FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 23, 2012

For additional information contact:

Joseph McGill 843-408-7727

jmcgill@savingplaces.org

African American Civil War Lecture Series

The fourth installment of the SC African American Heritage Commission's (SCAAHC) African American Civil War Lecture Series will be Thursday, September 20 at the Greenville Cultural Exchange Center, 700 Arlington Ave., Greenville, SC, at 6:30 - 8 pm.

Since February, SCAAHC has presented lectures that explore the way African Americans lived during the Civil War and the roles they played in the war. The lecture series was made possible by a grant from The Humanities Council SC.

The lectures will continue the Commission’s commitment to commemorating the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War in a way that promotes historical and cultural understanding. The presenters and their subjects will include:

All lectures supported by the Humanities Council grant are free and open to the public.

"The South Carolina African American Heritage Commission is grateful to the Humanities Council SC and the participating scholars for their support of the commission's mission to illuminate all aspects of South Carolina African American history for all South Carolinians," said SCAAHC chairman Bhakti Larry Hough of Hemingway. "The story of African Americans during the Civil War and the war's impact on them during and since the war is certainly one that is worthy of illumination."

Additional sponsors have ensured that the grant challenge is met and that additional lectures can be added. They are the South Carolina African American Historical Alliance; Fort Sumter / Fort Moultrie Trust; and the South Carolina Department of Archives and History.

The mission of the South Carolina African American Heritage Commission is to identify and promote the preservation of historic sites, structures, buildings, and culture of the African American experience in South Carolina and to assist and enhance the efforts of the South Carolina Department of Archives and History. The 15-member commission includes representatives from all regions of the state.

For additional information, contact the project coordinator SCAAHC member Joseph McGill at 843-408-7727.

A resolution introduced by South Carolina Representative Andy Patrick calls for South Carolina to officially recognize the importance of Mitchelville, a Freedmen's community built in 1862 on the Drayton family's Fish Haul Plantation in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

As the first self-governing community of freed former slaves in the nation, the site has great historical significance. The Mitchelville Preservation Project seeks to preserve the historic site and educate the public about the sacrifice, resilience and perseverance of the freedmen who established Mitchelville.

Today the new resolution was celebrated with a public event. Please enjoy the video below and read on for links to where you can learn more!

To learn more, please see the related story HHI unveils new Mitchelville displays.

Abstract:

• Map of Plantations on the Sea Islands in Beaufort, St. Helena, Hilton Head and surrounding Sea Islands. 
• First-hand accounts written by Edward S. Philbrick and others involved in the Port Royal Experiment