Charleston Currents #13.12 | Feb. 1, 2021
A VIEW FROM A BRIDGE. Here’s a look at the city of Charleston from the Pitt Street bridge in Mount Pleasant. Photo by Kitty Barksdale.
FOCUS: Remembering Jim Campbell
COMMENTARY, Brack: Boyhood hero Aaron continues to inspire
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Morris Financial Concepts
NEWS BRIEFS: Charleston Animal Society celebrates 8-year milestone
FEEDBACK: Send us a letter
MYSTERY PHOTO: Interesting wall
CALENDAR: Land trust to benefit from Feb. 11-21 online auction
Remembering Jim Campbell
Fordham, left, with Campbell, who passed away Saturday. Photo provided.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Local historian Damon Fordham remembered the full life of educator and social justice activist Jim Campbell, who passed away Saturday, in this short essay on Facebook. We offer it as a tribute.
By Damon Fordham, republished with permission | Mr. James Campbell, who taught adult education with Malcolm X in the Organization of Afro American Unity, has passed at the age of 96.
I learned a lot from this man. Here are some of his gems of wisdom.
“You give a youngster the power of reading and you’ve put the world in his hands. You must read the literature of the world. Then you can sort out what is garbage and what are gems.”
During President [Barack] Obama’s initial campaign, I complained to him about the large numbers of Black people who dismissed his run as folly. He replied, “Damon, you must remember that the experiences of many of our people has left behind a culture of despair that will take much work to overcome.”
One of the last conversations we had was about a man he saw at church in his youth who strenuously copied notes while the preacher spoke. Mr. Campbell said that he happened to pass the man’s pew one day and saw that the man had written unintelligible gibberish. He later learned that the man was illiterate, but wanted to give the impression that he could write. “Even the least educated among us has dignity” he explained.
I once published a story in The Charleston Chronicle in my journalism days about his experiences with Malcolm X. This was his response:
Dear Prof. Damon Fordham,
First, my compliments to you on the amount of “ink” you received for the very substantive articles over your “byline” in the most recent issue of The Chronicle, February 22, 2017.
Your contributions were enriching and complemented the instructive quality of the African American history that filled the pages of this edition. These recent copies of The Chronicle are classroom worthy; let’s hope that our local educators actively recognize this and communicate and popularize this history among their young charges. The Chronicle is a valuable teaching resource.
Secondly, many thanks for your faithful recall of the memory and interactions with Malcolm X. Additionally, your urging and popularizing of widespread use of the resources of the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture is an urgent plea. Let’s hope that there is a ‘receive and a response’. It’s another great teaching resource in this community and very accessible.
Lastly, my every best wish for your continuing scholarship with the popularization of “Our Stories.” You are doing excellent work in afield long devoid of interest, careful research, and diligent unearthing.
Damon Fordham is a local author who teaches history at The Citadel. Have a comment? Send to: feedback@charlestoncurrents.com
Boyhood hero Aaron continues to inspire
Arron swats another hit.
By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | In the sweltering south Georgia heat and humidity of July 1971, there was one thing I absolutely knew: Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves was going to be at my 10th birthday party.
My hero Hank, my friends and I would play catch and swing on a backyard jungle gym. We’d gorge ourselves on hamburgers, cake and ice cream. We’d laugh and horse around. It was going to be great.
Never mind that the 37-year-old home run king was 2,500 miles away in California between games with Los Angeles (Braves beat the Dodgers 3-1) and San Francisco (Braves beat the Giants 4-1). There was a one-day layover in between. I convinced myself he would make it. He didn’t, of course, but his star never tarnished as we both grew older.
And now, the slugger with the smooth, powerful swing has passed away. So too has part of my childhood and that of former kids all over America.
Aaron mesmerized young fans. He was the full package — he could do everything on the field, playing with a consistent and calm grace that masked the real struggles of race he dealt with daily. Back in 1971 as our country schools integrated, most kids didn’t seem to have Aaron as a hero. But in tributes online and in newspapers, that clearly wasn’t the case.
“He was hero to every boy born before 1965,” said Russell Guerard of Charleston.
Aaron in 1974
There was just something about him, former GOP state Rep. Hunter Limbaugh of Columbia wrote.
“It’s not that those players [Mays, Clemente, Frank Robinson] lacked ‘something,’ but more that Aaron’s dignity was his essence. I’d like to think that even as a youngster, that’s what drew me to him.”
Robert Kittle, a former Columbia television newsman who now is communications director for the S.C. Attorney General’s office, remembers flocking to Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium to watch Aaron.
“I remember how exciting it was when he was chasing Babe Ruth’s record, that my hometown hero was about to make history,” Kittle recalled this week. “It wasn’t until years later that I learned about the harassment he had to deal with, including death threats, and that made his accomplishment even more amazing and made me respect him even more than I already did.”
Hampton native Marilyn Jones Armstrong, who now lives in North Carolina, explained Aaron was why she loves baseball to this day.
