Charleston Chronicle Exclusives
Charleston NAACP Gala Marks A Century of Activism
The Charleston Branch NAACP September 22 held its annual Freedom Fund Banquet at the Gaillard Center during which it celebrated the branch’s 100th anniversary. The Charleston Branch NAACP was established April 14, 1917, eight years after the founding of the NAACP. The gala recognized the branch’s illustrious history. Former U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden was…
Read MoreMore Black Residents Encouraged To Attend West Ashley Planning Sessions
By Barney Blakeney Charleston officials this week released the first draft of a plan to revitalize West Ashley. Nearly half the city’s residents live West Ashley. Enclaves of predominantly Black neighborhoods pepper the city’s greatest land area which encompasses nearly 100 sq. miles. Some residents of those neighborhoods want to know how revitalization will impact…
Read MoreSouth Carolina State University Needs A Few Good Recruits
By Barney Blakeney South Carolina State University needs to come up with some people willing to serve on its board of trustees. And that needs to happen soon. Revelation that almost no one is offering as candidates to serve on the South Carolina State University Board of Trustees come as little surprise to many. If…
Read MoreWho Benefits From Eastside TIF District?
By Barney Blakeney Charleston is considered one of the nation’s fastest gentrifying cities. Charleston City Council last week approved a measure that may enhance that distinction. City officials last week approved plans for a $12 million bond to improve infrastructure on the peninsula’s eastside where gentrification continues to displace Black residents. Revenue from the Cooper…
Read MoreMetanoia and Lowcountry Local First Collaborate For Reynolds Avenue Community Storefront Project Opportunity
By Natalie Prioleau The sun sets, casting shadows on boarded, empty and abandoned buildings in the North area of Charleston. Passersby can witness large vacant spaces throughout the intersections of Rivers Avenue and McMillan Avenue and Rivers and Reynolds Avenue. The scene is all that’s left of a previously thriving commercial shopping center and strip…
Read MoreCAJM To Focus On Police Bias Despite Declining Jail Populations
By Barney Blakeney For some it may be hard to accept that criminal justice reform efforts are making a lot of headway despite continued reports that inmate recidivism and jail populations are declining. So I asked Charleston Area Justice Ministry President Rev. Charles Heyward what the organization thinks about those recent reports. A June report…
Read MoreUnpredictable Irma Had Predicable Impact In The Lowcountry
By Barney Blakeney Tuesday morning Charleston awakened to sunny skies, calm winds and the relief of having weathered Hurricane Irma relatively unscathed. The late summer beauty of the Charleston skies however belied the events of the previous day as the city experienced the wrath and wonder of nature. Hurricane Irma threatened Charleston for three days…
Read MoreNNPA EXCLUSIVE: ‘We Must Have a New Poor People’s Campaign and Moral Revival’
By Bishop William J. Barber, II, President, Repairers of the Breach Channeling the incisive analysis of our best historians, TaNehisi Coates cut through the talking points of political pundits last week to name Donald Trump America’s “First White president.” Writing for The Atlantic, the National Book Award recipient made clear how there could be no…
Read MoreMarvin Pendarvis Wins House 113 Democratic Nomination
By Barney Blakeney Barely an hour after the polls closed September 5 on the Democratic primary elections to field a candidate to fill the unexpired term in S.C. House Dist. 113, North Charleston attorney Marvin Pendarvis was declared the winner. Pendarvis handily beat rivals Angela Hanyak and Charleston County School Board member, Rev. Chris Collins. Pendarvis…
Read MoreJustice Dept.’s Failure to Respond Prompts Sept. 21 Community Action Meeting
By Barney Blakeney The NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Inc. is continuing its efforts to get the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) to release the report on its review of the North Charleston Police Department begun over a year ago. LDF officials say there has been no response from the Dept.…
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