Events

A Gullah Gallery: An Ode to Charleston’s Black History

Posted on by Ashleigh H. 
When thinking about black history, we often reflect on those who came before us. In a city like Charleston, the spirit of the Gullah community is alive through everyday customs and practices that you may not have even known had originated from the Gullah people.

Early Origins of the Gullah People

Two Gullah men working on an oyster bed on one of Charleston’s surrounding islands.

The Gullah people are descendants of West Africans slaves who were located in the lowcountry region of South Carolina including its sea islands. Historians have linked Charleston’s Gullah ancestry to Bunce Island, Sierra Leone, and Angola. The culture and language of the Gullah people is a blend of West African and European practices. The Gullah language has been inaccurately referred to as broken English when it is actually an English creole language. They use their language to pass down folk tales to younger generations and to sing spirituals in order to preserve the Gullah culture. Before, during, and after slavery, this group of people worked mostly off the coast of the state in fishing and agricultural industries. The climate and environment of South Carolina is similar to that of West Africa so the Gullah community was very knowledgable on land cultivation.

Food for the Soul and the South

The Gullah people are responsible for Charleston’s rich food history. The city is known famously for its shrimp and grits, rice pilaf, and lowcountry seafood boil. Many of these dishes were both affordable and able to feed a family for the week when made in one pot. Oysters and okra soup are both dishes Charlestonians began to eat after the Gullah people introduced it to the community. When dining in the downtown area, it is easy to point out which meals had some African influence with southern flare. Next time you are hungry, we recommend you try these black-owned Charleston Gullah restaurants: Hannibal’s Kitchen, Bertha’s Kitchen, East Side Soul Food, and My Three Sons of Charleston.

Home

African Artistic Roots

Pieces of the Gullah culture can be seen thoughout Charleston. Sweetgrass creations are sold in the city market in the style of baskets, roses, bags, etc. by the locals. Originally used as functional baskets to carry items and to minnow rice, the artistic skill of the Gullah people is a hot commodity for tourists and locals to collect. Local sweetgrass artist, Corey Alston (pictured above) is known for his beautiful craftmanship and his work is featured in the Charleston City Market and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Lowcountry artist Jonathan Green, grew up on the sea islands and reflected his Gullah upbringing through his art. He is known in the creative world as an important artist of the Southern experience. In religious spaces, the ring shout is practiced among the Gullah people and many black Baptist and Methodist churches throughout the South. Dancing, call and response singing, and percussive hand clapping made up the praise and worship services which paid homage to their African origins.

Celebration and Culture

The Gullah culture is celebrated in numerous ways across the Lowcountry. Every May, the city of Beaufort hosts The Original Gullah Festival with a weekend full of food, art, and workshops. Also in May, the Gullah Gala “Charleston Renaissance; Birth of Art,” will be featuring music, fashion, and local businesses at Founders Hall in Charleston, SC.

The Charleston Gullah community has preserved their African heritage and customs more than any other African American group in the United States. Next time you find yourself in the Charleston area, take time to attend a Gullah tour, eat at local soul food restaurants, and speak to the Gullah people in the market to learn more about the rich black history here in the holy city.

https://allevents.in/charleston/gullah-gala-fashion-and-music-experience/10000530052139217

Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories

Posted on by Ashleigh H. 
This year’s theme of Women’s History Month is “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.” In the Lowcountry, local women share their narratives of black female liberation through various forms of media. Here are some Charleston creatives that have greatly influenced women in the media beyond the peninsula.

Kris Kaylin- Social Media Influencer, Radio Personality, Event Host

Kris Kaylin is a charismatic media personality and host of the Chucktown Hit Factory. With her new talk show, Diva Talk, she interviews a number of guests on topics ranging from black entertainment to mental health in the black community. Known as “The Princess of Charleston,” Kaylin is active within the community where she uses her platform to highlight the black Charleston scene.

https://www.kriskaylinofficial.com/

Mabel King- Actress

Mabel King was an actress from Charleston who got her big break on the ABC sitcom, “What’s Happening!!” in the late 70s. She stepped down from her role as Mabel “Mama” Thomas after her request to represent the show’s family as a two parent household rather than single mother household was denied by the network. King is best known for her role as the wicked witch of the west, Evillene, in Motown production, “The Wiz.” Her portrayal of black motherhood and culture during the 70s provided positive representation of black women of that time and beyond.

