Slavery in the North v. Slavery in the South and the Common Connection

Myra Davis-Branic discusses how slavery was taught in Public Schools based on region. Myra Davis-Branic, a native New Yorker and a product of the Great Migration, was taught in NYC Public Schools that slavery was a “Down South Phenomenon”. When she migrated south and started teaching Black History to at-risk youth to increase self-esteem and … Read more

Legacies of Slavery and the Shared History of the South

Myra Davis-Branic discusses how writing a book about her family’s history led to a chance meeting which grew into a friendship with Frye Gaillard, 6th X Great-grandson of the man who enslaved her family on a South Carolina plantation. The discussion includes a video presentation of our conversations in Mobile Alabama at the University of … Read more

Cornbread My Soul: The Davis Family of Eutawville, South Carolina

Myra Davis-Branic discusses the steps she took in writing a book that traced her family back to the 1700s to a South Carolina Plantation and finding a connection to Sierra Leone through the name of an ancestor, Teneba, which is a name from Sierra Leone’s Mende or Temne tribe. The writing of the book was … Read more

Her Mark: Black Women’s Voices from Union Pension Records

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, hundreds of thousands of African American women applied for US pensions based on the military service of their husbands during the American Civil War. Their incredible first-hand descriptions chronicling their day-to-day lives, financial struggles, family histories, local events, etc. provide a powerful commentary on the history of … Read more

North Carolina’s Black Union Veterans in the South Carolina Lowcountry

Dive into the history of the 35th US Colored Troops as they overcome the deprivations of slavery, the challenges of freedom and the struggles of Reconstruction. The presentation looks at the regiment’s service in South Carolina during the Civil War, as well as the Reconstruction history of communities throughout Colleton, Dorchester, Beaufort and Charleston counties … Read more

The Tuskegee Airmen at Walterboro Army Air Field

Discover the extraordinary story of the 500+ Tuskegee Airman who trained at South Carolina’s Walterboro Army Air Field during WWII and the determined battle they fought against racial prejudice on home soil! This presentation focuses on the history of Tuskegee training in South Carolina and its connection to the larger struggle for Civil Rights in … Read more

Da Wada Brought Us & Kept Us: Gullah Geechee Art Collection of Victoria A. Smalls

Explore the Gullah Geechee people’s deep connection to water through the evocative art collection of Victoria A. Smalls. Learn how the waterways that once carried their ancestors into bondage now serve as symbols of resilience, heritage, and cultural continuity. This presentation speaks to the history, art and culture of the Gullah Geechee people. Each piece … Read more

Finding My Gullah Geechee Roots: A Journey of Discovery & Identity

Join Victoria A. Smalls as she shares her personal journey of uncovering her Gullah Geechee heritage. This talk takes you through the emotional process of reconnecting with family history, cultural identity, and ancestral ties. Learn how understanding her roots deepened her sense of self and mission to preserve the Gullah Geechee culture. Her story is … Read more

The Gullah Geechee People and Their Culture

Step into the rich cultural tapestry of the Gullah Geechee people, whose history and traditions have shaped the Gullah Geechee Corridor and Southeastern United States. This talk uncovers the unique language, customs, and heritage passed down through generations. Discover the ways in which the Gullah Geechee continue to preserve their culture despite challenges brought on … Read more

The History of Penn School—Penn Community Services (1862-1960s)

Discover the incredible legacy of Penn School, one of the first institutions in the South to provide formalized education to formerly enslaved people. This session traces its evolution from a groundbreaking school to a hub for social justice and community activism. Learn how Penn Community Services became a beacon of hope for African Americans during … Read more

The Reconstruction Era (1861-1900): Focusing on South Carolina

Delve into the transformative years during and following the American Civil War, focusing on South Carolina’s critical role during the Reconstruction Era. This presentation explores the social, political, and economic changes that shaped the state’s journey toward healing and rebuilding. Learn how African Americans in South Carolina navigated newfound freedoms while fighting for equality and … Read more

