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

Charles Bolden | S.C. Hall of Fame

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One of three astronauts inducted into the South Carolina Hall Of Fame, Charles Bolden, Jr. flew on four space shuttle missions while an astronaut, and in 2009 was appointed by President Obama to be...
Benjamin Mays | S.C. Hall of Fame

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Benjamin Mays (1894-1984) was a minister, educator, scholar and social activist. He was known as the "Father of the Civil Rights Movement."
Avery Research Center | Project Discovery Revisited

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Charleston, South Carolina, is a city rich in African American culture. Sullivan’s Island, once an entry port from Africa for the slave trade, was considered the gateway to the United States. The...
W. Melvin Brown, Jr. | Legacy of Leadership Profile

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W. Melvin Brown, Jr. (1934–1994) Starting with a vision and an opportunity, W. Melvin Brown, Jr., guided the growth of American Development Corporation of North Charleston into the largest minority...
Land
Episode 9

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Robert Middleton left St. Helena at age 18, returning 45 years later after serving in the army, studying at Howard University, and a career of social work in Washington, D.C. and on an Apache Indian...
Flight Instructor
Episode 2

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Celebrate Freedom -Tuskegee Airmen 60th Anniversary was an event that took place in 2004 in Camden, South Carolina. In 1941, the 99th Pursuit Squadron, the first African-American air fighting unit...
Tuskegee Airmen Forum
Episode 9

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About the Panel Hosted by ETV, Connections host P.A. Bennett moderates a forum during the 60th Anniversary for the Tuskegee Airmen. The members of the panel included: Lt. Colonel Spann Watson (1916...
Land
Episode 12

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Several generations of the St. Helena community attended the historic Penn School, established as one of the first schools for freed slaves. In the 1950s and 1960s, the site served as a safe retreat...
The Tuskegee Airmen Phenomenon
Episode 1

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The story of the Tuskegee Airman is even more a story about America than about a group of determined young African American men and women in the late 30’s and early 40’s. On this edition of...