There\u2019s a short stretch along the Charleston waterfront, just a few hundred yards from the South Carolina Aquarium, where tens of thousands of enslaved people took their first steps in the New World.<\/p>\n
The site, Gadsden\u2019s Wharf, was among the most prolific international slave trading ports in the United States. But until recently, the site bore no mention of its slave-trading past. It was only during the development of the International African American Museum \u2014 a landmark $100 million project that has been in the works for more than 20 years \u2014 that researchers brought to light the full history of Gadsden\u2019s Wharf.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were part of how Gadsden\u2019s Wharf was coming into community recognition and community conversation,\u201d said Dr. Tonya Matthews, the museum\u2019s president and chief executive. While Gadsden\u2019s Wharf has long been acknowledged as a historic site, she said, \u201cwe weren\u2019t actually talking about what that history was.\u201d<\/p>\n
The I.A.A.M., which opens in January, will change that. Dedicated to \u201ctelling the full story of the African American journey, from ancient African civilization to modern day,\u201d the museum\u2019s nearly 150,000 square feet of space will include nine galleries as well as a genealogy center where visitors can get help researching their family histories. Dr. Matthews said she is already seeing a strong response from the public.<\/p>\n
Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2018We Tell The Whole Truth\u2019: A Talk With the Head of Charleston\u2019s New African American Museum https:\/\/t.co\/twzyHY5Xef<\/a><\/p>\n — Black History Heroes (@HistoryHeroes) September 23, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n