Hutchins Lecture: Bernard E. Powers on the Charleston Massacre

“Manners, Memory, and Murder in America’s Holy City”

Sometimes called the “Holy City,” Charleston, South Carolina is one of America’s oldest and most historic cities. It has won numerous awards for its residents’ politeness, and it has been chosen as a top destination for world travelers. However, the nation was shocked by the racially motivated murders that occurred at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in the summer of 2015. The reverberations of this tragic event were felt most powerfully across the South, where they amplified ongoing and crucial debates about the region’s understanding of history, memory, and race. In this lecture, Powers will examine the meaning of what happened in Charleston, the cultural introspection it triggered, and its ongoing significance for understanding life in the South today.

Bernard E. Powers, Professor of History at the College of Charleston, has published numerous works on African American social and cultural evolution. His book Black Charlestonians: A Social History 1822-1885 (University of Arkansas Press, 1994) won a Choice Award for Best Academic Books. Powers also served as associate editor for The South Carolina Encyclopedia (Columbia: USC Press, 2006), and he recently co-authored We Are Charleston: Tragedy and Triumph at Mother Emanuel (Thomas Nelson, 2016).

This lecture is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.