Jirah Perkins- Artist

Jirah Perkins is an up and coming artist from the Lowcountry who depicts the joy of girlhood to womanhood in the black community. Her latest exhibit, “Miss Mary Mack” showcases the many children’s songs and games black girls would take part in. Perkins wanted to change the narrative of criminalizing and sexualizing black women in the media through her work. Perkins’s work can be viewed on her website and Instagram.

https://ujorii.com

Alice Childress- Novelist, Playwright, Actress

Alice Childress was a playwright and novelist born here in Charleston. She later moved to Harlem, New York where she went on to write and direct her first play, Florence. All of the plays she conducted addressed issues of racism, poverty in black urban communities, and problems plaguing black youth. Her play, Gullah, paid homage to her Charleston roots. discussed her acclimation to life up north, and finding a sense of community with other black southerners who moved to New York. Childress is also a children’s book writer covering racial and socioeconomic topics.

Bertha Hill- Singer

Bertha Hill is a Charleston blues singer who found success in the genre at the age of 14. She worked with a number of black artists such as Louis Armstrong, Ma Rainey, and studied under Ethel Waters. Hill moved to Harlem and Chicago to perform in various nightclubs during her youth. While her music career was short-lived, her records, “Pratt City Blues,” “Trouble in Mind,” and “Weary Money Blues” keeps her memory alive.

International Women’s Day: On the Fringe of Change

Posted on by Ashleigh H.

International Women’s Day is a holiday observed on March 8th to bring awareness to the achievements and challenges of the women’s rights movement. Matters such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence against women and girls are often highlighted throughout the month. Along with this,  female activists around the world fight to improve the quality of life for women. In Charleston, the local foundation IBU Movement hosted an event called the Fringe Revolution to showcase the stories of women artisans around the world through international cuisine, speeches, and a fashion showcase.

IBU Movement works with craftswomen around the world in order for women to generate a source of income based on their artisanal skills. This organization gives women from underrepresented cultures a platform for female empowerment through fashion. This year, IBU celebrated artisan women and their designs in honor of International Women’s Day. The global craftswomen noted the revolutionary change within their communities that has expanded beyond that. In a culturally rich city like Charleston, these women’s stories resonated with many attendees who had a strong appreciation for the customs and traditions of others. Downtown’s strong Gullah roots could feel akin to the representation of designers from various parts of Africa. 

I had the privilege of walking in the Fringe Revolution fashion show, and it was an amazing experience. Exhibiting the beautiful work of Uzbekistan artisan women, I felt esteemed to share the stories of these women through their designs. A day full of female empowerment and celebration created an aspiration of change among women. The challenges and triumphs of women around the world are a testament to the fight for equity. In many cultures and societies, women do not receive the same opportunities for social, political, and economic success as men. IBU’s foundation created a platform for women around the world to stand on a united front to make a difference for women, by women. 

To learn more about Charleston’s fashion hub for change, visit their website and check out their latest spring/summer collection available online or in-store downtown on King Street.

https://ibumovement.com/

Submit your proposal for the 108th ASALH Annual Meeting and Conference

Posted on by anhaykal

Submit proposal here

African Americans have resisted historic and ongoing oppression, in all forms, especially the racial terrorism of lynching, racial pogroms, and police killings since our arrival upon these shores. These efforts have been to advocate for a dignified self-determined life in a just democratic society in the United States and beyond the United States political jurisdiction. During the 1950s and 1970s the United States was defined by actions such as sit-ins, boycotts, walk outs, strikes by Black people and white allies in the fight for justice against discrimination in all sectors of society from employment to education to housing. Black people have had to consistently push the United States to live up to its ideals of freedom, liberty, and justice for all. Black people also have sought ways to nurture and protect Black lives, and for autonomy of their physical and intellectual bodies through armed resistance, voluntary emigration, nonviolence, education, music, literature, sports, media, and legislation/politics.


Black-led institutions and affiliations have lobbied, litigated, legislated, protested, and achieved success. In an effort to live, maintain, and protect economic success Black people have organized/planned violent insurrections against those who enslaved them, or choose to self-liberate as seen by the actions those who left the plantation system. Black people established faith institutions to organize resistance efforts; and it was a space that inspired folk to participate in the movements and offered sanctuary during times of crisis.

