BMW invests $1 million in International African American Museum

CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - Global automotive manufacturer BMW has invested $1 million in the upcoming International African American Museum.

This gift to the museum's Founders Fund brings the museum within $2 million of reaching its $25 million private philanthropy goal.

"In 1994, BMW ventured out of Germany to build its first North American manufacturing facility and found a wonderful home in Greer, South Carolina," Joseph P. Riley, Jr., former Charleston mayor and IAAM board member said. "BMW's relationship with our state is symbiotic: South Carolina's continuous infrastructure improvements have created productive ports through which BMW's automobiles flow. In turn, BMW has shown its commitment to our state and its people not only through job creation but through generous donations like this one. We are honored to have the support of this great company."

The $1 million investment will be recognized in the Orientation Theater, where guests will begin their exploration of the International African American Museum. Visitors will view videos that provide essential historical context of the museum's location at the former site of Gadsden Wharf.

This introduction will orient visitors to the significance of Charleston and South Carolina in both national and international histories; offer stories of African American resistance, sacrifice, survival and achievement, and illuminate the central role of people of African descent in shaping the nation and the Atlantic World.

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