Charleston Currents #12.14 | Feb. 17, 2020
PRESIDENTS DAY. With students and many government workers off today, we thought we’d mark the birthdays of presidents with a peek at a portrait of Washington commissioned by Charleston City Council in 1791 after his much-celebrated visit to the Holy City. Well-known artist John Turnbull was hired to paint a full-length portrait of the first president, but the city rejected his first canvas because it showed Washington and his horse as they appeared in New Jersey 14 years before the S.C. visit, historian Nic Butler shares. So an irritated Turnbull complied and sent along a second portrait in 1792 with Charleston in the distance. And here’s where the story gets kind of fun: “To express his displeasure with the City Council of Charleston, so the story goes, Trumbull depicted the president’s horse with its hind-quarters facing the viewer and its tail raised, the city of Charleston in the background positioned directly between the animal’s hind legs. From this pose, many people have concluded that the artist was sending a not-so-subtle message to the people of Charleston.” Read more.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Tubman book featured in Magnolia’s Children Garden
COMMENTARY, Brack: Welcome to South Carolina
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: SCIWAY
NEWS BRIEFS: State to have largest surplus in history
PALMETTO POEM, Platt: Dresden’s Frauenkirche weeps for Notre-Dame de Paris
FEEDBACK: Teachers need more
MYSTERY PHOTO: Tranquil setting
CALENDAR: Knotts, Ragusa to talk Feb. 23 about Democratic primary
Tubman book featured in Magnolia’s Children Garden
By Herb Frazier | In honor of Black History Month, Tri-County First Steps has placed in the Children’s Garden at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens the book “Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom,” by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Kadir Nelson.
This book is a tribute to Tubman’s strength, humility, and ability to navigate nature and the outdoors. It is the perfect book for children 5- to 8-years old. Scan a QR code on the book’s cover to hear an interactive storytelling session narrative by Dorchester County First Steps Director Crystal Campbell.
Parents can listen to the story using their cellphones to enjoy Campbell’s lyrical story that brings the full radiance of Tubman’s life. Pages of the book have been placed on 16 story boards along a winding path in the garden.
Tri-County First Steps partnered with Magnolia to bring the first early childhood story walk in a Lowcountry public garden. Research shows the value of interactive and experiential learning beginning in early infancy. The First Steps offices in Berkeley and Charleston counties are also part of the Tri-County First Steps.
While listening and touring the story walk, teachers and parents can connect the story with the South Carolina Early Learning Standards. Some of the domains and standards that can be taught using this book include emotional and social development and mathematical thinking and expression.
Magnolia is one of several local organizations that partner with First Steps in a program called the Tri-county Play Collaborate. The group’s goal is to ensure that all tri-county children and families have equitable access to public spaces such as gardens, museums and libraries. Through its community partnerships, the group also promotes the South Carolina early learning standards.
Welcome to South Carolina
By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | For the presidential candidates, staffers, reporters and hangers-on starting to descend like locusts into South Carolina for its national debate and the Feb. 29 presidential primary, remember what native son James L. Pettigru wrote just after the state seceded in December 1860:
“South Carolina is too small for a republic and too large for an insane asylum.”
In a lot of ways, that one sentence still rings true.
The Palmetto State, home to 5 million Americans, has blossomed as the Sunbelt attracted outsiders, but it remains a largely rural and suburban state with no city larger than 150,000 people. While Charleston, Hilton Head Island and lately Greenville, are world renowned to visitors, South Carolina is better known as one of the country’s reddest of red states that’s home to smiling faces, beautiful places and being nearly last on every national statistical list that’s published.
With the weaker blue side of the state’s political spectrum getting so much attention these days, we offer this pragmatic but somewhat cynical guide to South Carolina, settled some 350 years ago as a business proposition that generated enormous wealth and inequities that still exist today.
Check your prejudices at the airport. Southerners aren’t stupid. We have teeth. We wear shoes. Half of us aren’t pregnant all of the time. Overall, the state is more purple than red or blue. While there are no statewide Democratic officeholders, blame that more on gerrymandering than voters. Don’t fall into cheap cliches when trying to figure out what’s going on politically. Doing so will get you into trouble.
Blacks voters are traditional. Some new, shiny thing doesn’t resonate with black voters, who comprise more than half of Democratic primary voters. A big reason former Vice President Joe Biden has been doing well here is that African Americans in South Carolina are more conservative than assumed. (Remember what assuming gets you in news and politics.) African Americans, who overwhelmingly vote Democratic, want what most Democrats want — someone who can beat President Trump in November. But they also want someone who is known and has a proven commitment to the mainstream. It’s important that Biden served as President Obama’s vice president. There’s a lot of innate loyalty built-in to favor his record. (Advantage, Biden; Disadvantage Klobuchar.)
