African American History

Learn about the achievements of African Americans who have shaped South Carolina and American history.

Black History Month is celebrated every February to honor the achievements of African Americans who have shaped American history. Historian Carter G. Woodson hoped to raise awareness of African American's contributions to civilization by establishing Negro History Week. The event was first celebrated during a week in February 1926 that included both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass' birthdays. The week was later expanded to a month in 1976 during the United States bicentennial.

PHOTO: On March 20, 1969, Black hospital workers at the Medical College of South Carolina in Charleston went on strike to protest the firing of twelve employees and to call for higher wages and union recognition.

Within this Collection

Drink Small Photos | Digital Traditions
Drink Small Photos | Digital Traditions

Photo

Few vernacular art forms have made as impressive a mark on American culture as the Blues. From the expressive experiences of African-American life, skilled musicians fashioned a distinctive idiom that...
Baskets at Penn School | Digital Traditions
Episode 2

Audio

Resident of St. Helena Island, SC (Beaufort County). His father, George Brown, taught basketmaking at the Penn School on St. Helena Island in the early 20th Century. The school was founded in the...
Praise House | Gullah Music
Praise House | Gullah Music

Interactive

Students will understand how enslaved Africans created music for their worship experience. Religious meetings in “praise houses” provided the spiritual outlet for enslaved Africans on the plantation...
Secret Code | Gullah Music
Secret Code | Gullah Music

Interactive

Students will understand that music and material culture became a mode of covert communication between slaves. Aunt Pearlie Sue is our guide as students uncover hidden messages in the work songs...
Isaac W. Williams  ( ?-2008) | Road Trip
Isaac W. Williams ( ?-2008) | Road Trip

Photo

Isaac “Ike” Williams was known as “Mr. NAACP.” for his many leadership roles in the organization. Williams was born in Charleston and has ten siblings. He was introduced to the NAACP as a youth. While...
Cecil J. Williams | Road Trip
Cecil J. Williams | Road Trip

Photo

Cecil J. Williams is the author of Freedom & Justice . He is a noted civil rights photographer. At 14-years old, Williams was hired by JET Magazine to record the images of the civil rights movement in...
Victoria Way DeLee (1925-2010) | Road Trip
Victoria Way DeLee (1925-2010) | Road Trip

Photo

Victoria Way DeLee, Courtesy of Modern Political Collection, USC Considered a grass roots activist, Victoria Way DeLee's fervent faith in God and her early childhood experiences fueled her involvement...
Judge J. Waties Waring (1880-1968) | Road Trip
Judge J. Waties Waring (1880-1968) | Road Trip

Photo

In 1947 Judge J. Waties Waring's monumental ruling in the George Elmore suit (Elmore v. Rice) eliminated the all-white Democratic primary system in South Carolina. For the first time since 1876, the...
Dr. Albert N. Thompson | Road Trip
Dr. Albert N. Thompson | Road Trip

Photo

Dr. Albert N. Thompson is shown as a young teacher instructing a 4th grade class in Richland County. Photo courtesy of Cecil Williams. In September 1944, Thompson, who was then teaching at Booker T...