A long-awaited museum of Black American history built on the site of a former slave port in South Carolina is finally opening its doors to the public after more than two decades of planning. from Charleston African American International Museum (IAAM), which will open next Tuesday, June 27, has been in the works since 2000, when the city’s former mayor, Joseph P. Riley, Jr., first announced plans for the historic institution. Since then, the museum has raised nearly $100 million to support its construction, which started in 2019.
The grand opening of the museum will come just over a week after the June 19 celebration in the United States, which was held tomorrow, June 19. Recognized as a federal holiday starting in 2021, Juneteenth commemorates the day enslaved African Americans in Texas learned of their emancipation June 19, 1865 – months after the Civil War ended and more than two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
About a mile from City Hall, the museum was built on the site of Gadsden’s Wharf, where a estimated at 100,000 enslaved Africans landed between 1783 and 1807. The new museum will explore the historical and cultural impact of the African diaspora locally, nationally and internationally through the lens of empathetic and critical storytelling.
There will be specific exhibits dedicated to Charleston and the South Carolina Low Country, emphasizing the region’s role in shaping African American history culturally and economically. On the site where the edge of the quay once existed, beneath the IAAM, a 245ft steel installation will honor the regions from which enslaved Africans were first kidnapped before being brought to port.
“I am thrilled to stand with the people of Charleston as we steward this sacred site and the often-silenced stories of American history – both horrific and victorious – that continue to challenge our efforts to create a union. more perfect,” said the IAAM President. Tonya Matthews said in a 2021 press release.
“This is a national story with global impact, and we look forward to engaging the critical partnerships and support that are needed to help us continue this work,” Matthews said.
The IAAM will serve as an important educational resource on African American history in a field that has recently grappled with its role in slavery. In 2018, the city council issued a public apology acknowledging the city’s role in the slave trade during the 17th to 19th centuries.
Over the past year, the county has also been targeted by Republican lawmakers over allegations of critical race theory in the school district’s curriculum. In November 2022, the conservative group South Carolina Freedom Caucus complaint lodged against Charleston County School District (CCSD), alleging that the district’s partnership with the educational nonprofit EL Education introduced concepts related to critical race theory into its schools.
In response, the SDCC requested that the lawsuit be dismissed “based on plaintiffs’ lack of legal standing to bring this action,” the school district said in a statement to local media.
This week, the IAAM will host two events in recognition of its grand opening next Tuesday. On Thursday, June 22, the museum will host a multi-faith conference worship at Morris Brown AME Church on Morris Street. This event will also be available via live stream for those attending virtually. In addition, on Saturday the museum will have a festive event place Marion which will include live music and poetry readings by local artists, black-owned food trucks and vendors, and other community activities.
SO, Starting next week, visitors can tour the IAAM’s nine galleries featuring 11 permanent exhibits that follow the transatlantic journey of African Americans from ancient to modern times. These permanent exhibitions will present 150 original artifacts, more than 30 works of art and nearly 50 films and digital media.
The museum will also offer a wealth of educational resources for visitors to interact with, such as a digital table map in the South Carolina Connections Gallery that provides visitors with a geographic understanding of African American history in the state, as well as a huge crystal LED installation at the Atlantic World Gallery which focuses on the interconnections of the dark Atlantic.
In addition to these main exhibitions, the museum will host two to three temporary exhibitions per year in its rotating gallery. The first of these exhibitions, Follow the North Star is set to open next spring and will examine the history of “literal and figurative” African-American mobility in society, according to the museum website.
Visitors interested in tracing their family roots and uncovering unknown ancestral connections can also explore the IAAM Genealogy Library in the Family History Center. The library will house digital versions of historic photos, marriage and military records, and other archival resources.
Outside, the museum will include a memorial garden designed by Walter Hood, landscape architect and recipient of MacArthur’s “genius grant.” Described as “gardens with a garden”, the free public space will weave together art and natural elements with site-specific installations, an infinity reflection pool and abundant wildlife in commemoration of African ancestors and in recognition of the historic significance of the wharf.
Depending on where visitors live (in-state or out-of-state), adult museum tickets range from $11.95 to $19.95. For youth tickets, which apply to children aged 6 to 16, and for senior tickets for adults aged 62 and over, prices range from $5.96 to $9.95. The museum also offers military discounts and accepts SNAP/EBT.
