By: CofC Media
Charissa Owens (right), director of diversity education and training in the College of Charleston's Office of Institutional Diversity, last week was presented with the 2021 Preserving Our Places in History Project Award for the production of the 2021 documentary, If These Walls Could Talk, at the WeGOJA Foundation's Cultural and Historic Preservation Conference and Awards Luncheon.
The award was presented in collaboration with the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park and the Civil Rights Center for History and Research.
“This is a great moment for the College,” said Owens.
Featuring the research and expertise of College faculty, staff, and students highlighting the university's complex history as well as efforts to create a more diverse and inclusive campus community, the 40-minute film, says Owens, is “blazing a trail for the College.”
Recognizing outstanding efforts in preserving African American history and heritage, the Preserving Our Places in History Project Awards was presented by Bernie Wright, director of the Historic Penn Center, and Rep. Robert Williams, S.C. District 62, with Louis Venters of Francis Marion University presiding as the master of ceremonies.
The WeGOJA Foundation assists and enhances the efforts of the South Carolina Department of Archives and History and supports the South Carolina African American Heritage Commission in promoting the preservation of historic sites, structures, buildings and culture of the African American experience in South Carolina.
If These Walls Could Talk from College of Charleston on Vimeo.
