Trident Technical College Offers a New Series of Workshops on the Black History of South Carolina

CHARLESTON, SC – Trident Technical College Division of Continuing Education and Economic Development is pleased to announce a new series of workshops to be offered from May 13-June 17, 2015 focusing on the Black History of South Carolina. Topics covered span the American Revolution time period through the Civil War, Reconstruction and the Civil Rights era into present day. All classes meet on the Main Campus of Trident Technical College at 7000 Rivers Ave. in North Charleston and cost $25 per student. Students who enroll by May 7 in all courses in the Black History of South Carolina series will receive their last class free. To register, call 843.574.6152 or visit www.tridenttech.edu/ce.

Dr. Daphne Holland, youth and personal enrichment program manager for the Trident Technical College Division of Continuing Education and Economic Development, explains the community need that is being met by adding the Black History of South Carolina series to TTC’s 2015 summer course schedule: “Charleston has a rich history in African-American culture that is too often unrepresented and untold. I believe this series of classes will not only be full of extraordinary local and historical information but will be entertaining as well.”

Damon Fordham, instructor of the workshop, went on to say: “I designed this course to get people to understand that there is so much more to history than what they’re often taught or told. If they speak to their older friends and relatives, they may find amazing stories that have been missed by the history books.”

 

Summer 2015 workshops include

 

• Black History of South Carolina – The African Background: Session includes discussions of the West African Empires before the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Portions of the PBS documentary Wonder of the African World will be shown and a packet handout will include some of the writings of this era. Class meets on May 13, 2015 from 6-7:30 p.m. on TTC’s Main Campus in North Charleston; costs $25 per student.

 

• Black History of South Carolina – The Transatlantic Slave Trade: Join us for a discussion of the early days of Africans in America with a focus on South Carolina, up to the American Revolution. Topics will include the slave psychology, rice culture, The Stono Rebellion and the Black Loyalists during the American Revolution. Portions of the PBS documentary Slavery and the Making of America will be shown and parts of the instructor’s book True Stories of Black South Carolina will be discussed. Class meets on May 20, 2015 from 6-7:30 p.m. on TTC’s Main Campus in North Charleston; costs $25 per student.

 

• Black History of South Carolina – The Gullah Culture, Civil War and Freedom: This class covers the roots of the local Gullah culture and the Civil War leading up to freedom. Topics will also include the Denmark Vesey rebellion of Charleston and black folklore. Portions of the PBS documentary Slavery and the Making of America will be shown and selections from the instructor’s books True Stories of Black South Carolina and Voices of Black South Carolina will be discussed. Class meets on May 27, 2015 from 6-7:30 p.m. on TTC’s Main Campus in North Charleston; costs $25 per student.

 

• Black History of South Carolina – From Reconstruction to Segregation: Learn about Reconstruction when African-Americans voted and held office in South Carolina during the 1860s and 70s and the rise of racial segregation that ended this period. Topics will include the accomplishments of early black leaders and resistance to groups such as the Ku Klux Klan. Portions of the PBS documentary Slavery and the Making of America will be shown and selections from the instructor’s books True Stories of Black South Carolina and Voices of Black South Carolina will be discussed. Class meets on June 3, 2015 from 6-7:30 p.m. on TTC’s Main Campus in North Charleston; costs $25 per student.

 

• Black History of South Carolina – The Fight for Civil Rights in South Carolina: Come hear about the rise of black education and organizations in South Carolina. Topics will include the role of the black churches, schools and the press as well as Dr. Martin Luther King’s visits to South Carolina and their impact. Local leaders such as Esau Jenkins and Septima Clark will be included in this discussion. YouTube videos of Dr. King’s speeches will be shown and selections from the instructor’s books True Stories of Black South Carolina and Voices of Black South Carolina will be discussed. Class meets on June 10, 2015 from 6-7:30 p.m. on TTC’s Main Campus in North Charleston; costs $25 per student.

 

• Black History of South Carolina – Integration to the Present: As part of an educational series on Black History of South Carolina, this final session will discuss the progress of black South Carolinians from the integration of schools to the present day. Topics will include The Orangeburg Incident of 1968, The Charleston Hospital Worker’s Strike of 1969, the Confederate Flag debate and other present issues. Portions of the DVD Where Do We Go From Here will be shown and the session will also include a wrap-up discussion. Class meets on June 17, 2015 from 6-7:30 p.m. on TTC’s Main Campus in North Charleston; costs $25 per student.

 

 

About the instructor

Damon Lamar Fordham was born in Spartanburg, SC and received his master’s degree in history from the College of Charleston and the Citadel and his undergraduate degrees at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. He currently teaches U.S. History and African-American History at Springfield College, Virginia College and Charleston Southern University in Charleston, SC and has taught U.S. History and African-American Studies at the College of Charleston. He was a weekly columnist for the Charleston Coastal Times from 1994 to 1998, as well as the author of Mr. Potts and Me (Evening Post Books, 2012), Voices of Black South Carolina-Legend and Legacy (History Press, 2009), True Stories of Black South Carolina (History Press, 2008) and coauthor of Born to Serve-The Story of the WBEMC in South Carolina (Historical Commission, Woman’s Baptist Educational and Missionary Convention of South Carolina, 2006). 

For more information, contact Daphne Holland, youth and personal enrichment program manager for the Trident Technical College Division of Continuing Education and Economic Development at 843.574.6655 or email [email protected].