Interested in appointment to Museum Board?

Today I received a letter from Charleston Mayor, Joe Riley, who is asking me (and I imagine my legislative colleagues) to appoint one person to the State Advisory Board for the proposed International African American Museum in Charleston.

Honestly, I was not aware of this project until I searched for information . It appears this has been at least a four year project that perhaps might be close to fruition. I’m not aware of the funding (imagine local in Charleston and corporate) nor when the projected groundbreaking may occur. The State Advisory Board will “develop the museum”

Please contact me here at Nathan’s News and forward me a letter of interest and “resume”. Seeing no deadline on the letter, I will ask that you notify me before Thanksgiving so that I can forward my appointment by December 1, 2010.

The letter states the board will meet twice a year, once in Columbia and once in Charleston.

Excerpt from Mayor Riley’s letter : “I am writing to ask you to participate in a truly historic undertaking. For several years we have been working to create the International African American Museum in Charleston…Why here you might ask? Because more than 40 percent of the Africans who were brought to America as slaves first landed in Charleston, the Ellis Island of African Americans…We have hired the distinguished historian and museum director Dr. John Flemming to serve as the project director. I am serving as Chairman of the Board…We believe this museum will become a huge source of interest and pride for all South Carolinians and become a nationally recognized history museum…”