Charleston Currents #12.43 | Sept. 14, 2020
PASSING BY. A dolphin swims by the Morris Island lighthouse in this photo via Unsplash.
TODAY’S FOCUS: “Support the arts,” group tells federal lawmakers
COMMENTARY, Brack: Fall for kindness, not coarseness, in days ahead
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: S.C. Ports Authority
NEWS BRIEFS: Coalition sets sights on curbing hate crimes
FEEDBACK: Send us your thoughts
MYSTERY PHOTO: Lonely building?
CALENDAR: Check out the latest on the calendar
NEW BOOK: Copies to arrive this week
“Support the arts,” group tells federal lawmakers
Dock Street Theatre in Charleston.
Staff reports | Charleston Stage blasted out an urgent email last week urging area taxpayers and arts lovers to get in touch with members of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate to steer funding to the arts.
“Our industry is in a huge crisis,” the email said. “We were one of the first to close during the pandemic in March, and we’ll be the last to re-open. A lot of acts (the DAWN Act, the RESTART Act and more) are on the table. And now, more than ever, we need your help contacting your legislators to support the arts.”
One of the reasons that Charleston wins “best city”awards from travel magazines, the plea continued, is because of its rich arts offerings.
“South Carolina’s arts-related sector adds $9.7 billion to the state’s economy through jobs, tax revenue and spending, and $270 million in state revenue each year. All of which came to a screeching halt under the pandemic. In addition, all city and county accommodation tax funding to Charleston’s arts organizations has been eliminated due to COVID.
“Charleston Stage alone has over 40,000 patrons a year who attend performances at the historic Dock Street Theatre. Our patrons stay in area hotels; take Ubers, Lyfts and pedicabs; park in city and county garages; and eat at many local restaurants. Charleston cannot afford to lose our local arts Industries. …
“Almost all of South Carolina’s 115,000+ full-time arts professionals, whose work and spending contribute to S.C.’s economy each year, are now unemployed due to COVID. Keep writing, calling, sharing and tagging your legislators to vote in favor of the arts.”
Charleston Stage has postponed the opening of its 43rd season until January.
Federal contacts:
- U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham | (202) 224-5972
- U.S. Sen. Tim Scott | (202) 224-6121
- U.S. Rep. James E. Clyburn | (202) 225-3315
- U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham | (202) 225-3176
Fall for kindness, not coarseness, in days ahead
Ava. Photo courtesy of Jeanne Taylor Photography.
By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | America is coarser these days thanks, in part, to the politics of vitriol, greed to make a fast buck and the often self-absorbed bubble of the internet.
But have you noticed an increase in kindness, too? Especially since the coronavirus pandemic upended lives across the world?
“My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.” — Dalai Lama
A few days ago, a longtime friend in Florida with a growing lump on his neck from throat cancer put out a plea for help. No job. No health care. In desperate need of radiation, chemotherapy and an expensive test. It’s been, as he wrote on GoFundMe.com, a dumpster fire of a year.
“Without a job and without health insurance, I’ve found that it’s more than a bit difficult to get treated for cancer. The local hospital has a ‘charitable’ arm — which I pursued to exhaustion — but being male, breathing and still young enough to be productive, there was no charity available for me to get treatment.”
At first, he set a goal of $5,000 to pull together enough money for the test. Friends posted it on their social media outlets. Money started flowing. A Charleston man read a post, contacted me, asked a couple of questions and said he was going to donate $3,000, which would put my friend well over his goal. Why contribute to someone he didn’t even know? “God’s been too generous with us and (we’re) happy to share.”
So far, my friend’s campaign has raised more than $7,600, which has lifted a huge burden he’s been carrying. He’s energized and more positive than in awhile. Because of a huge act of kindness from a man he doesn’t even know.
“I can’t begin to tell you what a blessing this has been and how much it will help me get started on treatment,” my friend said.
“The best portion of a good man’s life is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love.” — William Wordsworth
Founded in 2010, GoFundMe has helped more than 70 million donors distribute $5 billion to projects around the world. In recent days, donors have contributed more than $12,000 to an aid campaign for the family of an upstate New York man killed Aug. 31 when a car struck his bike on U.S. Highway 17 south of Charleston. His dog, Ava, was in a trailer being pulled by the bike. She almost died, but got emergency care through the Charleston Animal Society.