This is a call to everyone, inside and outside the academy, to study the history of Black Americans’ responses to establish safe spaces, where Black life can be sustained, fortified, and respected.

Proposal Types

Proposals should be detailed, comprehensive, and descriptive that outline the theme, scope, and aim of session. Details on each can be found on the ASALH website.

Papers: There will be limited slots for paper sessions at the ASALH annual meeting. Papers will ONLY be accepted by non-academics, undergraduate, and graduate students on the 2023 Annual Black History Theme: Black Resistance. For those who do not fit into these categories the Academic Program Committee encourages you to use the Google spreadsheet, which is an informal tool to connect individuals who are seeking ideas and/or collaboration. The spreadsheet is not monitored by ASALH or the Academic Program Committee and is not part of the official submission process.

Panels, Workshops, Roundtables, Media, and Woodson Pop-Ups: Proposals that incorporate the annual theme are preferred, but submissions can be on a variety of temporal, geographical, thematic, and topical areas in Black history, life and culture. Proposals will be accepted by all affiliations and academic status. For individuals who are interested in collaborating on a panel, workshop, roundtable please use the Google spreadsheet, which is an informal tool to connect individuals who are seeking ideas and/or collaboration. The spreadsheet is not monitored by ASALH or the Academic Program Committee and is not part of the official submission process.

Submission

The All Academic system will be open in January 2023. The submission deadlines for proposals are as follows: Early Bird Submissions will be accepted via All Academic until March 18, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. (EST). Conditional acceptance responses to Early Bird submissions will be sent out by April 21, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. (EST). After this date, the committee will accept all submissions until the deadline of April 30, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. (EST). Regular conditional acceptances submissions will be responded to by June 9, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. (EST). You will not be considered official until all session participants have joined the Association and registered for the conference.

The Reconstruction Curriculum Representative is coming to Charleston

Posted on by anhaykal

Join E3 for an opportunity to hear directly from the Reconstruction team about their curriculum that provides live tutoring, K-12 supplemental and enrichment courses through an online platform that situates Black people, Black culture and Black heritage and contributions to America and the world in an authentic, identity-affirming manner.

Reconstruction is a unique, full-service curriculum company offering supplemental, live-tutored, virtual courses that situate Black culture and achievement in an authentic, identity-affirming manner.

“Reconstruction was created to show our kids that they are descendants of powerful, creative, and resilient ancestors whose contributions permeate every aspect of life across the globe; and that they too are called to contribute to this rich legacy. It’s the way we were taught as children. It’s the way we teach our children.”

Use this link to register for the virtual session on March 21, 2023 at 9:30 a.m.

A Critical Conversations event with Tamara Lanier on Repatriating Artifacts of North American Slavery on March 21st

Posted on by anhaykal

Tuesday, March 21 5:30-7:00 PM

Septima Clark Memorial Auditorium (ECTR 118)

The Center for the Study of Slavery in Charleston invites students, faculty, staff, and members of the community to attend a public conversation about repatriation of artifacts, archives, race, and justice. The conversation will feature the story of Tamara Lanier, whose fight against Harvard University for images of her enslaved ancestors Renty and Delia has been covered by numerous national and international media outlets including the New York Times, Boston Globe, Guardian, and Democracy Now! The event is free and open to the public. 

Tamara Lanier gives voice to her enslaved ancestors whose naked or partially clothed photographs were forcibly taken in 1850 outside Columbia, SC for a Harvard scientist, Louis Agassiz, who supported racist theories of polygenesis. Lanier’s case foregrounds the need for legislation that protects the cultural property of descendants of chattel slavery in the United States. All are invited to witness Lanier’s inspiring story about the importance of her family’s history and its relevance to national discussions about slavery and reconciliation. 

If you have questions about the lecture, please contact Mary Jo Fairchild at fairchildmj@cofc.edu.

March 18: Black Resistance: Septima Clark Teaching Citizenship

Posted on by anhaykal

Date: March 18, 2023

Time: 2:00 PM EST

Location: Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture | 125 Bull Street | Charleston, SC 29424

Description: Join us for a discussion on the importance of Septima Clark’s work and view some items from her collection at the Avery Research Center!