Mount Pleasant Magazine Jan/Feb 2020

30 www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.BestOfMP.com | www.ReadMPM.com W hile Charleston is known for its rich history and distinguished restaurants, not all its richness is palatable to the soul. For many of her inhabitants’ ancestry, Charleston’s history and their connection to it are often unknown. The few stories shared and retold from generation to generation are incomplete tales of woe that include slavery, separation and heartache. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Harvard professor and historian, once said, “Forty-eight-point-one percent of all of the African slaves that came to the United States entered this country through Charleston.” The International African American Museum (IAAM) chose Charleston, the port of arrival for nearly half of all Africans forced to this country, to illuminate the history of those first-generation Africans and their descendants. BY CATHY BENNET T Illuminating the African American Journey International African AmericanMuseum toOpen in 2021 Renderings provided.