Blacks aren’t pro-gay. This is a generalization, but there’s a lot of truth in it: Blacks in South Carolina are deeply religious and often uncomfortable with gay leaders. They’re not opposed, but they’re not rushing in large numbers to the polls to vote for a gay candidate. That’s just the way it is. (Disadvantage, Buttigieg.)
Class warfare isn’t as big of a deal here. There’s a reason South Carolina has the lowest unionization rate in the country. It’s because there’s an ingrained, top-down economic system in place that evolved from the state’s highly successful plantation culture. The rich get richer in South Carolina and the poor don’t crawl out of poverty — but they also don’t elect leaders to force the system to change. Calls to arms to combat class divisions don’t work as well in South Carolina. (Disadvantage, Sanders, Warren.)
Maybe money works. The big difference in this year’s S.C. primary from those in the past is how billionaire Tom Steyer of California has spent millions of dollars on TV and direct mail for months and has risen from nowhere into second place, according to recent polls. If his campaign places high on Feb. 29, he could take away votes from Biden — and foreshadow how even more money spent nationally could upturn the Democratic political apple cart in the weeks ahead. (Advantage, Steyer, Bloomberg; Disadvantage, Biden.)
Don’t get distracted by the GOP. Republicans could have had a presidential primary had they wished. A former GOP governor, Mark Sanford, challenged President Trump for a while, but got nowhere because the enemies of voter choice and yes-men to the hilt thought it would be better for there to be no primary. Now some of them openly talk about meddling in the Democratic primary — just like Russians did in the 2016 elections. Don’t fall for their nonsense.
- Andy Brack is the editor and publisher of Charleston Currents and Statehouse Report. Have a comment? Send to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com
SCIWAY
The public spiritedness of our underwriters allows us to bring Charleston Currents to you at no cost. Today we shine our spotlight on SCIWAY. Pronounced “sky-way,” SCIWAY is South Carolina’s Information Superhighway — the largest and most comprehensive directory of South Carolina information on the Internet. It includes thousands of links to other South Carolina Web sites, including Charleston Currents, as well as an amazing collection of maps, charts, articles, photos and other resources.
- To learn more about this extraordinary information hub that 7 million people visit a year, go to: http://www.SCIWAY.com.
State to have largest surplus in history
South Carolina expects to see its largest surplus in history as revenue projections from last year are off by more than 15 6 percent, or about $567 million more than originally forecasted. While the excess money is rooted in missing the mark on revenue forecasts — something that caused the state to have mid-year cuts at the start of the Great Recession — some lawmakers say they aren’t worried and even expect at least one more surplus adjustment before the end of the fiscal year in June.
“This is the best look forward you can get,” Bonneau Republican Sen. Larry Grooms said of the quarterly projections. Grooms is a member of the Senate Finance Committee. “When the economy is going good, they missed the revenue estimate because it’s going really quickly.”
Revenues for 2019-2020 were originally projected at $9,309,931,430. $3,294,414,000 Meaning that so far, the projection has missed its mark by more than 15 6 percent. To put that in perspective, state revenues shrank by 12.5 percent from the 2007-2008 budget to the 2008-2009 budget, which alarmed many as the Great Recession began taking its toll. Read the full story by Lindsay Street in Statehouse Report.
Also in recent news:
MUSC facilities to open Feb. 22. The MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital and Pearl Tourville Women’s Pavilion have passed all necessary safety and regulatory inspections, and hospital administration and pediatric care teams have been cleared to occupy the building on Feb. 22, according to a press release. “We’re finally getting our keys to this one-of-a-kind facility, and it’s been the dedication, commitment and faith of many that have gotten us to this wonderful day. Our children’s and women’s teams deserve high praise for their perseverance, flexibility and expertise as we move through the final stages of occupying this new facility,” said Dr. Mark Scheurer, MUSC Children’s Hospital chief medical officer and project leader.
KISS Day proclamation raises (painted on) eyebrows. After Gov. Henry McMaster declared Feb. 11 as KISS Day in South Carolina for the rock band, Charleston City Paper music editor Heath Ellison wrote: “If you’re confused why a group of New Yorkers is being honored with a day in a state that has a long history of musical innovation, often by black men and women, we’re with you.” Read the post here.