“Her jaw is broken in two places,” said the organization’s Kay Hyman. “She has lacerations, wounds that are stapled to help them heal. Her brain was swelling from trauma, but she is alive. Ava is one resilient dog and should make a full recovery, with intensive care and time, from her horrific accident. Emotionally, she obviously misses her dad and watches intently when a bicycle crosses her path.”
Again, help poured in. On Sept. 12, the man’s ashes and Ava were expected to be returned to upstate New York in a private jet offered by a venture capitalist. More kindness.
One who knows how to show and to accept kindness will be a friend better than any possession. — Sophocles
Since the pandemic, lawyers and law students have been giving back across the Lowcountry as people struggle to cope with everything from health care to the possibility of being evicted.
One example: A landlord quietly worked with a tenant to make sure a single mother with twins could stay in her home, said Alissa Lietzow, executive director of Charleston Pro Bono Legal Services. Another:
“One attorney, a private practice civil attorney for over 25 years, has been dedicating his efforts for the housing court program on a monthly basis during the pandemic,” she said. “He has helped multiple tenants prevent evictions, secure agreed-upon move-out dates and avoid evictions on their records, which can hurt their prospects of finding new housing.
“The work of pro bono housing attorneys is paramount to avert a homelessness crisis in our community that could escalate COVID cases.”
More kindness. As politics ratchets up in nastiness in the weeks ahead, let’s remember we’re all in this together. Practice random acts of kindness. Pay it forward.
Andy Brack is editor and publisher of Charleston Currents. Have a comment? Have a comment? Send to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com.
S.C. Ports Authority
Founded in 1942, the South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) owns and operates public marine terminals at two port facilities, the Port of Charleston and the Port of Georgetown, in addition to inland ports in Greer and Dillon, S.C. These facilities are owner-operated terminals, meaning the SCPA owns the terminals, operates all container cranes, manages and operates all container storage yards and leads all customer service functions in both the yard and the lanes.
SCPA promotes, develops and facilitates waterborne commerce to meet the current and future needs of its customers, and for the economic benefit of the citizens and businesses of South Carolina. In fact, SCPA facilities in Charleston, Dillon, Georgetown and Greer drive $63.4 billion in annual statewide economic impact and 1 in every 10 S.C. jobs is attributed to the port.
- For more information, visit www.scspa.com.
- To meet all of our underwriters, click here.
Coalition sets sights on curbing hate crimes
Staff reports | A startup coalition called Stamp Out Hate South Carolina is rallying ahead of the 2021-2022 legislative session to urge lawmakers to finally pass a hate crimes law in South Carolina. Despite efforts for years by S.C. Democratic Reps. Wendell Gilliard of Charleston and Beth Bernstein of Columbia to pass protections, South Carolina remains one of three states without a hate crimes law.
“Given the number of high profile hate crimes that have happened around the country in the past year, I think there is renewed energy to see South Carolina get a hate crimes law on the books,” said Chase Glenn, executive director of Alliance For Full Acceptance (AFFA) in North Charleston. “I believe this time will be different. We’ll get the law passed.”
Among the members of the coalition are the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Charleston, Alliance for Full Acceptance, Emanuel AME Church, Charleston Hispanic Association, Lowcountry Coalition Against Hate, the Anti-Defamation League, Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Columbia Jewish Federation and the Charleston Jewish Federation. Read the full story.
Also in recent news:
Ariail pens new cartoon. The Charleston City Paper on Wednesday started publishing a new weekly cartoon strip about the Lowcountry by nationally-syndicated cartoonist Robert Ariail of Camden. He said he would use the weekly space in the City Paper to target coastal issues with his well-known sense of irony and humor. “I envision ‘Lowcountry’ as a vehicle for social, political and environmental commentary letting animal characters tell the story,” he said. “I know it will be fun for me to draw and I hope it will be equally fun, if not thought-provoking, for those who read it.” View the first installment.
This week in Columbia. The state’s 2020-21 budget and allocation of federal pandemic aid money will loom large over the special session called for the House and Senate slated to begin Tuesday. Learn more.
