Community watch party set for Saturday morning ahead of IAAM opening

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - As we approach the grand opening of the International African American Museum along the waterfront in downtown Charleston, anticipation and celebrations are heating up.

A private dedication at the museum is set for Saturday morning, however there will be a watch party in Marion Square with a celebration to follow.

The event, presented by Boeing, will bring the community together for a live simulcast of the dedication.

Charlamagne tha God, national radio host and South Carolina native will be hosting the Marion Square event.

Representative JA Moore (D-Charleston), former Charleston mayor Joe Riley, and current mayor John Tecklenburg are also expected to be in attendance.

Event organizers say the following musicians will also be performing:

- Amadou Kouyate, 150th generation of the Kouyate family of Manding Djeli (oral historians/musicians of West Africa)

- BeBe Winans, Gospel and R&B singer, radio host

- Candice Glover, R&B singer, actor

- DJ SCrib, Charleston-based DJ, former Charleston City Paper’s “DJ of the Year”

- Jesse Nager, Broadway actor and singer

- Markus Amaker, Charleston Poet Laureate, Academy of American Poets

- Patti Austin, R&B, pop, and jazz singer/songwriter

- Patrice Covington, background singer for Oscar and Grammy winner Jennifer Hudson

- Ranky Tanky, Grammy award-winning, Charleston-based musical ensemble focused on jazz-influenced arrangements of traditional Gullah and Roots music.

In addition to live music and performances, there will be black-owned food trucks with refreshments.

Boeing South Carolina’s DreamLearners are set to present interactive programming, while the Barbados Genealogy Marketplace will highlight the multicultural backgrounds of Barbadians by way of food, games, documentaries, and more. The Genealogy Marketplace will honor the long-established connection between Barbados and South Carolina and give guests the opportunity to research their ancestral family line.

That’s just a taste of the genealogy aspect of the IAAM that will be a part of the family history area of the museum.

The IAAM officially opens to the public on Tuesday.

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