african american history

In her book, The Spingarn Brothers: White Privilege, Jewish Heritage, and the Struggle for Racial Equality (2023, Johns Hopkins University), Katherine Reynolds Chaddock tells a story that many today might see as unlikely: two Jewish brothers in New York, privileged in some ways but considered “the other” by many in society, find common cause with African Americans suffering from racial discrimination. And, Joel and Arthur Spingarn become leaders in the struggle for racial equality and equality – even serving as presidents of the NAACP.Katherine Reynolds Chaddock joins us to tell the Springans’ story.

“R” is for Ring shout. During the era of enslavement as Africans from various ethnic groups joined together in the ring shout, it became an important mechanism through which a new common African American identity was formed.

“R” is for Ring shout. During the era of enslavement as Africans from various ethnic groups joined together in the ring shout, it became an important mechanism through which a new common African American identity was formed.

This week, Dr. Eric Crawford, a Gullah/Geechee scholar and Associate Professor of Musicology at Claflin University in Orangeburg, joins us to talk about Gullah culture and about editing a second edition of the late Dr. Wilbur Cross’ book, Gullah Culture in America (Blair, 2022).The book chronicles the history and culture of the Gullah people, African Americans who live in the Lowcountry region of the American South, telling the story of the arrival of enslaved West Africans to the sea islands of South Carolina and Georgia; the melding of their African cultures, which created distinct creole language, cuisine, traditions, and arts; and the establishment of the Penn School, dedicated to education and support of the Gullah freedmen following the Civil War.

Acclaimed civil rights photographer Cecil Williams, founder of the Cecil Williams South Carolina Civil Rights Museum talks with us this this time, along with Jannie Harriot, the museum’s Executive Director. Cecil began photographing the events and people of the Civil Rights era in the early 1950s and continued through the 1970s, eventually amassing nearly a million images.

“E” is for Elmore v. Rice (1947). In 1946 George Elmore, an African American who was eligible to vote in general elections, was denied the right to vote in the Democratic Party in Richland County.

“E” is for Elmore v. Rice (1947). In 1946 George Elmore, an African American who was eligible to vote in general elections, was denied the right to vote in the Democratic Party in Richland County.

The International African American Museum will soon open in Charleston, South Carolina, at one of the country's most historically significant slave-trading ports. Overlooking the sacred site of Gadsden's Wharf, at which an estimated 45% of enslaved Africans entered America, the museum houses exhibits and artifacts exploring how African Americans' labor and resistance shaped the Carolinas, the nation and the world. It also includes a genealogy research center to help families trace their ancestors from their arrival on American soil. More than 23 years in the making, the museum had been originally set to open in 2020, but was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, as well as issues in the supply chain of materials needed to complete construction.

Over 50 years later, South Carolinians can again stow a physical Green Book in their glove compartments — this time designed to learn about and celebrate African American cultural sites across the state.