Census count still low in S.C. U.S. Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham said last week just 78 percent of South Carolina’s known addresses have been counted in the 10-year census that helps allocate federal representation and money. The count will end Sept. 30. Read more.
Charleston files lawsuit against Big Oil. The city of Charleston last week announced it filed a lawsuit against 24 fossil fuel companies for the costs of adapting to climate change. The lawsuit alleges the companies profited from the extraction and use of fossil fuels for “nearly half a century,” despite decades of scientific research warning of fossil fuel’s harmful impact on nature and climate change. The city, the first in the South to file such a suit, seeks damages for increased flooding. Read more.
Statehouse Report’s Lindsay Street and the Charleston City Paper’s Heath Ellison contributed to this section. Have a comment? Send to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com
Got something to say? Let us know by mail or email
We’d love to get your impact in one or more ways:
Send us a letter: We love hearing from readers. Comments are limited to 250 words or less. Please include your name and contact information. Send your letters to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com. | Read our feedback policy.
Tell us what you love about the Lowcountry. Send a short comment – 100 words to 150 words – that describes something you really enjoy about the Lowcountry. It can be big or small. It can be a place, a thing or something you see. It might be the bakery where you get a morning croissant or a business or government entity doing a good job. We’ll highlight your entry in a coming issue of Charleston Currents. We look forward to hearing from you.
Lonely building?
While this building might look lonely, it’s in a location where it is far from being alone. Where is it? Send to editor@charlestoncurrents.com. And don’t forget to include your name and the town in which you live.
Our previous Mystery Photo
Our Sept. 7 photo, “Breaking a sweat,” is the Skywheel in Myrtle Beach in an Unsplash photo taken during one of the community’s marathons.
Congratulations to 11 readers who recognized the photo: Jim McMahan of Charleston; Chris Brooks, Kevin Akinjobi and Joanne Schwartz, of Mount Pleasant; Jay Altman of Columbia; Charles Boyd of Hanahan; Allan Peel of San Antonio, Texas; George Graf of Palmyra, Va.; Marnie Huger of Richmond, Va.; Lynell Wade of Goose Creek; and Harvey Glick of Sullivan’s Island.
Peel added, “The joggers in the photo are taking part in the annual Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon, a 13.1-mile run which is held each year during the third weekend in October. The Mini Marathon is just one of three marathons held in Myrtle Beach during that weekend. The two other popular runs are the 3.1-mile ‘Coastal 5K’ and the 1.5-mile ‘Doggie Dash’, where dog owners can run alongside their pet dogs. This year’s events are still scheduled for Oct 17-18, 2020. Here’s hoping they are able to continue the annual tradition, now in its 11th year, despite concerns for COVID-19.”
Graf shared this info: “The railroad terminus near the beach was nicknamed ‘New Town,’ contrasting it with the ‘Old Town,’ or Conway. Around the start of the 20th century, Franklin Burroughs envisioned turning New Town into a tourist destination rivaling the Florida and northeastern beaches. Burroughs died in 1897, but his sons completed the railroad’s expansion to the beach and opened the Seaside Inn in 1901. Around 1900, a contest was held to name the area, and Burroughs’ wife suggested honoring the locally abundant shrub, the southern wax myrtle (Myrica cerifera). The Withers post office changed its name to ‘Myrtle Beach” soon afterward. It incorporated as a town in 1938 and as a city in 1957.”
- 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.
Lowcountry Listens: 6 p.m. Wednesdays through Sept. 30, online. The Gaillard Center offers a third round of free music performances with the continuation of Lowcountry Listens. Next up: Nathan & Eva on Sept. 16. The sibling duo got its start performing covers online to a thriving YouTube fanbase before jumping into live performing in the Charleston area in 2016. Since then, they’ve released their self-titled EP in 2018 and are currently finishing up their first full-length album. Ahead:
- Sideshow Americans | Sept. 23
- Charlton Singleton and Contemporary Flow | Sept. 30
Safe Sounds concerts are back: Saturdays through Oct. 31, Firefly Distillery, North Charleston. The distillery’s socially-distanced concerts are back with its fall Safe Sounds series. This week on Sept. 19: Seth G with Black Diamond Band & BlackNoyze. There also will be a special performance on Oct. 2 from the Grammy Award-winning Del McCoury Band. Tickets can be purchased in advance at citypapertickets.com.
