В Южной Каролине пройдет фестиваль индиго, посвященный истории рабства и аграрным традициям

The story of South Carolina's indigo heritage will come alive Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, when Williams Vineyard & Farm in Nesmith hosts the SC250 Indigo Festival from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The festival is an official South Carolina 250 event and will bring together history, agriculture, African American culture, Gullah Geechee traditions, music, food, arts, demonstrations and family activities. The event is designed to connect South Carolina's Revolutionary-era history with the people, agricultural traditions and communities that continue to shape the state today. The festival is particularly significant because indigo was one of colonial South Carolina's most important agricultural commodities. It was a major cash crop for approximately half a century beginning in the late 1740s and was second only to rice in importance. The history of indigo is also inseparable from the knowledge, labor and experiences of enslaved Africans and African Americans. Visitors to the SC250 Indigo Festival will have opportunities to move beyond reading about history and actually experience it. The festival will feature living-history demonstrations, allowing visitors to see and learn about the agricultural practices, skills and traditions associated with South Carolina's past. Hands-on indigo dyeing experiences will demonstrate how a plant can be transformed into the beautiful blue pigment that became one of South Carolina's most valuable colonial exports. The festival will also explore the connection between indigo, agriculture and African American history. Modern indigo farmers, artists and educators are helping revive the crop as both an agricultural product and a cultural tradition. South Carolina ETV recently highlighted farmers, artists, educators and researchers working to reconnect today's communities with the state's indigo legacy. Presenters, historians and vendors include Lee Gordon Brockington, Joseph McGill Jr., Arianne King Comer, Terry James, Dontavius Williams, Rodney Prioleau, Bernard Singleton and Charity Muhammad. Lee Gordon Brockington is a South Carolina historian, author, educator and longtime staff member of the Belle W. Baruch Foundation at Hobcaw Barony. Since 1984, she has been involved in public programming, historical research and media and has authored, edited or contributed to numerous publications on South Carolina history. Her work helps audiences discover the people, places, traditions and stories that have shaped the Lowcountry. Joseph McGill Jr. is a nationally recognized public historian, preservationist, author and founder of The Slave Dwelling Project. Since 2010, he has traveled across the country sleeping in former slave dwellings to bring greater attention to the lives, experiences and contributions of enslaved people. He is co-author of “Sleeping with the Ancestors: How I Followed the Footprints of Slavery” and uses storytelling, preservation and living history to encourage deeper conversations about America's past. At the SC250 Indigo Festival, McGill will portray Oscar Marion, an enslaved man who served alongside Revolutionary War Gen. Francis Marion. Arianne King Comer is an internationally recognized textile artist, indigo expert, educator and cultural preservationist based on Wadmalaw Island, South Carolina. A graduate of Howard University, she studied under renowned Nigerian artist Nike Davies-Okundaye and has shared her expertise through exhibitions, workshops and residencies throughout the United States and internationally. Her work explores Gullah Geechee culture, African traditions, indigo, textile arts and the African Diaspora while using art as a tool for cultural preservation, education and social justice. Terry James is president of the Jamestown Foundation and a dedicated community historian committed to preserving the history and legacy of Jamestown, a historic African American community in Florence County, South Carolina. Through genealogy, storytelling, oral history and community engagement, James works to preserve the stories of Jamestown's families and ensure that their history is passed from one generation to the next. Dontavius Williams is an award-winning public historian, educator, historical interpreter and founder of Chronicles of Adam. Known for his dynamic first-person interpretation and storytelling, Williams brings African American history to life by connecting audiences with the experiences of people whose voices have often been overlooked in traditional historical narratives. His engaging approach transforms history from something audiences simply learn about into something they can experience. Rodney Prioleau is a traditional brickmaker and historical interpreter who preserves and demonstrates the centuries-old craft of making bricks by hand. Through hands-on interpretation, he explores the skill, labor and craftsmanship required to produce the bricks that built homes, plantations, public buildings and communities throughout early America while bringing attention to the contributions of enslaved artisans and craftspeople. Bernard Singleton is co-founder of Nebedaye Farms and a Gullah Geechee cultural technologist and land steward whose work centers on reviving African-diasporic rice traditions. Rooted in ancestral land on Wadmalaw Island, he combines regenerative agriculture, heritage seed preservation, research and international partnerships to reconnect Southern growers with African rice cultivars, agricultural knowledge and traditions. His work bridges science, culture, community and ancestral knowledge to preserve rice heritage for future generations. Charity Muhammad is a living historian, educator, author and founder of the Gumbo for the Soul Foundation. With more than a decade of experience in education, she uses storytelling, historical foodways and hands-on interpretation to help audiences connect with the lives and experiences of African Americans throughout history. As the eldest daughter of public historian Joseph McGill Jr., Muhammad continues a family legacy of preserving and sharing stories that deepen our understanding of the American experience.