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South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs to Host 2020 Black History Month Celebration
Published Date
For Immediate Release
January 10, 2020
Contact: Shireese M. Bell at 803-563-0283 or sbell@cma.sc.gov
Dr. Bernard E. Powers, Jr. of International African American Museum to Serve as Keynote Speaker
The South Carolina Commission for Minority Affairs will celebrate Black History Month with a dinner and awards ceremony on Friday, February 7, 2020 at 6 p.m. at the Brookland Banquet & Conference Center, 1066 Sunset Blvd., West Columbia, SC 29169.
Dr. Bernard E. Powers Jr., interim chief executive officer and president of the International African American Museum in Charleston, SC, will be the keynote speaker.
The annual celebration will also include Civil Rights activist and former member of the South Carolina House of Representatives Mr. James L. Felder; the Center for Learning Children's Choir; Gullah artist Aunt Pearlie Sue (Anita Singleton-Prather); Allen University’s Jazz Band; and Spring Valley High School JROTC. WCBDTV anchor Octavia Mitchell will serve as the mistress of ceremonies.
Powers has worked in higher education for approximately forty years. For twenty-six years, he was a professor of history at the College of Charleston teaching courses in American, African American, and African diasporic history. In 2018, he became the College’s founding director for the Center for the Study of Slavery in Charleston.
Powers is a co-author of “We Are Charleston: Tragedy and Triumph at Mother Emanuel,” which contextualizes the city’s racially motivated murders of 2015.
Admission for the black tie optional dinner is $25 per person. To purchase your tickets, visit http://cmablackhistorymonth2020.eventbrite.com/.
For more information, contact Cynthia Haddad at 803-995-8553 or email chaddad@cfma.sc.gov.
SCCCAE Board of Commissioners October Meeting Rescheduled for Dec. 10
Read Full ArticleThe South Carolina Commission for Community Advancement and Engagement Board of Commissioners October meeting has been rescheduled for December 10, 2026. The meeting was originally scheduled for October 16th and has been moved to the board's next regularly scheduled meeting date.
The Board of Commissioners meeting will be held at 10 a.m. at the Commission’s Board Room located at 246 Stoneridge Dr., Ste. 250, Columbia, SC 29210.
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Upcoming Advisory Committee and Board of Commissioners Meetings
Read Full ArticleThe South Carolina Commission for Community Advancement and Engagement will hold a Native American Indian Advisory Committee meeting and a Board of Commissioners meeting in October.
The Native American Indian Advisory Committee meeting will begin at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, via Zoom. The meeting will be held to discuss the election of nominees for the State Recognition Committee.
The Board of Commissioners meeting will be held on Friday, October 16, 2026, at 9 a.m. at the Commission’s Board Room located at 246 Stoneridge Dr., Ste. 250, Columbia, SC 29210.
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Dr. Delores Dacosta Receives SC’s Highest Civilian Honor
Read Full ArticleCOLUMBIA, S.C. — Dr. Delores Dacosta, Executive Director of the South Carolina Commission for Community Advancement and Engagement (ADVANCE SC), has been awarded the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest civilian honor. Governor Henry McMaster recognized Dacosta during a ceremony on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, at the South Carolina State House.
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Dr. Delores Dacosta to Receive South Carolina’s Order of the Palmetto
Read Full ArticleCOLUMBIA, S.C. — Dr. Delores Dacosta, Executive Director of the South Carolina Commission for Community Advancement and Engagement (ADVANCE SC), will receive the Order of the Palmetto on September 30, 2026, at 2 p.m. in the office of Governor Henry McMaster (South Carolina State House, 1100 Gervais St., Columbia, SC 29201).
The Order of the Palmetto is South Carolina’s highest civilian honor. Established in 1971, it recognizes a lifetime of extraordinary achievement, service, and contributions with statewide or national impact.