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 Center; Author of Another Sojourner Looking for Truth: My Journey from Civil Rights to Black Power and Beyond

Contributors:
Nate Hubler, Veer Mehta, Georgette Mayo, Sasha Bozanic, DaNia Childress, and D’Aujai Kelley
Sponsor:
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Episode Summary
This episode explores the final years and closure of the Avery Normal Institute in 1954, its legacy, and the transition that led to the founding of the Avery Institute of Afro-American History and Culture. The hosts discuss what happened after the school closed, the fight to preserve the historic building, and the evolution of the institution into today’s Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture.
The episode includes an in-depth interview with Dr. Millicent E. Brown, who shares her personal connection to Avery, insights on its alumni (“Averyites”), the founding of the Avery Institute, and the challenges of preserving Black history and community memory.
The episode also features collection highlights showcasing early exhibits and archival materials from the Avery Research Center.

Timestamped Breakdown
[00:00:00 – 00:01:03] Introduction and Episode Overview
[00:01:03 – 00:01:53] Hosts' Personal Reflections
[00:01:53 – 00:04:40] Historical Overview: Closure of the Avery Normal Institute
[00:04:41 – 00:09:21] Protests, Merger Attempts, and the Fate of the Building
[00:09:21 – 00:14:18] Who Are Averyites? Notable Alumni & Formation of the Avery Institute
[00:14:18 – 00:46:10] Interview with Dr. Millicent E. Brown
[00:46:19 – 00:49:27] Collection Highlights
[00:49:27 – 00:50:46] Final Clarifications & Closing Remarks

Key Themes
Preserving Black educational institutions
Jim Crow era education
Civil rights activism
Institutional memory & legacy preservation
Charleston’s racial and cultural history
The transformation from Avery School → Avery Institute → Avery Research Center

Keywords
Avery Normal Institute, Avery Research Center, African American history, Charleston history, civil rights, desegregation, Black education, Averyites, Gullah Geechee, archival preservation, NAACP, Brown v. Board, Black Power, Lowcountry history, museum education, American Missionary Association

Hashtags
#AveryNormalInstitute #AveryResearchCenter #AfricanAmericanHistory #CharlestonHistory #CivilRights #BlackEducation #Averyites #GullahGeechee #SouthCarolinaHistory #BrownvBoard #NAACP #BlackPower #BlackHistory #MuseumEducation #LowcountryHistory

References & Resources
Initiative, Paternalism, and Race Relations: Charleston's Avery Normal Institute — Edmund L. Drago

South Carolina Equalization Schools — scequalizationschools.org (Research by Rebekah Dobrasko)

Another Sojourner Looking for Truth — Dr. Millicent E. Brown

Avery Research Center — avery.charleston.edu

Avery Institute of Afro-American History and Culture — averyinstitute.us

Podcast Archive: Apple Podcasts, iHeart, YouTube

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 District trustee), the episode traces Avery’s evolution from its 1865 founding through the Civil Rights era. You’ll hear how Francis Cardozo, Benjamin F. Cox, and the American Missionary Association shaped generations of educators and activists; how Avery students helped catalyze Black-led public schools in Charleston; and how its legacy endures today.

Calhoun also discusses the research journey behind The Cross, the Candle, and the Crown: A Narrative History of Morehouse College, 1867–2021, and examines philanthropic influence on Black education. DaNia Childress (Project Director, Mellon Grant) leads the interview segment.

Avery Normal School history: excerpts from booklet: A History of Avery Normal Institute from 1856 to 1954 by Edmund L. Drago and Eugene Hunt, PhDs.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Welcome & introduction by D’Aujai Kelley and Georgette Mayo
00:35 – Origins of Avery Normal Institute (1865–1868)
01:23 – Francis Cardozo’s leadership & Reconstruction headwinds
02:27 – Dedication of Avery; classical, college-prep curriculum
03:16 – Tuition challenges & breaking pre-war racial barriers
04:08 – Growth under the AMA and Principal Morrison A. Holmes
04:47 – Benjamin F. Cox becomes first permanent Black principal
05:29 – All-Black faculty tradition, student life, and culture
06:38 – Glee Club, athletics, and rising Black intellectual life
07:11 – NAACP petition for Black teachers in Charleston schools
08:20 – WWII era; transition from private to public education
09:41 – Closure (1954) and continuing legacy into Civil Rights
10:12 – 1916 photo of Benjamin F. Cox & its symbolism
11:11 – Guest introduction: Daron Lee Calhoun II
12:14 – Calhoun’s background & community leadership
13:07 – Researching The Cross, the Candle, and the Crown
14:29 – Philanthropy & control: Rockefeller’s influence
16:10 – Calhoun’s Morehouse story & research spark
17:18 – Alumni-powered fundraising at Avery & Morehouse
18:28 – Community role in sustaining Avery’s mission
19:16 – “Elitist” perceptions & classical vs. industrial education
21:27 – AMA’s post-war education objectives
22:09 – Rise of HBCUs & teacher-training models
23:14 – Avery’s pipeline to AMA-affiliated colleges
25:09 – How Avery safeguarded curricular autonomy
27:36 – Significance of an all-Black faculty
28:31 – Why Avery remained a training school (not a college)
30:01 – Avery’s lasting legacy in Black education & culture
30:55 – Closing & thanks to the Mellon Foundation

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 securing 125 Bull St and reaching former Averyites. As we embark on the next chapter of the Avery Research Center we are reaching in our past to bring to you the present work on the legacy built on a spirt that would not die in discussing Black education, preservation and documenting present issues in the Charleston