Charleston, South Carolina

Our first stop on the trip was to Charleston, South Carolina where we first toured the McCleod Plantation. Exploring the plantation was a very informative experience for me. I enjoyed walking around the plantation learning about where the slaves were housed and about the history that took place on this plantation during the Civil War.  It was interesting to learn that people still lived in the slave cabins lined along the old driveway until 1990 to work as sharecroppers and house servants until the grandson of William McCleod, the plantation owner in the mid-1800s, died. I am glad that the tour guide took us on a journey through history by explaining the events surrounding the plantation owners' house from about 1861 to 1990. I really learned a lot about what newly freedmen did between the end of the Civil War and the beginning of the Civil Rights era.

Later that Saturday, we visited the Old Slave Mart Museum and learned more about the slave trade in eastern North America. Many of the slaves who came to the coast of Charleston ended up being sold at the various slave marts including the museum and the areas surrounding it. Many families were changed forever by being torn apart from one another while having to endure the horrendous conditions of slavery. Being in a place where events like this actually took place was very heartbreaking for me. I could never imagine being in their shoes and having to endure all that the slaves endured in that time period.

On Sunday morning, we attended service at Mother Emmanuel AME Church. I loved being a part of this service because it had been a while since I went to an African-American church as large as this one. Everyone was so welcoming and friendly, and we were even acknowledged as visitors by the pastor. Although the tragic shooting occurred here in 2015 where Dylan Roof murdered many churchgoers during Bible Study, many people in the community are still able to call this place their home.