC Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. Established in 1973, this 501(c) 3 organization is governed by a volunteer 20-member Board of Directors comprised of community leaders from throughout the state. It presents and/or supports literary initiatives, lectures, exhibits, festivals, publications, oral history projects, videos and other humanities-based experiences that directly or indirectly reach more than 250,000 citizens annually. South Carolina Humanities receives funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities as well as corporate, foundation and individual donors. The National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom.