“Daddy and I would watch the Braves (in pre-TBS days) when he made me memorize batting averages and always cheer for Hammerin’ Hank. I remember the 715th [home run that broke Babe Ruth’s record]. I remember ‘watching’ the Atlanta Braves on the radio with my grandmother at the river because we couldn’t get the game on TV.”
My father and I made an annual pilgrimage from south Georgia to Atlanta to watch Aaron and the Braves. A couple of times, we flew in a small plane — quite a thrill for a kid. One time, we climbed aboard the Nancy Hanks train in Macon and got to sit with the engineer.
A few years later when we lived in Atlanta, I remember stumbling and almost dropping my cornet when marching off of my high school football field. Why? Because there — clear as day leaning on the wire fence near the bench — was Henry Louis Aaron. He stood by himself, a dad waiting to see his sons play in the second half of the game.
My jaw still drops. Aaron had that effect.
“Sometimes we learn that our heroes really aren’t very heroic after all because they do something bad or we learn that they’re not very nice,” Kittle observed. “Hank was the opposite. As time went on, the more I learned about him, the more heroic he became, and his stature in the community grew because of his philanthropic work and mentoring.”
So now my boyhood hero is gone and so is a lingering part of my youth. I feel fortunate to have had him in my life, albeit at a distance.
He didn’t make the birthday party, but Lord have mercy, he made things better for so many others in so many ways.
Henry Louis Aaron, 1934-2021. Rest in peace.
Andy Brack is editor and publisher of Charleston Currents, and publisher of the Charleston City Paper. Have a comment? Send to: editor@charlestoncurrents.com.
Morris Financial Concepts, Inc.
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring Charleston Currents to you at no cost to readers. Morris Financial Concepts, Inc., is a nationally recognized, fee-only financial consulting firm that helps you identify and align your resources, values and goals to achieve an enriched life.
We do not accept commissions or compensation related to the products and service we recommend. Our counsel is based solely on what we believe is best for each client.
- Learn about founder and Charleston Currents columnist Kyra Morris and more about the consultancy at: Morris Financial Concepts, Inc.
- To meet all of our underwriters, click here.
Charleston Animal Society celebrates 8-year milestone
Staff reports | Charleston County is the oldest No Kill Community for dogs and cats in the Southeast, as Charleston Animal Society said last week in a release celebrating eight years as a No Kill Community.
The society, which shelters and provides safe harbor for over 90 percent of the stray, unwanted and homeless animals in Charleston County, launched a three-year project in 2013 to build the first No Kill Community in the Southeast. The project achieved its goal in the first year and has now sustained Charleston County as a No Kill Community for 8 consecutive years.
“No Kill Charleston became the boldest animal rescue initiative ever successfully undertaken, but more importantly, it demonstrated to doubters across the country that communities in the Deep South, a region with the highest euthanasia rates, could overcome the challenges of building No Kill Communities,” said Joe Elmore, president and CEO of Charleston Animal Society.
The organization’s plan included increasing adoption rates, boosting fostering of animals and spaying or neutering thousands of animals .
“One of the remarkable achievements was the decline in dogs and cats relative to the growth in the human population,” Elmore said. “Dogs and cats, according to the AVMA, increase with an increase in the human population. Instead of seeing an increase in dogs and cats of 12 percent corresponding to the human population increase, we actually saw upward of a 30 percent decline in animals during those 8 years, mostly due to our extensive spaying/neutering efforts.”
In other recent news:
CARTA launches rideshare partnership. The Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA) today is launching CARTA OnDemand, a first-in-the-region partnership with transportation network companies Uber and UZURV. The pilot program will offer door-to-door service for seniors age 55 and up and Tel-A-Ride customers making qualifying trips to or from the Medical District and/or WestEdge Publix on the peninsula. The service will operate from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Trips with UZURV and Uber cost $4 each way and rides can be scheduled as much as 30 days in advance or with as little as 1-hour notice. Registration for CARTA OnDemand is now open for anyone 55 and older at RideCARTA.com/OnDemand.
Charleston is charitable county. A SmartAsset study analyzing charitable contributions as a percentage of net income in various places across the nation found that Charleston County ranks second in South Carolina for most charitable places to live, according to this story in the Charleston City Paper.
COVID-19 variants pop up here. A private testing facility on Saturday reported the first case of a British COVID-19 variant was found in the Lowcountry. Earlier in the week, a South African variant turned up for the first time in the U.S. in patients in the Pee Dee and Lowcountry. As of Sunday, the state had a 21.4 percent rate of people testing positive for the virus. More.
RiverDogs have new manager. Blake Butera, a former Boston College baseball player and coach, is the new manager for the Charleston RiverDogs, which recently became affiliated with the Tampa Bay Rays. With the new Rays partnership, and the transition for the team into Charleston in the midst of the pandemic, there are still a lot of unknowns circling any coming season, but Butera said he was confident that this will be a season everyone will be happy to be a part of and is looking forward to the future of the team. Read more.
