The College of Charleston’s Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture will partner with the Charleston County School of the Arts (SOA) Bonds Wilson Campus to host 58 high school seniors for a day of learning and archival exploration.
‘English 4’ seniors from SOA will visit the Avery on March 12, 2026 for an immersive learning experience centered on archives, memoir and the preservation of African American history in the Lowcountry.
Students will hear from Dr. Tamara Butler, Executive Director of the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture and a 2002 SOA Creative Writing alumna, while also working closely with D’Aujai Kelley, Education Coordinator; Nate Hubler, Archivist; and Erica Veal, Research Archivist and Interpretation Coordinator. Together, this team will guide students through direct engagement with archival materials, the Gullah Geechee exhibition, and the historic Avery classroom, helping them examine how community memory is preserved and who determines which stories endure.
During lunch, students will hear from KJ Kearney and enjoy a meal prepared by Chef Reggie featuring traditional Gullah dishes. Kearney, founder of Black Food Fridays and a James Beard Award winner, has built a platform reaching nearly 2 million followers by highlighting food history across the African Diaspora and encouraging community uplift. Chef Reggie, a Charleston native known for his sustainable, farm-to-table approach, uses cuisine as storytelling. Together, they demonstrate how food, history, and entrepreneurship can preserve heritage while shaping the present.
The experience is supported by a national teaching grant from the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), Penguin Random House and the Anne Frank Fonds Basel founded by Otto Frank through the Anne Frank Award for Teaching Memoir, which funds innovative instruction connecting student writing to cultural history and civic engagement. Additional support was provided by the SOA parent teacher association.
Charleston County School District teacher and College of Charleston EdD candidate Patrick Martin, a recipient of the award, organized the visit and will accompany his students to the Avery. Joining him will be Isabelle Quade, a College of Charleston education major completing her clinical internship in his classroom this semester.
“It feels meaningful to see this connection in action, from the history preserved in the Avery archives to a teacher candidate learning alongside high school students, carrying that knowledge forward into her own future classroom,” says Martin.
"As a longstanding member of NCTE and Gullah Geechee descendant, I am thrilled to see our culture in the classrooms of my alma mater. I am truly proud of NCTE for supporting educators like Patrick Martin, who want to move contemporary voices to the center of curriculum, says Tamara Butler, adding, “I welcome future opportunities to partner with educators who uphold the vision of the Avery Normal Institute and advance the mission of Avery Research Center."