Greenville Technical College celebrates Black History Month
January 29, 2021
Greenville Technical College is celebrating Black History Month with speakers, presentations, and an art show, all aimed at recognizing the contributions of African Americans and their significant impact on our nation’s history.
Throughout the month of February: Sixth annual African American History Month art exhibition
An art exhibition at the Greenville Technical College (GTC) library, in celebration of African American History Month, will be on display during the month of February. The show features the work of 13-year-old artist Josiah Hill, a Simpsonville native.
The library is located in the Beattie E. Huff Student Center, building 105, on the Barton Campus. Exhibition hours are Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. until 8 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Masks are required, whether inside or outside, on all GTC campuses.
February 12: Liberia, South Carolina: An African American Appalachian Community
This virtual presentation by Mable Owens Clarke of Soapstone Baptist Church in Pickens County and Dr. John M. Coggeshall of Clemson University will explore the African-American culture and history of the Liberia Community and the creation and influence of the Soapstone Baptist Church, founded in 1865 by freed slaves in upper Pickens County, near Pumpkintown.
Clarke is a community historian, chef, trained dietician, deacon and (at 78) youngest member of the nine-member Soapstone Baptist Church. Dr. Coggeshall, professor of anthropology at Clemson University, details the history of the Liberia Community and Soapstone Baptist Church in his book (same title as presentation), published by UNC Press in 2018.
February 19: Circle Unbroken: A Gullah Journey from Africa to America
This virtual presentation features the untold story of the Gullah Geechee people who are descendants of captured slaves from Western Africa that were brought to the Carolinas, Georgia and northern Florida during the Atlantic Slave Trade. Anita Singleton-Prather will share part of the American history of the newly freed Gullahs, whose geographic isolation from inland communities helped them retain a culture and language that are distinct from those of other African American populations to this day.
Anita Singleton-Prather, a.k.a Aunt Pearlie Sue, is a native of the Sea Islands of Beaufort, South Carolina. The character of Aunt Pearlie Sue is based on Anita’s grandmother and has entertained audiences with Gullah-flavored folktales for over 20 years from the schoolhouse to the White House.