Senate subcommittee pushes on NextEra request. A state Senate subcommittee unanimously passed a resolution last week that could force a Florida utility to turn over correspondence, documents and information on consulting fees related to an attempt to purchase the government-backed state electricity provider Santee Cooper, which is headquartered in Moncks Corner. Santee Cooper came under scrutiny in 2017 after the implosion of a $9 billion effort to build a nuclear power facility in Fairfield County. Santee Cooper’s share of the busted project, being built with then-existing S.C. Electric & Gas, was about $4 billion. Since then, legislators have struggled with whether to sell Santee Cooper, get a company to manage it or allow it to reform itself. Read the full story in our sister publication, Statehouse Report.
- 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.
Interesting wall
Here’s an interesting Charleston-area wall. 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 previous Mystery Photo
Our Jan. 25 photo, “Close-up mystery,” is what we think of the House of Aaron — Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium where slugger Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s home run record in 1974.
Congratulations to several readers who correctly identified the close-up: Ross Lenhart of Stone Mountain, Ga.; George Graf of Palmyra, Va.; Chris Brooks of Mount Pleasant; and Allan Peel of San Antonio, Texas.
Peel provided some additional information about the old stadium: “the original Fulton County Stadium was the primary venue for hosting the various baseball games during the 1996 Summer Olympics. Then, after the Olympics and the 1996 World Series ended, the Olympic Stadium was converted to a baseball park, renamed to Turner Field, and re-opened in 1997. Plans were in place to demolish the Fulton County Stadium and convert it to a parking lot for the new Turner Field.
“In an attempt to save the Fulton County Stadium from demolition, some attempts were made to get the authorities to consider recommissioning the stadium to be a professional soccer arena. Sadly, this proposal failed and the inside of the Fulton County Stadium was demolished between 1996 and 1997. The exterior of the stadium was then imploded on August 2, 1997, and converted to a parking lot for Turner Field.”
- 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.
Land trust to benefit from Feb. 11-21 online auction
Staff reports | Nature lovers, hunters and conservationists can bid on Lowcountry experiences and products as part of the For the Love of the Lowcountry Auction benefiting Lowcountry Land Trust. On the auction block are a pheasant shoot in Jasper County, a custom oil dog portrait, fly-fishing instruction, various hunting trips and more.
The online auction opens at 6 p.m. Feb. 11 and runs through 6 p.m. Feb. 21. Proceeds support Lowcountry Land Trust’s work preserving vital Lowcountry lands and waterways. Lowcountry Land Trust has protected more than 147,000 acres across 14 counties in South Carolina.
- To place bids or purchase items directly, visit this link.
Also on the calendar:
Virtual classical performances this week: The Colour of Music Black Musicians’ Festival will offer virtual performances Feb. 3 to Feb. 7 at Charleston landmarks as well as a special presentation from Nashville. 2021 highlights will include chamber selections featuring octets, duos, and individual spotlights including Felix Mendelssohn’s Octet in E-flat Major for Strings, and inspired by Florence Price’s legacy and recent notoriety, rising female black composer Valerie Coleman’s work Umoja. Tickets are $25 per household per performance. For tickets and streaming details, visit www.colourofmusic.org.
Museum adds February hours. The Old Slave Mart Museum, which is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. throughout the week, will also be open 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. each Sunday in February to honor and celebrate Black History Month, the City of Charleston said in a news release. The museum, owned and operated by the city at 6 Chalmers Street, recounts the story of Charleston’s role in the slave trade.
Sunday Brunch Farmers Market: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., every Sunday, Charleston Pour House, 1977 Maybank Highway, James Island. While the market is discouraging people from spending too much time hanging out during the market, everyone is invited to shop their local vendors.
Craft entries sought. Fine craft artists from around the state are invited to enter the 19th annual S.C. Palmetto Hands Juried Fine Craft Competition and Exhibition, which will be presented April 28 to May 2 as part of the North Charleston Arts Fest. Entry fee is $15. The deadline for entries is March 15. Applications are offered online only. The show, cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19, will offer objects made in media of clay, fiber, glass, metal, wood, and three-dimensional mixed media. More info: culturalarts@northcharleston.org.
Bird-watching at Caw Caw. Every Wednesday and Saturday — particularly through the end of February — you can see a plethora of birds at Caw Caw Interpretive Center in Ravenel as they make their way through the Lowcountry. The two-hour regular walks, which start at 8:30 a.m., are through distinct habitats that allow participants to to view and discuss a variety of birds, butterflies, and other organisms. Registration is not required. Participants are encouraged to bring their own binoculars. A paid chaperone is required for participants ages 15 and under. Max. 10 participants. Fee: $9; free for Gold Pass holders. Open to all ages. More: Caw Caw Interpretive Center.
- 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.
- ORDER NOW: Copies of our new book, 350 Facts About Charleston, are in Lowcountry-area bookstores now, but if you can’t swing by, you can order a copy online today.
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: P.O. Box 21942, Charleston, SC 29413.
- 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 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.
- © 2008-2021, City Paper Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. Charleston Currents is published every Monday by City Paper Publishing LLC, P.O. Box 21942, Charleston, SC 29413.
We Can Do Better, South Carolina!
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Use our feed
Send us your comments
