Let’s Talk Reconstruction: A Community Gathering
What is Reconstruction? A significant period in American history between 1863 – 1877 that redefined labor, social and political status, and public spaces. Some believe it was a “splendid failure.” While others argue that it is still in progress. This period is often misunderstood—but it was and is important to understand. The goal, in conjunction with the mission of the Slave Dwelling Project and sponsor, Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, is to shed light on the relevance of historical movements, like Reconstruction, and how it impacted our society. From November 1 – 3, 2019, this community gathering will present 3 separate events featuring music, documented evidence, and fresh perspectives to show how Reconstruction altered labor, foodways, redefined social spaces, and still holds relevance today. We invite the community to join us for dynamic discussions led by public historians, educators, and students.
Friday: Nov 1, 2019 | Welcome Reception | 6pm – 8:30pm
Ann Caldwell: A Musical Interpretation
Ann Caldwell presents a stimulating rendition of songs that give voice to the turbulent time known as the Reconstruction Era. Through musical expression, Caldwell will sing of despair, hope, and determination of newly freed African Americans. Caldwell will showcase the spiritual as the soil that many other genres of music sprang forth.
Location: Charleston Museum
Admission Cost: $ 10.00
Registration: Registration for this Event, is no longer available.
Payment Method: Online
Additional Method of Payment: Yes, Onsite
Saturday Program: Nov 2, 2019 | 10am – 4pm
Program Moderator: Alada Shinault-Small
Alada, is a veteran City of Charleston, SC Certified Tour Guide and a Certified Interpretive Guide by the National Association for Interpretation. She also gives presentations on Charleston area history, Gullah Geechee culture & is a Storyteller. She is also a Charleston native and has an MA in History from a joint program at the University of Charleston and The Citadel, a BA in Journalism from the University of SC, & she studied Speech and Theatre at Lander College in Greenwood, SC.
Location: Magnolia Plantations & Gardens| Pavilion
Admission Cost: $ 15.00
Registration: Registration for this Event, is no longer available.
Payment Method: Online
Additional Method of Payment: Yes, Onsite
Panel One: 10:30am – 10:50am
Title: What We See: Young People’s Perspective on the Reconstruction Era
Panel Facilitator: Rikki Davenport
Presenter’s Overview:
Davenport will engage students to discuss their views on Reconstruction, including the goals, success/failures, and its impact on society today. This will be an interesting perspective from 13 and 14-year-old students who have a world view limited by their youth but also very honest in its perception. Students will share their reactions to a series of images from the Reconstruction Era and from their community today.
Slave Cabin Tours with Joe McGill: Tours start at 11:00am
Lunch Break: 11:30am – 12:15PM
Location: Parking Lot
Food Truck: J& B’s Bucket List | Service-11:00am-3:30pm
Panel Two: 12:30pm – 1:30pm
Title: The Importance of Interpreting Reconstruction on Historic Sites
Panel Presenters: Paul Garbarini, Shawn Halifax, and Cameron Moon
Presenter’s Overview: Two prominent historic sites in Charleston, SC, will discuss how they individually interpret the Reconstruction Era and how they interact with general audiences on the topic of Reconstruction.
Paul Garbarini –
What happens when an interpreter speaks about the realities of freedom? Garbarini will discuss lynching, Jim Crow laws, convict leasing, and voter suppression. You will hear actual examples of the push-back public historians experience when they strenuously avoid sugar-coating American history.
Shawn Halifax –
Shawn will present on the early days of Reconstruction in the southwest parts of Charleston when Sherman’s Special-Order No. 15 was implemented and subsequently rescinded. Halifax will speak to the importance of the Freedmen’s Bureau in Charleston, SC. He will raise the issue of historic plantation museums’ responsibility to integrate the history of slavery into the whole visitor experience and expand the timeline to include the ongoing quest by African Americans for liberty from their emancipation to the present.
Shawn Halifax has 25 years’ experience in public history, interpretation and museum education. He is the former Director of Public Programming and interim-Director of the Casemate Museum at Fort Monroe in Hampton, VA. He currently directs public history programming for Charleston County Parks in Charleston, South Carolina, including McLeod Plantation Historic Site and Caw Caw Interpretive Center. Halifax is an interpretive planner and trainer specializing in the facilitation of ethical interpretation of slavery and its legacies. Halifax is the lead facilitator of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture’s Interpreting African American History and Culture workshop.
Cameron Moon –
Cameron Moon will discuss the phosphate mining industry of Charleston, SC and how it shaped the social landscape on former rural plantations like Drayton Hall after the Civil War. Freed people comprised most of the mining labor force and used the wage labor system to their advantage. By studying the housing of freed people that lived at Drayton Hall, we can learn about daily life on the property and the hierarchy that formed amongst mining employees of different statuses.
Cameron Moon is the Assistant Curator of Historic Architectural Resources at Drayton Hall Preservation Trust.
Panel Three: 2:00pm – 3:00pm
Title: The Culinary Influence of Enslaved and Freed African Americans
Presenter’s Overview: This panel of professional chefs will come together to speak about the contributions of Enslaved and freed African Americans during the period of and beyond Reconstruction. An emphasis will be placed on how this skilled labor force shaped American Cuisine.
Chef Kevin Mitchell
Chef Kevin Mitchell will discuss his research of Charleston’s enslaved and free African-American cooks, including their vital role in shaping the culinary heritage of Charleston and our nation as we ponder the relevancy of their contributions and how it resonates in today’s society.
Chef BJ Dennis
Chef Dennis will discuss Gullah cuisine and how he skillfully brings this artform into Charleston’s mainstream.
As as indigenous chef, Dennis enjoys educating the community through events and workshops.
Panel Four: Community Reflection | 3:00pm – 4:00pm
Please join us as we wrap-up this dynamic conversation about the relevance of the Reconstruction Era.
Our presenters, led by Alada Shinault-Small, will answer questions and engage the audience in dialogue that will ask us to ponder the true meaning of this time in American history.
Sunday Program: Nov 3, 2019 | 10:30am – 12:30pm
Presenter: Park Ranger Chris Barr
Ranger Chris Barr
Park Ranger Chris Barr is currently at the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park.
Location: Charleston Maritime Center Dock, 10 Wharfside Street, Charleston, SC
Details: Join us for an engaging overview by Ranger Chris Barr. Barr will give context to how key elements of Reconstruction are lost in our collective memory. The Palmetto, operated by Sandlapper Tours, will depart from the Charleston Maritime Center dock Sunday, November 3, 2019. Please arrive at the dock by 10:00am. The harbor cruise is 2 hours.
Parking: South Carolina Aquarium Garage, 24 Calhoun Street.
Admission Cost: $ 20.00
Registration: Registration for this Event, is no longer available.
Payment Method: Online
Program overview:
“Revolution and Renovation”: Reconstruction and the Re-Imagining of America
In early 1863, Lt. Albion Tourgee of the 105th Ohio Infantry wrote to his friends back home, “I don’t care a rag for ‘the Union as it was.’ I want to fight for the Union ‘better than it was.’ Before this is accomplished, we must have… a thorough and complete revolution and renovation.”
For over 150 years, the American Civil War has captivated the attention of both historians and the American public. But for soldiers like Tourgee, the war was only half of the story. The “renovation” – the Reconstruction era – was as important, if not more so, than the revolution. Park Ranger Chris Barr will discuss the ways in which the Reconstruction Era succeeded at Tourgee’s idea of a national “renovation,” and how those efforts fell out of the nation’s collective memory.