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
Discover the history of two of the Lowcountry’s most beautiful and historic cemeteries. The tales of tragic deaths – murders, suicides, freak accidents – form a compelling tale of the challenges and triumphs of a Lowcountry community moving from the Reconstruction era into the 20th century.
Just a few days before Christmas on Wednesday, December 22, 1880 in the town of Walterboro, South Carolina, a local newspaper published a unique 14-stanza holiday poem about the town, its local businesses and personalities. Aptly entitled “A Christmas Carol,” the poem is a fascinating glimpse into a southern town on the brink of change, … Read more
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
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
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
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
Experience the spiritual heart of Gullah Geechee culture through the sacred traditions of Praise Houses. This discussion explores the deep-rooted practices of communal worship, singing, and prayer that have sustained these communities for centuries. Learn how these traditions, steeped in African, Christian and Muslim customs, have fostered unity and resilience. The Praise House is not … Read more
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
Explore the pivotal moments when Penn Center served as a refuge for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other civil rights leaders. This talk highlights how Penn Center became a safe haven for strategic planning during the Civil Rights Movement. Understand the importance of this historic site in shaping the fight for racial justice and … Read more
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 discovery of slave traders in the family who brokered the sale of more than 10,000 enslaved people in both the transatlantic and domestic slave trades was life-changing. The presentation includes a representation of the 34 paintings from the book by African American artist, John W. Jones, who takes the black and white historical newspaper … Read more
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
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.
50 Years of South Carolina in Images & Stories Robert Clark launched his photography career in 1974. Tom Poland moved to South Carolina in 1974 to write and teach. Poland and Clark met at South Carolina Wildlife magazine and their journey in words and images began. Their seminal feature, “Tenant Homes—Testament To Hard Times,” charted … Read more
George Washington promised to visit every state in the new union during his presidency, and in the spring 1791 he set off from his Mount Vernon, Virginia home and traveled all the way to Savannah, Georgia and back. In researching his journey for her book “Methodists and Moonshiners,” Smith followed the president’s tour, investigating not … Read more
In March 1997 journalist Herb Frazier traveled with Mary Moran of Harris Neck, Ga., and her family to a village in the Sierra Leone where they met Baindu Jabati. The two women sang their versions of an African funeral song. Listen to the story of how that song made its way from Sierra Leone to … Read more
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
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.
Few sarcastic quips in all of southern history remain as famous as James Petigru’s reported comment upon receiving the news that South Carolina had seceded from the Union. South Carolina, Petigru mused sarcastically, was “too small for a republic and too large for an insane asylum.” Petigru died in 1863, a devoted Unionist and southern … Read more
This lecture examines white Christianity’s struggle for influence among slaveholders in Charleston and the surrounding South Carolina Lowcountry as the movement delineated both the ideological and the practical mechanisms that it believed necessary to sustain a slaveholding society in the face of increasingly sharp moral and social criticism, chiefly from outside the region. Religious paternalism’s … Read more
This presentation tells a story of international trade, natural history, and science from the days of exploration & colonization. This was a time of transfer, the movement of people, animals and plants; it is the Age of the Natural Historians who looked around the world and tried to understand what they saw. Carolina has an … Read more
Skulls and crossed bones. Weeping willows and rosebuds. Did you know Charleston has more 18th-century burial grounds than any city in the United States? Find out why on this visual stroll through historic colonial and antebellum cemeteries as we explore a religious diversity unknown in the other thirteen colonies. Moreover, Charleston’s ancient graveyards are art … Read more
Did you know the author of Amazing Grace sold a shipload of slaves here? Charleston was the center of the English slave trade. Estimates are over 40% of the Nameless Enslaved sold in all thirteen colonies were sold here. This presentation tells the story of historic Charleston from the perspective of the African-American experience. During the chronologically … Read more
Bringing a conference or organization to Charleston? Introduce our city and the Carolina LowCountry with this entertaining, educational talk. Ruth Miller’s program is not “What to see and do,” but rather, sets the historic scene, making your stay here both interesting and worthwhile. The presentation ties over 350 years of local history into the American … Read more
This presentation addresses many of the unknown facts about African survivals in American culture.
This is a 45-minute one-man show in which Donald Sweeper tells stories shared to him by his ancestors and the elderly people from the community in which he grew up. This performance also includes Gullah folklore and traditions, as well as rites of passages performed by many of the African American Churches from Reconstruction up … Read more
This is a stage reenactment which is approximately 35 minutes long in which Donald Sweeper portrays Robert Smalls Chautauqua-style, as if the current year is 1895. Donald Sweeper dramatizes the commandeering of the Planter boat on the early morning of May 13, 1862 as Robert Smalls piloted through the Charleston Harbor undetected by the Confederates … Read more
This lecture tells the story of the largest medical school in the south, M.U.S.C., whose 19th century origins played a significant role in the history of Charleston, the U.S. South, and American medical education. The rich history of the medical school touches on matters of race, medical experimentation, innovative surgery, nursing, and public health.
Once celebrated as “the Queen of the South,” Charleston, South Carolina, was left devastated by the Civil War–a faded reflection of its antebellum glory. For 50 years following the war, the city struggled to overcome economic and cultural stagnation. Then in 1915, a group of artists and writers rediscovered the City’s innate beauty and artistic … Read more
