Brandon Chapman was born in Charleston, South Carolina in 1993. After graduating from the College of Charleston, he joined Charleston Area Justice Ministry (CAJM) as an associate organizer in January 2017. He worked with the organization for three years coordinating the demand for affordable housing in Charleston. In the interview, Chapman reflects on growing up in the Lowcountry, developing an interest in social justice, and the work and challenges involved in organizing and building people’s power in Charleston. He remembers the resistance CAJM faced when demanding a Charleston Police Department racial bias audit. Finally, he talks about his decision to move to Washington, DC and his job at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
Fred Lincoln is a resident of the Jack Primus community in Cainhoy, South Carolina. He lives on the land owned and passed down by his formerly slaved ancestors. Lincoln discusses the protest organized by John "Sammy" Sanders to save the Meeting Tree in Daniel Island that got the attention of the local media but received limited support from the local Black community. He affirms the most pressing issue is protecting Black residents’ property rights. Lincoln has been a member of the Wando-Huger, Community Development Corporation since 1992. This organization has worked since its inception to ensure black residents receive adequate compensation when development is unavoidable. Lincoln takes pride in their work with Charleston County to zone 150 acres for affordable homes, as well as, stopping the Port Authority’s plan to open railroad and truck access through their community. He affirms that their ability to show up as an organized community with deep roots in the region earned them the political support they needed to succeed. Finally, Lincoln states they are currently working with the Department of Health and Environmental Control to bring city water and sewer services to the community.
Joshua Parks was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. He attended Howard University in Washington, DC and worked at the Sankofa Bookstore owned by filmmakers Haile Gerina and Shirikiana Aina Gerina. While in college, he was the chair of the NAACP college chapter and engaged in community organizing with Pan-African Community Action (PACA). His traveles to Cuba, Haiti, and South Africa contributed significantly to his political education. After graduation, he returned to Florida and worked as a teacher for two years. In 2019, he moved to Charleston, South Carolina to attend graduate school. He became involved in local organizing and was one of the founding members of the Lowcountry Action Committee. He reflects about the work Lowcountry Action Committee had done in collaboration with Eastside Community Development Corporation focusing on mutual aid, food distribution, and education. The Lowcountry Action Committee is also among the founding organization of the People's Budget Coalition and frequently partners with the Center for Heirs Property in educational programs for community members affected by development and gentrification.
Marcus McDonald was born in Silver Springs, Maryland, and grew up in Columbia, South Carolina. He moved to Charleston in 2014 to attend the College of Charleston, where he graduated with a degree in finances. McDonald is the founder of Adesso Entertainment. In 2020, after the killing of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd, he felt compelled to act and started organizing with Black Lives Matter. McDonald talks about the marches organized in downtown Charleston right after the video of George Floyd’s police killing was released and about the police repression that followed up. He discusses the challenges of being a new face in the Charleston organizing scene, the process of forming the Independent Charleston Black Lives Matter Chapter, and how he became identified as its leader. In the interview, McDonald reflects on teaching at Burke High, his work with the Eastside Community Development Corporation, and his participation in several local coalitions that focus on police brutality, racism, and gentrification.
John Wright grew up in Mt Pleasant, South Carolina. His family roots are in two African American settlement communities, Philips and Hamlin. At seventeen, he joined the US Army, and after retirement in 2013, he returned home. He reflects on coming back to a dramatically changed area and understanding the benefits and challenges development has brought to the Black communities in that area. He states that the lack of fair representation for the black communities prompted him to organize an effort to advocate single-member voting districts for the town government. Wright takes pride in demanding a change in the language to name the Black communities as settlement communities. He is one of the founder members and current president of the African American Settlement Communities Historic Commission. The commission, active since 2015, comprises seven communities represented by their respective presidents. Local, state, and federal agencies frequently consult and collaborate with the commission. Wright affirms his tenure’s brainchild is the preservation and relocation of a school built in 1904, the Long Point Road School House.
Raynique Syas was born in Los Angeles, CA, in 1985. She is a Charleston Area Justice Ministry organizer. She remembers growing up in Watts in a typical urban area of the city impacted by poverty, drugs, and violence. There, she also experienced a profound sense of community and the support of her family strong women. Syas states that it was much later in life that she understood the systemic injustices that plagued her community and affirms it was this awareness that fuels her activism. Syas moved to Charleston looking for better opportunities for her three children but was unprepared for the cultural differences and the racism she encountered in South Carolina. Finally, she talks about why she joined Charleston Area Justice Ministry (CAJM), first as a member and team leader and later as an organizer. She reflects on one of the biggest CAJM efforts, the racial audit of Charleston and North Charleston police departments, and how COVID impacted organizing work.
The Citadel Conference on "The Civil Rights Movement in South Carolina," Panel #15, Civil Rights in the Cities: Case Studies from South Carolina contribution by Millicent Brown entitled, "Wishin', Hopin', Prayin' and Votin': Black Charleston's Efforts to Merge Politics and Race, 1940-1970."
Correspondence from Charles Gordon and Joenelle, CEO and President of Statewide Healthcare, to Millicent Brown wishing the recipient a happy holiday season.
