Preserving History and Attracting Tourism in the South: Key Takeaways and Statistics

Strategic Insights -

Regina Monteith, education director for the Historic Columbia Foundation, has announced plans to publish a brochure highlighting historic sites in Richland County, South Carolina, catering to black tourists. The pamphlet, set to be released this summer, will feature historic churches, schools, homes, businesses, and cemeteries that are significant to the black community. Meanwhile, Wole Soyinka, the first African to win a Nobel Prize for literature, has been speaking at universities in North Carolina, including Wake Forest University and Winston-Salem State University. Soyinka's work, "The Man Died," was written while he was in solitary confinement in a Nigerian prison in 1967.

Key Takeaways:

  • 80-85% of the country's black population can trace its ancestors through South Carolina, making it a significant destination for black tourists (Mike Carrier, Columbia tourism official).
  • The Historic Columbia Foundation is publishing a brochure highlighting historic sites in Richland County, South Carolina, catering to black tourists, led by education director Regina Monteith.
  • Wole Soyinka, the first African to win a Nobel Prize for literature, has been speaking at universities in North Carolina, including Wake Forest University and Winston-Salem State University.
  • A Baptist Church in Fayetteville was vandalized, with two fire extinguishers emptied in the main sanctuary, forcing Sunday services to be held at a nearby high school.
  • The sale of a finishing plant in Clearwater, seized in a tax sale in 1991, has been put on hold due to a $1.1 million lien placed on the property by the Environmental Protection Agency.
  • The Charleston County Planning Board has voted to allow a higher density of development on Wadmalaw Island, despite opposition from residents and conservation groups.
  • TIAA-CREF, a pension fund managing over $249 billion in assets, plans to develop an operations center in Charlotte that could employ over 1,000 people.
  • The state's failure to deregulate the electric industry is forcing new businesses to locate elsewhere, causing debt and inflated electricity prices in cities like High Point and Lexington.

Statistics:

  • 80-85% of the country's black population can trace its ancestors through South Carolina.
  • The Charleston County Planning Board has voted to allow a higher density of development on Wadmalaw Island.
  • The city of Lexington has incurred hundreds of millions of dollars in debt building power plants for its electrical system.
  • TIAA-CREF manages over $249 billion in assets and plans to develop an operations center in Charlotte.
  • A pending deregulation plan would spread about $6 billion of utility debt among all power users to help lower prices.

Sources:

  • Regina Monteith, education director for the Historic Columbia Foundation
  • Mike Carrier, Columbia tourism official
  • Wole Soyinka, Nobel Prize winner and author of "The Man Died"
  • Roger Gore, deacon at the Lewis Chapel Baptist Church
  • Aiken County officials
  • EPA officials
  • Charleston County Planning Board
  • TIAA-CREF officials
  • Gary Shope, vice president of the Research Triangle Foundation
  • Duke Whisenant, Lexington's city manager
  • COMTEX (http://www.comtexnews.com)