UNC Charlotte Director Asha Ellison Ugly Tirade About Charleston South Carolina

Charleston and the South Carolina Lowcountry has always be the land of Pat Conroy who often took literary license to either stretch or diminish the role of slavery in the South depending on the novel. 

Said Conroy “I do not think I was a hothead—not then and not now. I thought I was right. I had read the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bible. Segregation seemed evil from the time I was a boy. Slavery is an abomination on the American soul, ineradicable stain on our body politic."

Other writers Margaret Mitchell would go on to speak of either the romance the Anthemum South or Harper Lee admonish it for steadfast the role of racism and at one time slavery, is a time honored tradition of many authors. It is indeed a complicated relationship that southerners have with history.

This week Asha Ellison Director of Research Translation and Engagement at the University of North Carolina Charlotte took to "X" from her @GirlGoneCLT handle to express her "uncomfortableness" about visiting Charleston and her perception of the South's most notable city.

Asha Ellison Director of Research Translation and Engagement 

at the University of North Carolina Charlotte

Said Ms. Ellison: "I enjoy Charleston, I do. But I need to make it clear that Black folks experience that city, and most of the Lowcountry, differently than our white counterparts. It’s just the reality of the matter. We don’t feel the same things when we stroll along the rivers or King St. It is thick."

Immediately Jim Mitchum who from Charlotte and an outspoken critic of conservatives added to the theme: "My daughter just moved there out of college. We recently visited. Told my wife on the way home how I just get a weird vibe there. The dark history hangs like a cloud there. I mean it’s pretty and all, but I can’t get past the idea that human beings were sold there."

In response says Ms. Ellison "Well that’s much of the South, unfortunately. “Hangs” is a word you could use to describe it, I guess. I’d say linger though. Folks are *still* being lynched today."

And then adds another "X" user: "Was JUST talkin to a coworker about this last weekend..Love Charleston.. but the history of that land is literally in the air and I can’t ignore it… it’s noticeable!!"

And then again Ms. Ellison: "I had a community leader here tell me there is an air of “slavery.” And they aren’t wrong.I get physically sick by city market. I didn’t even go during my trip this past weekend. I can’t separate the “people goods” of the past from the product goods of today."

Well let's stop right here, now you can pretend you feel uncomfortable in Charleston but I can't imagine anyone of color feeling as uncomfortable in Charleston as this white boy did in 1995 on the No. 4 Train mistakenly going to Harlem and 125th street rather than in the opposite direction toward Canal Street by in NYC.

I've lived and worked my entire life in the South much of it in Charleston in both the investment business and during the last 20 years as a yacht captain and I have yet to attend a Klan Rally, a Lynching, or a Cross Burning, in fact my entire existence has been surrounded by wonderful people of all colors and even more so in Charleston. The city has no more of a racist slavery past than Boston, Atlanta or Houston Texas and it damn sure doesn't today.

There is no lingering or hanging in the air feeling of social injustice except to those of questionable intent or unstable personality.

And yet to spread an absolute falsehood about The Charleston City Market and to degrade the "Holy City" is just plain wrong and it’s unfortunate that Ms Ellison would perpetuate her racist ignorance via social media. 

Let's be clear they did not ever hold slave auctions at The Charleston City Market.

Yes at one point in time more than 12 million Africans were swept up in Africa and imported to the Americas as slave labor. Horrible by anyone's standard. Most however never stepped foot on US soil. In fact by some counts only 150,000 arrived in the Carolinas and according to Henry Louis Gates, Jr. only 388,000 were brought by force to the entire United States before 1808 when the importation of slave labor was outlawed.

As for the selling of slaves yes, there were indeed auctions of humans in Charleston. Most were held on the north side of the Exchange Building where Broad dead ends at East Bay, then later at the publicly funded "Mart" on Magazine Street. Both are more than four blocks south of The Charleston City Market. The "Mart" museum is open every day of the week to tourists on Chalmers Street.

As for The Charleston City Market, the covered open air venue located between North Market and South Market from Meeting Street to East Bay that just the sight of makes Ms. Ellison shudder in fear, well this building was completed in 1804 and subsequent enhancements took place during the next 40 years. Then in 2010 a $5.5 million dollar renovation project began and in 2011 the building as you can experience it now reopened to the public.

Slaves were not part of the building's history never were. 

In fact Ms. Ellison's disparaging remarks negatively affect countless small businesses owners many who happen to be Black and who sell their products to Charleston tourists.

Charleston is accustomed to ignorant tourists. White Point Garden is "where the rebels fired on Fort Sumter" I've heard more than a dozen times. "They brought alligators from Louisiana to keep the slaves on the plantations in South Carolina". All funny except when you start harming people's livelihood. 

Ms. Ellison is no more authentic that the woman yelling about Tony's Ice Cream in Gastonia upset because someone looked at her racist. 

As Tim Scott has said : “Hear me clearly: America is not a racist country.” Perhaps Ms. Ellison should adopt the Senators clear directive: “My mission statement is to positively impact the lives of a billion people with a message of open opportunity”.