The 1895 Segregation Fight in South Carolina

This story, long buried in old newspaper accounts, tells the forgotten saga of the six brave men who tried to stop the segregation laws from passing in South Carolina.  For three months, six Black leaders of the Reconstruction era argued eloquently at the State Constitutional Convention in the face of vile threats, racial insults, and united opposition, … Read more

Black Folktales From Africa to South Carolina

These are stories gathered from storytellers during Damon Fordham’s visits to West Africa, which has a long tradition of storytellers as spoken word historians and guardians of history and life lessons, as well as the tales he heard growing up among his elders in South Carolina. This presentation includes long forgotten stories from archives, interviews, and … Read more

Lost Stories of Black Charleston

There are true stories regarding the history of Charleston’s Black Community that are missing from most narratives. These tales are gathered from a combination of personal recollections, interviews with elders, and research from archives. The stories are presented in a manner that audiences should find interesting and inspiring.

The Rise of 21st Century Afrofuturism in Literature, Music, and Film

After the first wave in the 1970’s which coincided with the Black Power and Black Arts Movements, Afrofuturism has experienced a second wave in the 21st century with the advent of new literature, hip hop music, television, comics, and film. The pinnacle of this second wave of Afrofuturism has been the meteoric rise of the 2018 … Read more

Dr. Matilda Evans: South Carolina’s Medical Pioneer 

Born four years after the end of slavery, Matilda Arabella Evans, who grew up on a family farm in eastern Aiken County, South Carolina, was the first African American and first woman in licensed to practice medicine in South Carolina and an advocate for improved health care for African Americans, including children. Matilda’schildhood experiences, educational background, … Read more

How Did the Simple Act of Spending a Night In a Slave Cabin Become a Book

Join author and journalist Herb Frazier for a conversation with historic preservationist Joseph McGill Jr., founder of the Slave Dwelling Project. Since May 2010, McGill has traveled to twenty-five states to sleep in more than 200 former slave dwellings to bring attention to a need to preserve these structures as important historic evidence of African … Read more

I Found the Source of My Gullah Memories in West Africa

Follow author and newspaper journalist Herb Frazier to three sites where captured West Africans were held before they were shipped across the Atlantic Ocean to America. This forced migration of millions of Africans gave rise to Gullah Geechee culture along the coastal regions of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and northern Florida.

During a Summer of Racial Turmoil, S.C. Poets and Writers Create “Ukweli” to Find Healing Truth

Herb Frazier, co-editor of “Ukweli: Searching for Healing Truth,” an anthology of essays and poems from forty-seven poets and writers, will discuss this collection of personal accounts and insights designed to educate White Americans about the systematic racial bias employed to stymie African American progress. “Ukweli” defines the struggles Black people have faced despite their … Read more

The History of Black Baseball

As great as Jackie Robinson was, he was not the first American Black Baseball Player. This presentation will show the ways baseball has reflected the role of African Americans in baseball especially beginning in the 19th century, followed by the Jim Crow and Civil Rights Era where Jackie Robinson, Larry Doby and so many other … Read more

The Thompson Family: Untold Stories from the Past (1830 – 1960)

Through the stories of enslaved ancestors and notable relatives, The Thompson Family: Untold Stories from The Past (1830-1960), chronicles the rich history of a prominent African American family from Salley, South Carolina features stories of individuals who were enslaved, a woman served as an enslaved cook during the Civil War, and agricultural life.

Martha Kitchings Seawright Ellison

Martha Kitchings Seawright Ellison was born enslaved on November 20, 1849, in Aiken County, South Carolina. This presentation tells the contextualized story of her life, featuring local history of the antebellum period and Civil War in South Carolina during Martha’s enslavement; a historical account of Martha’s life during the Reconstruction Era; the circumstances that involved … Read more

South Carolina African American Confederate Pensioners

This presentation explores the reasons why South Carolina used African American labor during the war; the diverse roles of African American labor during the war; SC approval of Confederate pensions for African Americans; notable features of the pension application; and notable South Carolina African American Confederate Pensioners.