Staff reports | The International African American Museum, a dream for more than two decades, will be dedicated Saturday in a ceremony that will be filled with distinguished guests and visitors.
“The museum will pull together White, tan, brown, Black and other Americans to give richer looks at the history and culture that shaped our country,” editor and publisher Andy Brack wrote Friday. “Even more exciting is the new IAAM Center for Family History which will serve as a genealogical hub to connect descendants of enslaved Africans to their lost family pasts. The museum will help to fill voids ignored by history books and allow many Americans to reclaim their family stories and heritage.
The new museum offers nine core galleries, a special exhibit space and a genealogy center to present a sweeping story of the forced migration of Africans to America. The galleries reveal the realities of the slave trade and plantation life while presenting the skills and culture of people of African descent and their contributions to this country.
A commemorative magazine
Check out the full coverage in the Charleston City Paper in a special commemorative 48-page magazine that welcomes the museum to the Holy City. Among its featured articles are:
- FOOD: Chefs, scholars talk about the influence of West African culture, which details the influences of West African cuisine in Lowcountry cooking;
- MUSIC: Charleston jazz played big role nationally, which chronicles the influence of Charleston’s jazz through the years;
- ARTS: Remembering when Porgy came home, a look back at the history of America’s most famous opera, Porgy and Bess, which was set in Charleston.
- HISTORY: A timeline of African American influence in South Carolina
- VISION: A museum idea that took two decades to become a reality
- INSIDE: IAAM offers place for learning like no other
- PEOPLE: Nine area Black leaders to know
There are also other pieces on Reconstruction, why the museum is a big deal and what it was like to grow up across the street from where the museum now is (also published below).
A day of celebration
The highly anticipated Saturday dedication of the new museum will include a community celebration in Marion Square just blocks away from where luminaries will cut ribbons, give speeches and more.
“We’re thrilled to welcome community members, visitors and dignitaries from far and wide to the grand opening of the International African American Museum,” Dr. Tonya Matthews, president and CEO of IAAM, said in a statement. “We have waited a long time for this moment — we have many to thank and much to celebrate.”
A Community Watch Celebration will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 24 at Marion Square in Charleston. Charlamagne Tha God, a Moncks Corner native and host of the national radio show The Breakfast Club, will emcee the event.
The Boeing-sponsored event is free and will include a live simulcast of the opening ceremony, food trucks and performances by local musicians and artists such as Grammy Award-winning band Ranky Tanky, former Charleston poet laureate Marcus Amaker and Charleston-based DJ SCrib. Other performers will include Bebe Winans, Candice Glover, Jesse Nager and more.
The event will also include activities led by the Boeing South Carolina DreamLearners, an educational program that provides students with opportunities to learn about careers in STEM, advanced manufacturing and aerospace.
“It’s exciting to invite the community to join us for this historic moment. We’re preparing to open our doors with music, food, poetry, incredible visuals and words of wisdom — and to truly celebrate African American culture and its connection to and influence on the world,” Matthews said.
The museum will open June 27 every Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. excluding Christmas and Thanksgiving. As of today, tickets for opening day are sold out.
- Owen Kowalewski of the Charleston City Paper contributed to this story. Have a comment? Send to: feedback@charlestoncitypaper.com
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