Charleston Women Spring 2021

www. Char l es tonWomen . com | www. Char l es tonWomenPodcas t . com | www. ReadCW. com CW REV. DEMETT JENKINS - Director of Education and Engagement for Faith-Based Communities. Born in France and raised in Charleston, she is the granddaughter of the late Esau Jenkins, a civil rights activist from Johns Island. Rev. Jenkins has a criminal justice degree from South Carolina State University and a master’s of divinity from Virginia Union University’s Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology. Please describe your role at IAAM. I bring awareness about the museum and its site of consciousness; build relationships with faith-based communities regionally, nationally and internationally; and create programs with those faith communities or organizations in the form of workshops, forums, symposiums, lectures and/or events, to encourage those faith institutions to become members of the museum. I travel extensively, meeting with clergy and faith-based leaders. Who were your influencers that sparked your curiosity of African American history and culture? I grew up in a family where Black history was always discussed. My aunt and uncle are history teachers and made sure we knew and understood our heritage. Steeped in knowledge about our African ancestry, my family took every opportunity to teach us more. My uncle taught a weekly Black history class for many years to anyone who wanted to attend. Classes became so involved, they later moved to the church on Johns Island. My grandparents, parents and family members remain influenced by the great work of African Americans, and we celebrate this history daily, monthly and yearly. MARTINA MORALE - IAAM assistant curator Originally from Lafayette, Louisiana, she’s lived all over the United States and holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Benedict College, a master of liberal arts degree, history concentration, from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, as well as certificates in public history and museum studies from the University of West Georgia. What does one do as the assistant curator at IAAM? Currently, I work in all aspects of exhibition development with a more recent focus on artifact and image acquisitions. Once the museum opens, I will continue working to keep our long-term exhibits relevant, while also assisting with development and curation of our traveling exhibition program. feature