By Herb Frazier, special to Charleston Currents  |  A West African chef, a historian who sleeps where the enslaved slept and a global connector who invites strangers to dinner will create “The Transformation Experience” at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens.

On March 2, the veranda of Magnolia’s main house will be the setting for a dinner to raise awareness that historians, educators and tour guides should not just tell the story of plantation owners. That narrative, however, must also include the influence enslaved Africans had on America’s economy and culture.