Exploring the International African American Museum in Charleston

Ahead of the museum’s opening in January 2023, president and CEO Tonya M. Matthews shared her future hopes—and favorite exhibits—of this groundbreaking destination.

Approximately 90 percent of African Americans can trace at least part of their ancestry to Charleston, South Carolina—once the most active slave-trading port in the United States. This city will narrate this critical part of its history and anticipate its future with the debut of the International African American Museum (iaamuseum.org) later this year. The focus of the museum spans centuries and continents, examining the global impact of slavery, the diaspora, and contemporary conversations about race and social justice. A permanent collection will be complemented by rotating art exhibitions, community programs, and a genealogy lab, the Center for Family History. Here’s a conversation with president and CEO Tonya M. Matthews.

This museum has been 20 years in the making. What do you hope to achieve with the opening?

The African American journey is one of the greatest stories of all time, featuring themes of tragedy, resilience, love, and conflict, intertwined with the struggle for democracy. However, it is essential to draw lessons from this journey; if we do not share these stories, we do not learn. Many have been hesitant to uncover the layers of history in this city due to its painful past. Consequently, the IAAM serves as a poignant reminder of how far we’ve progressed and the distance still to cover.

What exhibits are you most excited about?

• A first-edition signed copy of Booker T. Washington’s Up from Slavery.
• A poignant item known as “Ashley’s Sack,” an embroidered sack given by an enslaved woman, Rose, to her daughter, who was sold at age nine. This needlework encapsulates the painful story of family separations across generations.
• A full-scale model of a Gullah praise house, including video and audio from a service on nearby Johns Island.

Tell us about the museum’s design.

Located on Gadsden’s Wharf, a historically significant slave-trading port, the architects chose to emphasize the sacredness of the ground rather than the structure itself. The museum will be a single-story building elevated on columns above the African Ancestors Memorial Garden, featuring a gathering space complete with an infinity reflection pool and an ethnobotanical plant showcase that highlights the wisdom African people brought from the continent.

What are your hopes for the museum’s broader impact?

We have started virtual workshops with genealogists to assist individuals in tracing their African American ancestry. Furthermore, we aim to establish relationships with museums, and hopefully school programs, across Africa and the Caribbean. Locally, we are collaborating with chefs, musicians, craftspeople, and Black-owned businesses. Notably, the IAAM intends to act as a platform for promoting educational initiatives about other historic sites and authentic Lowcountry cuisine. Therefore, we aspire to be a supportive force within the community: we lift as we climb.