IAAM Collaborates with Nonprofits

IAAM Collaborates with Nonprofits to Raise Awareness and Increase Conversations Around Racism and Inequality. Google to provide $375,000 to Charleston organizations in the wake of recent tragedies.

(CHARLESTON, SC) – In response to the recent tragic events in Charleston, SC, the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture, the Coastal Community Foundation’s Lowcountry Unity Fund and the International African American Museum are working together to cultivate discussions around racism and inequality in the African-American community with support from Google.

Google, which has a data center located at the Mt. Holly Commerce Park in Berkeley County, has committed $375,000 with the hopes that these resources will serve as a springboard for community conversations. Funds will also support the building of the International African American Museum, which will house programs to shed light on these issues. The grant recipients will collaborate to provide the pedagogy, insight and leadership to stimulate dialogue and community change.

Google will award grants to the following nonprofit organizations below:

Coastal Community Foundation of SC’s Lowcountry Unity Fund – $75,000. The purpose of the fund is to promote long-term solutions that address systemic issues contributing to racism and economic inequality in African-American communities. The Foundation will work with other grant recipients on the speaking series and other related activities.

The College of Charleston’s Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture – $125,000. The College of Charleston Foundation will establish an education initiative on race and social justice in response to the recent events in Charleston. Through collaboration between the College of Charleston’s Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture, the African American studies program, the Lowcountry Digital History Initiative, and multiple community partners, the education initiative will facilitate a dialogue on race, justice, and reconciliation in Charleston and its surrounding communities.

The International African American Museum (IAAM) – $175,000 The International African American Museum, set to break ground in 2017, will communicate the largely overlooked history of African Americans in the Lowcountry, South Carolina, and explain how this population impacted the nation. The IAAM aims to re-center South Carolina’s place in global history, speaking to its pivotal roles during the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, the Civil War, and the Civil Rights Movement.

Funds will be used to support the construction and operation of the museum. The IAAM looks forward to continuing its partnership with the Avery Research Center for African American Culture and History at the College of Charleston and working with the Coastal Community Foundation’s new Lowcountry Unity Fund.