Liberty: The Newsletter of the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina, a periodical published by the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina, providing information on various legislative issues.
Handwritten letter from Kupenda Olusegun, Co-Chair for the Membership Commission for the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America, to Millicent Brown regarding information on the "N'Cobra" publication. Enclosed "N'Cobra" informational materials.
Correspondence from Rhonda L. Munford, M.A. Student of Educational Psychology at the School of Education Department of Human Development and Psychological Studies at Howard University, to Millicent Brown regarding a previous meeting.
Correspondence from Ira Glasser, Executive Director for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), to ACLU members regarding various legal and legislative issues taking place around the United States.
Color photograph of members of the July 1996 Gallup Leadership Institute, including Millicent E. Brown, standing in the back row, second from the left.
Correspondence from Carolyn Moore, Chair of the Black History Quiz Bowl Committee at the Black Child Development Institute of Greensboro, Inc., to Millicent Brown regarding the 11th Annual Black History Quiz Bowl.
Handwritten correspondence from "Carolyn" at the School of Human Environmental Sciences, Department of Social Work, at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, to Millicent Brown regarding personal and professional matters.
Association of Black Women Historians (ABWH) membership form and questionnaire alongside a cover letter written by Rosetta E. Ross, ABWH Treasurer, to ABWH members.
Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies "testimony of Katherine McFate, Associate Director of Research for Social Policy," with cover letter from Eddie N. Williams to Henrie Treadwell, Program Director of Health for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
NAACP memorandum from Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., Executive Director and CEO of NAACP to all NAACP units, national board members and NAACP/SCF trustees regarding 1994 resolutions. Enclosed are the Resolutions Submitted Under Article X, Section 2 (Powers and Functions of the Convention) of the Constitution of the NAACP, 1994.
Document entitled, "Port City Lease Agreement," outlining the terms and conditions of the rental of the property located at the former "Cigar Factory" at 701 East Bay Street, Charleston, South Carolina, 29403 between the Charleston Chapter of the NAACP (tenant) and the South Carolina limited partnership (landlord) for the term of July 1994 to June 1995.
An essay contribution toward the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History, Inc. conference panel, "Labor and Race Relations in Charleston (SC), 1865-1920," by Millicent E. Brown.
Newsletter entitled, "Update" published by the Mayor's Council on Homelessness and Affordable Housing, Charleston Department of Housing and Economic Development, including a variety of housing articles.
Correspondence from Kenyon Cook, Sales Consultant for D. W. Duplicating Products, to Dwight James, President of the Charleston Branch of the NAACP, regarding a Mita DC-3785 copying system and after sales service.
Developing an Agenda for the Information Superhighway by Anthony L. Pharr, Office of Communication, United Church of Christ, was presented to the Telecommunications Task Force, NAACP, during a meeting in Columbia, South Carolina on May 20, 1994.
South Carolina Fair Share Legislative Update from June 30, 1994, providing information legislative issues on Safety and Juvenile Justice, Welfare Reform, Health Care Reform, Automobile Insurance, Reapportionment and Voter Participation, Finance Companies and Banks, Workers Compensation, Tax Reform, and Non-Profit Organizations.
Fax from Connie Barner to Dwight C. James including a draft of a document entitled, "A Fair Share Agreement Between Hyatt Regency Hotel Hilton Head and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
The "Neighborhoods Energized to Win!" newsletter, "Energizer," Summer 1994, a component fund of the Community Foundation regarding the publishing organization and various neighborhood issues.
Charleston Branch of the NAACP statement of income and expense actual results for the fiscal year ending in 1994, including income and expense figures.
Charleston Branch of the NAACP statement of financial position, actual results for the fiscal year ending in 1994, including checking and equity figures.
Charleston Branch of the NAACP document, "Semiannual Financial Review," providing an income analysis, expense analysis, budget revisions, and conclusion for January through June, 1994.
Correspondence from Stephen Skardon, Jr., Executive Director for the Palmetto Project, to Dwight C. James, President of the Charleston Chapter of the NAACP, regarding a dinner Sand Dunes Club on Sullivan's Island. Enclosed map of Sullivan's Island.
NAACP Economic Development Program Activity Report from January 1 though March 31, 1994, regarding negotiations of "Fair Share Agreements, monitoring existing agreements, working with NAACP branches to implement economic development/Fair Share, and continuing workshops, seminars, and special events."
Correspondence from James W. Etheredge, Director for the Department of Administrative Services for the City of Charleston, to Dwight C. James, President of the Charleston Branch of the NAACP, regarding "Minority Business Enterprise Program Spending." Enclosed first and second quarter of 1994 "Controllable Expenditures."
Correspondence from Senator Robert Ford (Democrat, Charleston) to James Edwards, President of the Medical University of South Carolina, regarding the Medical University's "organization structure pursuant to affording the African American citizenry of this state with sufficient and equal opportunities for participation."
NAACP memorandum from Dr. William F. Gibson and Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. to Branch, Youth, College, and State Conference Presidents regarding pending litigation against the NAACP, Mary Stansel v. NAACP, Inc. and Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.