Day of ‘Bodily Autonomy’ announced for Statehouse. Reproductive rights activists have announced a collective day of action for bodily autonomy 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 19, at the Statehouse in Columbia. The day is aimed at opposition to abortion restrictions, and includes groups ACLU of SC, Columbia NOW, League of Women Voters of South Carolina, NARAL, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, and the Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network. Learn more here.
‘Persistently poor’ black communities in S.C., South deserve spotlight. In a new piece in The Nation, Greg Kaufman examined what the 2020 presidential race means to the “Black Belt,” a name originally coined for dark, clay soil in the South but has come to represent the “persistently poor” black communities. The piece cites U.S. House Majority Whip James Clyburn, who led efforts on the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission to bring federal funds to these communities, and Statehouse Report’s editor and publisher Andy Brack, who said the Black Belt “is a remnant of plantation life” even 150 years after the end of the Civil War. Read it here.
- Have a comment? Send to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com
Dresden’s Frauenkirche weeps for Notre-Dame de Paris
Notre Dame burns in 2019, via Wikipedia.
By Eugene Platt
“It seems to me that the moment has come when the question of bombing German cities simply for the sake of increasing the terror, though under other pretexts, should be reviewed.”
—British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in a March 28, 1945, memo following the firebombing of Dresden
Monday in Holy Week 2019
“Paris horrified” hollers the headline
of my faraway city’s daily the day after
a wartime-like fire jolts the joie de vivre of spring
and ravages the regal Notre-Dame de Paris.
But below the bold headline in a line below the fold,
we are relieved to read no one was killed—
although one of the four hundred firefighters was injured,
moving believers to beseech balm for his burns.
Ash Wednesday 1945
Centuries too late to vindicate Dante before his death,
the late-in-the-war inferno inflicted indiscriminately
on friend and foe, civilian and combatant, Gentile and Jew,
by swarms of Allied bombers dropping valentines of vengeance
from the Dresden sky, incites continuing controversy:
Were “only” 20,000 souls immolated in those attacks?
Or was the number nearer double the 70,000 atomized
in the no-less-controversial annihilation of Hiroshima?
Then and Now
Safe from harm in the center of a city declared “open,”
Notre-Dame de Paris wept sacred tears that Ash Wednesday
for a sister cathedral hundreds of kilometers away
in once-royal Saxony’s Florence on the Elbe.
The Baroque not-so-fortunate Frauenkirche,
now fully and famously restored, dedicated to reconciliation,
sheds tears in turn today, on their shared road to Golgotha,
for a forlorn lady shivering in the shadow of the Cross.
Editor’s Note: This poem by James Island poet Eugene Platt first was published in the Canadian magazine Into the Void (Summer 2019, Issue 13). Reprinted in the U.K. magazine La Piccioletta Barca (November 2019, Issue 13).
Teachers need more
To the editor:
Please help S.C.! S.C. legislators are keeping our state’s children among the lowest scoring in our country. Greed and selfishness keep teacher pay subpar.
I took a $12,000 pay cut in 2002 to move from Georgia. In a time and place where poverty runs rampant, teachers need more time, more money, better disciplinary support.
The same good ol’ boys are denying this state a qualified workforce for the industries moving here. I thank you in advance for your support. Drain the swamp.
— Linda Whiddon, Cordesville, S.C.
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Tranquil scene
A reader from Alaska sent along this tranquil South Carolina scene. It looked familiar to us, but does it to you? Where is it? Send your best guess to editor@charlestoncurrents.com. And don’t forget to include your name and the town in which you live.
Our last Mystery Photo, “The sea life,” was kind of tough because fishing piers along the coast look similar. It wasn’t at Folly Beach, Cherry Point, Pawleys Island, Garden City or Surfside Beach. But several people correctly identified this pier at Myrtle Beach State Park. Congratulations to: George Graf of Palmyra, Va.; Stephen Yetman and Kristina Wheeler, both of Charleston; Val Valenta and Jay Altman, both of Columbia; and Allan Peel of San Antonio, Texas.
Peel pointed out “that the mystery photo was taken before the damage caused by two hurricanes – Hurricane Matthew on Oct. 8, 2016. and Hurricane Florence on Sept 14, 2018 — during which the pier lost a few pilings. Some repairs had already been made following Hurricane Matthew, but most of the damage came from Hurricane Florence. “
- Send us a mystery: If you have a photo that you believe will stump readers, send it along (but make sure to tell us what it is because it may stump us too!) Send it along to editor@charlestoncurrents.com.
