African American History

Learn about the achievements of African Americans who have shaped South Carolina and American history.

Black History Month is celebrated every February to honor the achievements of African Americans who have shaped American history. Historian Carter G. Woodson hoped to raise awareness of African American's contributions to civilization by establishing Negro History Week. The event was first celebrated during a week in February 1926 that included both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass' birthdays. The week was later expanded to a month in 1976 during the United States bicentennial.

PHOTO: On March 20, 1969, Black hospital workers at the Medical College of South Carolina in Charleston went on strike to protest the firing of twelve employees and to call for higher wages and union recognition.

Within this Collection

Joe Neal | SC African American History Calendar
Episode 8

Audio

Rev. Joseph H. Neal was born on August 31, 1950 to the late Mrs. Laverne Kohn Neal and the late Rev. C.R. Neal of Hopkins, S.C. He was the third of four children. His compassion for people at an early...
3D VR - Benjamin Mays Historical Site | Let's Go!
3D VR - Benjamin Mays Historical Site | Let's Go!

Interactive

Thank you so much for visiting the Let’s Go 3D VR – Benjamin Mays Historical Site interactive. As you tour the page, please notice the hotspot captions. SCETV Education asked fourth grade students...
Charlie's Place | Carolina Stories
Episode 1

Video

The founding and early years of Charlie's Place - a jazz club where white and African American patrons alike were welcome during segregation.
Charlie's Place | Carolina Stories
Episode 4

Video

Today, Charlie's Place is long gone. The City of Myrtle Beach purchased the Charlie's Place property in 2015, with the goals of renovating the area, and transforming it into a revitalized...
Charlie's Place | Carolina Stories
Episode 2

Video

After World War II, there was an ever increasing popularity for the musical movement known as "Rhythm and Blues." Rhythm and Blues, along with a new invention called the Jukebox, transformed the music...
Charlie's Place | Carolina Stories
Episode 3

Video

Racial tensions in South Carolina strained with the rise of the "Dixiecrat" political party. One summer evening in 1950, Ku Klux Klan members shot up Charlie's Place, and Charlie Fitzgerald was beaten...