The Avery Messenger Podcast

Every family has a story—but not every story is preserved. In this season finale of The Avery Messenger , we explore the importance of family archives, Black history preservation, and archival donations through a conversation with donor Norma Hoffman Davis and organizer Dana Campbell . The episode begins with a reflection on Season One before diving into the remarkable Hoffman Family Papers, docum...

Podcast Description:  African spirituality, ancestral traditions, Black archives, and civil rights history all intersect in this powerful episode of the Avery Messenger Podcast. Avery Messager hosts speak with Dr. Kameelah L. Martin about African spiritual traditions, ancestor reverence, Vodou, hoodoo, colonization, and reconnecting with African diasporic practices. Later, historian and archivist...

Podcast Description:  Black foodways are more than cuisine—they’re culture, resistance, and history. In this episode, we explore how food has shaped Black identity across generations and why it still matters today. From the role of food in the civil rights movement to the ongoing fight for food justice and cultural recognition, this conversation breaks down how Black food traditions have survived,...

Archives help preserve the stories that history almost loses. In this episode, we explore personal archives, the William and Ellen Craft legacy, and how Superfine: Tailoring Black Style connects fashion, resistance, and Black history. Hosted by the Avery Research Center, this conversation brings together Georgette Mayo, Dr. Monica L. Miller, Julia Ellen Craft Davis, and Ronni Craft Robinson. The e...

Podcast Description: Black librarianship in America has a long, overlooked history, one shaped by pioneers, segregation-era barriers, and ongoing struggles for equity and visibility. In this episode of Avery Messager , we trace key milestones in Black librarianship and explore how libraries and Black bookstores have served as sites of community, knowledge, and resistance. You’ll hear from Rodney F...

Book clubs and banned books are shaping how communities read, learn, and push back against censorship—especially when reading becomes a shared, collective practice. In this episode of Avery Messenger , hosts Georgette Mayo and D’Aujai Kelly explore the legacy and impact of Black-led reading communities, from Charleston’s longstanding Phillis Wheatley Literary and Social Club archives to the Dr. Co...

Hosts D'Aujai Kelley   – Co-Host, The Avery Messenger Podcast Georgette Mayo – Processing Archivist, Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture Guests Deborah Wright – Retired Reference Librarian and Administrator, Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture; Former Editor of The Avery Messenger Dr. Dale Rosengarten, Ph. D. – Scholar of Sweetgrass (Lowcountry...

Saving the Avery and the Formation of the Avery Institute of Afro American History and Culture Hosts: Georgette Mayo – Processing Archivist at the Avery Research Center D’Aujai Kelley – Education Coordinator, Avery Research Center Guest : Dr. Millicent E. Brown – Director of Education and Exhibits, Educator, Activist, and former Education & Public Programs Specialist at the Avery Research Cent...

In this episode of The Avery Messenger Podcast , host D’Aujai Kelley and co-host Georgette Mayo , Processing Archivist at the Avery Research Center, explore the story of the Avery Normal Institute , Charleston’s pioneering school for African-American education.  Drawing on historic records and a conversation with guest Daron Lee Calhoun II (scholar, organizer, and former Charleston County School D...

The Avery Messenger is a continuation of the work of former executive director Karen Chandler who created the Avery Messenger in 2003. The newsletter coincided with the 50th Anniversary planning of the last class of the Avery High School. Prior to the Avery Messenger the Avery Institute of Afro American History and Culture published the Avery Bulletin as its outreach arm to inform on the progress...