Charleston Currents

Post Tagged with: "race"

NEWS BRIEFS: Charleston Forum to kick off 2021 series on June 22

Staff reports | The Charleston Forum will hold the first discussion of its 2021 event series on June 22, a virtual panel addressing challenges and possible improvements in public education.

According to this story in the Charleston City Paper, results from the group’s new annual survey shows overwhelming support exists for dramatic reforms to improve quality of life in Charleston’s tri-county area, according to results from a survey published by The Charleston Forum. But intense disparities between local Black and white residents show diverging outlooks on the prospect for improved race relations in the community.

by Charleston Currents · 06/21/2021 · Comments are Disabled · Good news, News briefs

NEW for 6/21: Reveling in Charleston; Big spending; Forum

IN THIS EDITION
FOCUS: Grad students revel in everything Charleston
COMMENTARY, Brack: State is awash in big spending
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: SCIWAY
NEWS BRIEFS: Charleston Forum to kick off 2021 series on June 22
FEEDBACK: Send us your thoughts
MYSTERY PHOTO: Take a walk in these shoes
CALENDAR: From Coffee with the Mayor to concerts

by Andy Brack · 06/21/2021 · Comments are Disabled · Full issue

BRACK: Culture of ignorance on rise in America

By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | There’s a reason that a horse wears blinders: So it won’t get spooked by something weird that’s outside of its vision tunnel.

All across our country, too many people are wearing blinders on an array of issues that is unraveling the fabric of the American way of life. We are ignoring big problems, hoping they’ll just go away. But they get worse and worse.

Instead of proactively confronting issues from race and gun violence to immigration reform and the decay of our democracy, we keep drinking from the font of ignorance.

by Andy Brack · 07/01/2019 · Comments are Disabled · Andy Brack, Views

BRACK: Houses of worship can lead way on racial healing

By Andy Brack, editor and publisher, part 2 of 2 | If you ignore the bloody prick of a rusty nail, the wound may become infected or lead to something much worse.

Across America, but particularly in the South, the underpinnings of our society continue to be infected by the ooze of racism. While there are laws on the books to provide equal access and treatment for the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness, there’s still a lot of unfinished business bubbling under the surface that inhibits progress.

by Andy Brack · 06/24/2019 · Comments are Disabled · Andy Brack, Views

A grave marker at a Kinsler family cemetery.

BRACK: Dealing with Southern ghosts of the past

By Andy Brack, editor and publisher, part 1 of 2 | This is the story of three cousins. Well, they’re pretty sure they’re all cousins because they think they are linked genetically to the same man. But they’re not 100 percent sure because some of the records are lost.

They do know, however, that they’re linked by circumstance and family to that man, a South Carolina plantation owner who moved his family and 14 slaves to Florida before the Civil War. Later he moved back to the Palmetto State, signed the state’s Ordinance of Secession, fought and served in the state Senate.

by Andy Brack · 06/17/2019 · 1 comment · Andy Brack, Views

BRACK: Let’s confront the ghosts of our past and calm things down

By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | The ghosts of our past are boiling in a cauldron that is spewing fury and distress across America like lava jolting from a volcano.

And just like climate change, many deny or ignore how different segments of our society are colliding, getting hotter and hotter week after week. There’s an increasing sense that America is out of control, preferring dysfunction and confrontation to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

by Andy Brack · 02/11/2019 · 1 comment · Andy Brack, Views

2/11: Reducing your carbon footprint; Ghosts of past; More

N THIS ISSUE | Feb. 11, 2019

FOCUS: How to cut your home’s carbon footprint, home decor tips
COMMENTARY, Brack: Let’s confront the ghosts of our past and calm things down
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Charleston International Airport
GOOD NEWS: Meet library director finalists at forum tonight
FEEDBACK: Tell us what you think
MYSTERY PHOTO: Curly hair
S.C. ENCYCLOPEDIA: South Carolina State Library
CALENDAR: SEWE weekend is almost here!

by Charleston Currents · 02/11/2019 · Comments are Disabled · Full issue

Part of the Equal Justice Initiative memorial to people who were lynched in Alabama because of their color. An Alabama museum tells the story of injustice and terror endured by people of color during long struggle from slavery until today. Photo by Bill Sutton (Lynched in Alabama eji, Montgomery) [CC BY 2.0] via Wikimedia Commons

BRACK: Markers needed to remember victims of S.C. lynchings

By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | As part of Renaissance Weekend several years ago in Charleston, some participants gave downtown walking tours to visitors wanting to know more about the Holy City.

Mine was called the “Liar’s Tour.” The dozen people in the group were told that everything they heard on the tour was true – except for one thing. Their job was to figure out the lie.

So they heard about the Big Brick, a high-end brothel on Fulton Street that now is a fancy restaurant. They learned about the fire that destroyed a Catholic cathedral in 1861, an inn that was home to a signer of the Declaration of Independence, the Four Corners of Law and the nation’s oldest theater.

by Andy Brack · 07/30/2018 · 1 comment · Andy Brack, Views

FOCUS: Charleston Forum to discuss racial issues June 16

Staff reports | The Charleston Forum will host a public discussion June 16 to address racial issues in the context of economics and education; policing and criminal justice; the future of the past; and the Charleston experience.

“I am looking forward to participating in the Charleston Forum this summer. We must embrace these opportunities to come together and listen to one another,” Charleston Mayor John J. Tecklenburg said in a statement. “It is only by gaining an understanding of our different perspectives, backgrounds and experiences that we can create a united vision for a brighter future.”

Tickets are $10 and available online. The event will be from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Charleston Music Hall, 37 John St.

by Charleston Currents · 05/08/2017 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news

Winter, center, at a Mississippi church service. Images courtesy of the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation.

BRACK: We need more inspirational leaders like William Winter

By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | Whenever there’s a letter or card in the mail from Mississippi, it’s bound to be inspirational. And it’s bound to be from a guy you might not have heard of but should know more about.

Meet former Mississippi Gov. William F. Winter, a public sector healer whose decency, goodness and vision for a better South gently motivates people to be kinder and more accepting of each other.

by Andy Brack · 08/15/2016 · 1 comment · Andy Brack, Views