“Connections” on display: Through Oct. 24, Redux Contemporary Art Center, Charleston. The exhibition of works by Gret Macintosh features looks at physical connections between places, such as waterways, roads, and bridges that the artist has experienced over the last 15 years of living in the Charleston area. The exhibition is open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Mondays and Wednesdays; 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fridays; and by appointment. More.
From Etchings to Pastels: Through Nov. 29, Lowcountry Image Gallery, The Charleston Museum. The museum has partnered with the Pastel Society of South Carolina to present new interpretations of etchings stemming from the Charleston Renaissance Movement about 100 years ago. Learn more.
Online offerings:
- Gibbes Museum. You can enjoy lots of local art offerings through the website and social media accounts of the Gibbes Museum. At 10 a.m. on weekdays, the museum posts virtual readings and workshops on Facebook. Find more online.
- Avian Conservation Center. Access videos and live streaming presentations online to learn about what’s going on at the Center for Birds of Prey.
- Around the world. You can visit 500 museums across the world online through this Google amalgamation of sites.
If you have any online events, drop us a line (editor@charlestoncurrents.com) and make sure to put “Online event” in the subject line. Similarly, if you’ve got cool ideas for stuff to do while in isolation at home, send them our way.
Books will be delivered this week!
Copies of a new book of historical facts about Charleston, aptly titled 350 Facts About Charleston, will be in Lowcountry-area bookstores this week, but you can order a copy today.
The staff at our sister publication, the Charleston City Paper, pulled together fun and arcane information about the Holy City to illuminate its deep, rich history from its founding in 1670 until this year. (That’s, umm, 350 years!)
Included in the 224-page book are details on early settlers, the wars (Revolutionary and Civil) and the struggle for civil rights by descendants of enslaved Africans. You’ll learn about food (Charlestonians have loved to drink wine for centuries), books, people, music, culture and much more.
Bonus: Talented South Carolina cartoonist Robert Ariail offers 12 illustrations that should make a great calendar someday.
- Preview the book by visiting CharlestonFacts.com.
As more people stay home to deal with the coronavirus crisis, people are looking for things to do. You can find some fun things to do online in our calendar section below, but let us also encourage you to FORWARD your issue of Charleston Currents to your friends and encourage them to subscribe. It’s got a great price, as you know: Free! We hope they’ll enjoy our coverage.
- DONATE. Now also would be a great time to contribute as we deal with the crisis. In advance, thank you.
OUR UNDERWRITERS
Charleston Currents is an underwriter-supported weekly online journal of good news about the Charleston area and Lowcountry of South Carolina.
- Meet our underwriters
- To learn more about how your organization or business can benefit, click here to contact us. Or give us a holler on the phone at: 843.670.3996.
OUR TEAM
Charleston Currents offers insightful community comment and good news on events each week. It cuts through the information clutter to offer the best of what’s happening locally.
- Mailing address: 1316 Rutledge Avenue | Charleston, SC 29403
- Phone: 843.670.3996
Charleston Currents is provided to you weekly by:
- Editor and publisher: Andy Brack, 843.670.3996
- Contributing editor, common good, Fred Palm
- Contributing editor, money: Kyra Morris
- Contributing editor, Palmetto Poem: Marjory Wentworth
- Contributing editor, real estate: Digit Matheny
- Contributing photographer: Rob Byko
- Charleston Currents also uses content from the outstanding staff at the Charleston City Paper, a sister publication.
SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE
Subscriptions to Charleston Currents are free.
- Click here to subscribe.
- Unsubscribe. We don’t want to lose you as a reader of Charleston Currents, but if you must unsubscribe, you will have to do it through the email edition you receive. Just go to the bottom of any of your weekly newsletters and click the “unsubscribe” function. If that doesn’t work, please send us an email with the word “unsubscribe” in the subject line.
- © 2008-2020, City Paper Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. Charleston Currents is published every Monday by City Paper Publishing LLC, 1316 Rutledge Ave., Charleston, SC 29403.
We Can Do Better, South Carolina!
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Use our feed
Send us your comments
Pingback: NEW for 9/14: On supporting the arts and being kind – Charleston Currents