IN THIS EDITION
FOCUS: Charleston has rich, eclectic history in past Decembers
COMMENTARY, Brack: Beasley sets great S.C. example for world to see
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Morris Financial Concepts
NEWS BRIEFS: RiverDogs have a new Major League partner
FEEDBACK: Send us your thoughts
MYSTERY PHOTO: Interesting Lowcountry plant
By English Purcell, special to Charleston Currents | I grew up on James Island and was always fascinated with McLeod Plantation. Its slave quarters were visible near one of only two ways off the island. The owner at the time, Willie McLeod, always sat behind my grandmother at St. James Episcopal Church.
More recently, I took one of the interpretive tours at McLeod. It focused on enslaved Africans and their lives there. I decided to shoot the series from the perspective of the enslaved on a plantation to draw attention to what they saw in their everyday lives. I must note that the enslaved were not just on plantations. Behind just about every big house on the peninsula of Charleston were slave quarters: laundries, kitchen houses, carriage houses and stables.
This series tells a story without words. The title “A study in black and white” has, of course, a double meaning: Black, representing the enslaved, and white, representing the slave owners. I also edited the photos in black and white.
By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | If you want to understand the stark difference between business and government, look to NASCAR.
Just two days after Bubba Wallace, the racing sport’s only black driver, said it was time to remove the Confederate flag from NASCAR’s events and properties, the sport’s operating company did so. Two days. To get rid of the painful symbol of the South that’s been a visible feature at racing events for generations.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Thousands of new COVID-19 cases reported in last week
COMMENTARY, Brack: South Carolina needs to get on the right side of history no
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Morris Financial Concepts, Inc.
MY TURN, Elmore: Failure on Medicaid expansion shows lawmakers don’t value black lives
NEWS BRIEFS: New amenities open at Folly Beach County Park
FEEDBACK: Send us your thoughts
MYSTERY PHOTO: Mysterious statue
CALENDAR: Charleston Symphony to present Concert for Equality
S.C. ENCYCLOPEDIA: Voting Rights Act
By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | Charleston will have a series of big parties next year as the Holy City celebrates the 350th anniversary of its founding.
In 1670, English settlers first set up on Albemarle Point along the Ashley River, only to move 10 years later to the peninsula for better health and safety. They built a palisade wall around the settlement to become the only English walled city in what would become the United States, according to historians Jack Bass and Scott Poole.
IN THIS EDITION
FOCUS: The whole world is watching on climate change
BRACK: Charleston’s past reveals a lot of firsts
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Charleston Gaillard Center
GOOD NEWS: Chamber to recognize leaders at Nov. 14 reception
FEEDBACK: A great story (and the tenacity of photo sleuth George Graf)
MYSTERY PHOTO: Where is this bike parked?
S.C. ENCYCLOPEDIA: Carolina, the ship
CALENDAR: Community Day is Oct. 5 at the Dill Sanctuary
By Andy Brack, editor and publisher | To better understand why South Carolina is like it is, you need to read The 1619 Project.
This blockbuster re-telling of history not taught in schools likely will provide a new understanding about how America became a country — and how enslaved Africans played a vital role — not just a subservient one — in the creation of our democracy.
IN THIS EDITION
FOCUS: Resources to help you get ready for Hurricane Dorian
COMMENTARY, Brack: This blockbuster report should change your view of history
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: S.C. Ports Authority
GOOD NEWS: Blue Jamboree to attract big-name Democrats in October
FEEDBACK: Send us your letters
MYSTERY PHOTO: Kicking back to watch a grand sunset
S.C. ENCYCLOPEDIA: South Carolina’s Hispanic residents
CALENDAR: Keb’ Mo’ Solo set for Sept. 19 at Gaillard
By Don Campagna, special to Charleston Currents | During World War Two, Charleston was homeport for 23 Army-operated hospital ships and was where 75,000 of those most grievously wounded in the European and African campaigns returned to America.
But now, Palmetto Railway, a division of the S.C. Department of Commerce, is in the process of demolishing buildings on the National Register of Historic Places that are located in the Charleston Naval Hospital Historic District in North Charleston.
By Dr. Nic Butler, reprinted with permission | It’s Thanksgiving season again, and for most people that means a day of rest, relaxation and feasting with close friends and family. As a historian working in an old city, I have learned that Thanksgiving also includes at least ten people asking me the same question: “When was the first Thanksgiving in Charleston?” I don’t mind the question at all, but the answer is generally more complex than most people care to hear.
The tradition of Thanksgiving existed long before the creation of the United States, and it wasn’t just celebrated by the “pilgrims” of early Massachusetts. Spanish explorers in the Americas, for example, celebrated an annual day of thanksgiving in the early 1500s. …
We Can Do Better, South Carolina! (2019) by editor and publisher Andy Brack offers incisive commentaries on the American South, politics, the common good and interesting South Carolina leaders. Available exclusively for Kindle for $7.99. A paperback version will be ready soon. Learn more.
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