CSSC Leadership Team
Bernard Powers looks out over the former site of Gadsden’s Wharf, a major entry point for the transatlantic slave trade. (Photos by Mike Ledford)
Director
Dr. Bernard Powers, Director of the Center for the Study of Slavery in Charleston | Professor Emeritus of History (powersb@cofc.edu)
Bernard Powers, professor emeritus of history at the College, is the inaugural director of the Center for the Study of Slavery in Charleston. Dr. Powers taught in the Department of History from 1992 to 2018, serving stints as department chair and director of the master’s program in history. He has published numerous works on African-American social and cultural history. His book Black Charlestonians: A Social History 1822-1885 (University of Arkansas Press, 1994) won a Choice Award for Best Academic Books. He also co-authored We Are Charleston: Tragedy and Triumph at Mother Emanuel (Thomas Nelson, 2016). His latest book is 101 African Americans Who Shaped South Carolina (USC Press, 2020). Powers is a member of the board of directors and interim CEO of the International African American Museum (IAAM), which is scheduled to open in Charleston in 2022. As a member of both CSSC and IAAM, Powers is developing a working relationship between both entities, with the goal of establishing joint public programs and academic partnerships.
Executive Board
Dr. Shannon Eaves, Assistant Professor of History (eavess@cofc.edu)
Dr. Julia Eichelberger, Professor of English and Director of the Southern Studies Program (eichelbergerj@cofc.edu)\
Dr. Grant Gilmore, Associate Professor of Historic Preservation and Director of the Historic Preservation and Community Planning Program (gilmorer@cofc.edu)
Dr. Simon Lewis, Professor of English and Director of the Carolina Lowcountry and Atlantic World Program (lewiss@cofc.edu)
Dr. Kameelah Martin, Professor of English, Dean of the Graduate School (martink@cofc.edu)
Dr. Tamara Butler, Executive Director of the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture (butlert@cofc.edu)
Working Groups
Academic Research Working Group | 20-21 Chair: Mary Jo Fairchild (fairchildmj@cofc.edu)
K-12 Education Working Group | 20-21 Chair: Anthony Greene (greenead@cofc.edu)
Public History Working Group | 20-21 Chair: Rachel Donaldson (donaldsonrc@cofc.edu)
Social Justice Working Group | 20-21 Chair: Jen Wright (wrightjj1@cofc.edu)
Webmaster/Project Manager | Anastasia E. Gilpatrick (abemelia@cofc.edu)