Knotts, Ragusa to talk Feb. 23 about Democratic primary
Staff reports | College of Charleston political science professors Gibbs Knotts and Jordan Ragusa will offer an analysis Feb. 23 of the candidates ahead of South Carolina’s Democratic presidential primary, which is set for Feb. 29. The event will be 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Itinerant Literate Bookstop in North Charleston. Register here | Learn more.
Knotts and Ragusa are authors of First in the South: Why South Carolina’s Presidential Primary Matters. Former S.C. Gov. Jim Hodges said this of the book: “Knotts and Ragusa provide a thorough look at how South Carolina became the focal point of presidential primary elections, and why it remains such a critical stop on the presidential primary map for both Democrats and Republicans.”
- If you’re still trying to figure out which candidate to support, you should check out the “Three Questions” series in the Charleston City Paper, which highlights campaigns by Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Tom Steyer, Amy Klobuchar and Pete Buttigieg.
Also on the calendar:
Old Slave Mart Museum open Sundays: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays in February, 6 Chalmers St., CHarleston. As a part of the celebration of Black History, the museum will be open on Sundays in February to share its role in telling Charleston’s full history. Admission to the museum is $8 for adults and $5 for seniors, students, teachers and military personnel.
Good Catch Oysterfest: 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., Feb. 21, S.C. Aquarium, Charleston. The aquarium’s Good Catch series opens with an oyster event with Folly River Shellfish as the purveyor for a range of culinary preparers. Tickets are $50 to $75. For more information on Good Catch Oysterfest and the aquarium’s entire After Hours series, visit scaquarium.org/afterhours
Charleston Museum’s roast: Noon to 3 p.m., Feb. 22, Dill Sanctuary, James Island. The Charleston Museum will host its annual oyster roast and allow guests to enjoy Dill Sanctuary. Tickets to this event are all inclusive and include two tours with Museum Archaeologists, oysters, BBQ, sides, live music with the Paul Quattlebaum Jazz Band and a cupcake and coffee or hot cocoa courtesy of The Holy City Cupcakes! And of course, one of the best Lowcountry views Charleston can offer.
White the Wild Things Run/Walk 5K: 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., March 7, Caw Caw Interpretive Center, Ravenel. Explore the center’s scenic trails in this event during which an awards ceremony will include food and beverages. Cost: $32. Ages 10 and up. More: http://www.CharlestonCountyParks.com.
Wine, Women and Shoes: 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., March 12, Charleston Gaillard Center, Charleston. This annual fun event benefiting Florence Crittenton Programs of South Carolina brings together outstanding footwear, a fashion show, and great wine and food. For ticket info and more, go to: WineWomenAndShoes.com/FloCrit.
Pet Fest 2020: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., March 21, Mount Pleasant Palmetto Islands County Park. This year’s Pet Fest will feature a day of exhibits, demonstrations, experts, contests, adoptable pets, and more at Charleston’s premier pet festival. Pet Fest attendees who adopt a pet from the Charleston Animal Society at the event will receive an Individual Park Pass (value $30) to select county parks. Admission to Pet Fest is $8 per person.
Quintet to perform for parks: 5:30 p.m., March 21, McLeod Plantation Historic Site, James Island. A quintet of the Charleston Symphony will perform “LIsten to Spring” as a fundraiser for the Charleston County Parks Foundation. Guests are invited to enjoy popular music under the stars at the historic site from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The Charleston Symphony Brass Quintet will take attendees on a musical journey from New Orleans to Broadway, with detours to Europe and South America. Tickets are $75. Proceeds will go to support the foundation’s Pass It Forward Project. Tickets are available at CharlestonCountyParksFoundation.org.
ONGOING
Lights of Magnolia: 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., through March 15, 2020, Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, West Ashley. Enjoy nine acres of Chinese lanterns, dragons and more at the venerable garden’s new evening attraction. The lantern festival includes custom-designed installations of large-scale thematically unified lanterns, a fusion of historic Chinese cultural symbols and images that represent the flora and fauna of Magnolia. Learn more online. Tickets are $11-$26. Parking is easier now. For more information and frequently asked questions, click here.
Early morning bird walks at Caw Caw: 8:30 a.m. every Wednesday and Saturday, Caw Caw Interpretive Center, Ravenel. You can learn about habitats and birds, butterflies and other organisms in this two-hour session. Registration is not required, but participants are to be 15 and up. $10 per person or free to Gold Pass holders. More: http://www.CharlestonCountyParks.com.
- If you have an event to list on our calendar, please send it to feedback@charlestoncurrents.com for consideration. The calendar is updated weekly on Mondays.
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