Series celebrates Lowcountry African-American heritage
Apr 03, 2025 11:07AM ● By August Spencer
The Georgetown County Library is excited to host “Shared Traditions,” a new series of programs beginning Feb. 12th and ending May 21st that will explore and celebrate the profound enrichment of American life through African American cultural experiences. The series will have a particular emphasis on South Carolina and Lowcountry contributions.
Presentations and performances are scheduled for Wednesdays at 4:00 p.m., and all programs are free and open to the public. This series is made possible by a $30,000 Library Services and Technology Act grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the S.C. State Library.
The series schedule is as follows:
• April 16: Glenis Redmond, the First Poet Laureate of Greenville, will celebrate the life and work of David Drake, known as Dave the Potter. Born into enslavement in South Carolina, Drake produced hundreds of works of pottery, often inscribing these with his original poems. An award-winning poet who has written works in Drake’s honor, Redmond will present the artistic legacy of one of the most well-known Black potters, and one of the most innovative and underappreciated enslaved poets, of the nineteenth century.
• April 23: J. Drew Lanham, Ph.D., will talk about African-Americans’ role in natural resources conservation. Lanham is an author, poet, and wildlife biologist who was honored in 2022 with a MacArthur Fellowship (i.e., the “genius grant”) for his work.
• April 30: Kelvin A. Waites Jr. will share formative experiences that he recorded in his recent memoir, “Favored: From Last to First.” Waites retired as the first African-American Police Chief at the Georgetown Police Department and currently serves as the Community Engagement Director for the City of Myrtle Beach.
• May 7: Gillian Richards-Greaves, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Anthropology at Coastal Carolina University, will discuss her research into shared traditions between Africa and South Carolina’s Gullah people.
• May 14: Millicent E. Brown, Ph. D., will talk about her personal role at the center of the struggle to end racial segregation in South Carolina’s public school system, drawn from her memoir, “Another Sojourner Looking for Truth.”
• May 21: Closing out the series . Kameelah L. Martin, Ph. D., Professor of African American Studies at the College of Charleston, will discuss the process of tracing African-American genealogies and recording family histories.
Education, News
Georgetown
Georgetown County Library
Institute of Museum and Library Services
S.C. State Library
Glenis Redmond
Drew Lanham, Ph.D.
Kelvin A. Waites Jr.
Gillian Richards-Greaves, Ph.D.
Coastal Carolina University
Millicent E. Brown, Ph.D.
Kameelah L. Martin, Ph.D.
College of Charleston