Local author Dr. Walter B. Curry Jr., founder of Renaissance Publications LLC, will be one of three featured authors at the Jubilee Festival of Black History & Culture.
The event is hosted by Historic Columbia and will be held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16, at the Mann-Simmons Site, 1403 Richland St., Columbia.
Curry is the author of “The Awakening: The Seawright-Ellison Family Saga, Vol.1, A Narrative History.” It is the first volume in a narrative history about the descendants of two families that share a common ancestor, Martha Kitchings Seawright Ellison. Ellison was born into slavery in 1849 in Aiken County.
The book documents the beginnings of the family saga through Ellison’s life during slavery, the Civil War, The Reconstruction Era and family life in Aiken County and beyond. The book also features ancestral stories connected to Columbia African American history including the historic Ward One community, Olympia Mills, Washington Street African American Business District, and more. The book is the 2022 African American Historical & Genealogical Society Book Award Winner (Non-Fiction/Regional Genealogy), Literary Titan Gold Award Winner, 2023 National Indie Excellence Award Finalist (African American Non-Fiction & Regional Non-Fiction Southeast).
The other featured guests include Dawn Dawson-House, author of “The Green Book of South Carolina,” and Claudia Smith Brinson author of “Stories of Struggle: The Clash Over Civil Rights In South Carolina”, by Claudia Smith Brinson.
Now in its 43rd year, this free festival brings musicians, artisans and storytellers together to celebrate South Carolina’s Black history and culture on the grounds of the Mann-Simons Site. The event features live music and entertainment, artist demonstrations, historic storytelling, re-enactors and marketplace vendors.
A children’s area will be available with educational and family-friendly activities.
All visitors and vendors will be required to wear masks and DHEC will be offering vaccinations against COVID-19. For more information, visit historiccolumbia.org.