S.C. documents extensive African-American heritage

Monday, June 4, 2012 - 04:49

COLUMBIA -- From 1708 until 1922, African-Americans were the majority of South Carolina's population, notes Job Creation and Innovation: State of Black Business, 9th edition. Half of today's black population across the country has some ancestry in South Carolina's history.

Since 1981, it's been state law to spend 10 percent of state purchases with minority business enterprises. The quarterly reporting is one of the suggested strategies of the 10 Key Factors for Black Business Success.

Federal agencies spent $100 million with black-owned firms in South Carolina in the first six months of 2012 fiscal year.

Dr. Juan Gilbert, chair of human-centered computing at Clemson University, is a pioneer of innovation to drive manufacturing. He leads a $5 million project for the Election Assistance Commission to create a universal voting machine.

Gilbert also was a presidential honoree in 2011 for his role mentoring other African-Americans in computer science. With the African-American Distributed Multiple Learners System, the 50 Most Important African-Americans in Technology selectee is using ethnocomputing to provide access to rich cultural resources such as South Carolina's history to teach skills such as algebra.

The South Carolina African-American Heritage Commission and the state's historic preservation program created an 84-page list of African-American historic sites in every part of South Carolina.