State preservationists have launched a regional
search for a specialist to promote and preserve black history across South
Carolina. Since the job was posted Aug. 5, the state has received about two
dozen applications.
The state Department of Archives and History wants a heritage coordinator to
help identify and promote the preservation of black historical sites, structures
and culture.
The state has not done much to preserve and promote South Carolina's black
legacy, said Rodger Stroup, the department's director. Of the state's 1,000
official markers, about 60 designate black historical sites, he said.
"We haven't had anyone with a specialty in that area," he said. "There's a
need for more detailed information about the history of African Americans than
anybody on our staff has."
The Archives and History Department worked for about seven years to get state
legislators to budget money for the position, Stroup said. Bleak budget
forecasts prevented him from advertising the position until this year, he said.
The full-time position will pay $30,000.
Stroup said the heritage coordinator will help communities understand and
record their histories. Much of black history has been oral. Prior to the Civil
War, teaching blacks to read and write was illegal in South Carolina, he said.
"As older folks pass away, we need to capture that history now or it's lost,"
Stroup said.
The coordinator also will work with the African-American Heritage Commission,
a 15-member group appointed by governors to preserve and to raise the awareness
of the state's black history. Stroup said the coordinator will be the engine
that keeps the all-volunteer group moving forward.
When he saw the job posting, Michael Allen, an education specialist with the
National Park Service who also has served as commission chairman, said he
immediately sent it to his friends and colleagues.
A black heritage coordinator working on the state level will be the key that
opens doors for blacks to become more a part of historical archives, he said.
Commission chairwoman Jannie Harriot said she pushed for years to have a
black heritage expert in Columbia. With the commissioners serving as volunteers,
a full-time worker is sorely needed to focus on saving a big piece of state
history that's been overlooked, she said.
