Radio Interview – Monday, July 25th at 12 noon

Radio host Dr. Bernard Powers is the founding director of the College of Charleston’s Center for the Study of Slavery in Charleston and a professor emeritus of history at the university. He has been a board member for the International African American Museum since its inception. Today he serves as its interim CEO and president.

On Monday, July 4th, and every Monday in the month of July, Dr. Powers interviews George McDaniel, former executive director of Drayton Hall for 26 years, about his new book “Drayton Hall Stories: A Place and Its People”.

McDaniel’s book has been hailed as the first book of its kind to focus on a site’s recent history using interviews with descendants (White and Black), and others, including educators, curators, historians, and more.

Like a mosaic, each interview combines with others to create a compelling picture, revealing never-before-shared family moments and pioneering efforts to transform a former plantation into a site for understanding and racial conciliation. Listeners will come to understand Drayton Hall’s people not as stereotypes, but as the real people they were — and are.

The book also provides a blueprint, complete with actionable steps, for listeners who would like to know more about engaging in a similar project to build community.