Every family has a story—but not every story is preserved.

In this season finale of The Avery Messenger, we explore the importance of family archives, Black history preservation, and archival donations through a conversation with donor Norma Hoffman Davis and organizer Dana Campbell.

The episode begins with a reflection on Season One before diving into the remarkable Hoffman Family Papers, documenting generations of Charleston history, education, community leadership, and the enduring legacy of the Avery Normal Institute. Listeners also hear practical advice on organizing family records, preserving photographs and letters, and ensuring future generations can access their history.

Whether you're interested in genealogy, Black history, archives, museums, or preserving your own family's legacy, this episode offers valuable insight into why personal collections matter.

Resources:

• Avery Research Center — https://findingaids.library.charleston.edu/repositories/3
• Avery exhibitions — https://avery.charleston.edu/exhibitions/
• Season One episodes — https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFfFS65DPyFgitCmIbxKTDmTKox9P6G07
  
  

Guest:

• Norma Hoffman Davis
• Dana Campbell

Time Stamps / Chapters:

00:00 Welcome & Season One Recap

00:04 Introducing Conversations with Our Donors

06:02 The Hoffman Family's Charleston Roots

10:06 The Avery Normal Institute Legacy

14:01 Music, Fisk University & Family Connections

19:05 Growing Up Around Avery

22:48 College, Civil Rights & Leaving Charleston

30:53 Why Preserving Family Archives Matters

34:22 Organizing the Hoffman Collection

38:12 Letters That Tell a Family Story

42:05 Advice for Preserving Your Family History

43:21 Avery Announcements & Season Wrap-Up

45:19 Season One Farewell

Podcast Description:

African spirituality, ancestral traditions, Black archives, and civil rights history all intersect in this powerful episode of the Avery Messenger Podcast.

Avery Messager hosts speak with Dr. Kameelah L. Martin about African spiritual traditions, ancestor reverence, Vodou, hoodoo, colonization, and reconnecting with African diasporic practices. Later, historian and archivist Dr. Bobby Donaldson shares his journey into public history, civil rights scholarship, and preserving African American history through archives, education, and activism.

This episode is for anyone interested in African diaspora studies, Black history, spirituality, civil rights history, archives, education, and cultural preservation.

The Avery Research Center’s symposium, June 9-11, 2026: Those Who Have Must Turn Around and Give: Celebrating 40 Years of Preserving Black History and Education: https://avery.charleston.edu/liblitsymp/

The South Carolina Black History Bugle

https://avery.charleston.edu/publications/south-carolina-black-history-bugle/

View our Mellon Foundation sponsored event on African Spirituality featuring Dr. Kameelah L. Martin and Shantrelle P. Lewis, hosted by D’Aujai Kelley:
Echoes of the Ancestors: African Spirituality in the Diaspora: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTY_QKMGJqQ

Do you have suggestions for Season 2 of the Avery Messenger? You can contact Ms. DaNia Childress at: childressd@cofc.edu

Time Stamps / Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to the Avery Messenger Podcast

00:01 Meet Dr. Kameelah L. Martin

00:02 What African Spirituality Means

00:03 Dr. Martin’s Journey Into African Spiritual Traditions

00:05 Differences Between Ifá, Vodou, and Hoodoo

00:05 How Colonization Impacted African Spiritual Practices

00:10 African Spirituality and Social Media Visibility

00:11 Reconnecting With Ancestors and the African Diaspora

00:14 Misconceptions About African Spiritual Systems

00:19 What Ancestor Veneration Really Means

00:22 Advice for Exploring African Spirituality Respectfully

00:32 Introduction to Dr. Bobby Donaldson

00:39 Building Civil Rights Archives and Historical Preservation

00:46 Religion, Education, and the Civil Rights Movement

00:52 Black Resistance Through Education, Art, and Archives

01:00 Mentorship, Archives, and Preserving Black History

01:10 Symposium Announcement and Closing Remarks

Hashtags:

#AfricanSpirituality #BlackHistory #CivilRightsHistory

Keywords:

African spirituality explained

ancestor veneration traditions

Vodou and hoodoo differences

African diaspora spirituality

Black history preservation

civil rights archives

African American public history

Black resistance history

Black church civil rights movement

preserving Black archives

public history and activism

African spiritual traditions

Black cultural preservation

civil rights scholarship

African American archives

Podcast Description:

Black foodways are more than cuisine—they’re culture, resistance, and history. In this episode, we explore how food has shaped Black identity across generations and why it still matters today.

From the role of food in the civil rights movement to the ongoing fight for food justice and cultural recognition, this conversation breaks down how Black food traditions have survived, evolved, and are now being reclaimed.

Whether you're interested in food history, culture, or social impact, this episode offers a deeper understanding of how what we eat connects to who we are.

Chef Amethyst Ganaway: Website: waterwhippin.com

Instagram: @thizzg

Facebook: @chefamethyst

Alison Hall Kibbe: Assistant Professor of African American Studies, College of Charleston

Website: alisonkibbe.com

Suggested readings on Black Foodways:

Cooking the Gullah Way Morning, Noon, & Night and Gullah Home Cooking the Daufuskie Way, by Sallie Ann Robinson.

If I Can Cook/You Know God Can by Ntozake Shange.

Vibration Cooking: or The Travel Notes of a Geechee Girl by Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor

The Taste of Country Cooking by Edna Lewis.

The Avery Research Center three-day symposium:

“Those Who Have Must Turn Around and Give: Celebrating Forty Years of Preserving Black History and Education” focused on Black education and the preservation of Black History through archives and community engagement, at the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina. The symposium registration link is provided in our Show Notes. https://avery.charleston.edu/liblitsymp/

Dr. Conseula Francis Reading Circle Celebration with Susana M. Morris, author of "Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler April 16, 2026

Zoom link https://cofc.zoom.us/j/3902057839?omn=89850268865

Echoes of the Ancestors: African Spirituality in the Diaspora

Streaming live on the Avery Research Center YouTube Channel and in person

Time Stamps / Chapters:

00:12:19 – Food as resistance and cultural survival

00:13:00 – Preserving Black culture through foodways

00:13:25 – Food in civil rights and Black Power movements

00:14:00 – Why food reveals hidden cultural contributions

00:15:21 – The future of Black foodways

00:16:30 – Reclaiming Black food culture today

00:17:27 – Misconceptions about Black Southern food

00:18:35 – Black agriculture and land access challenges

00:20:01 – What makes a “decent meal”

00:21:00 – Essential seasonings every kitchen needs

00:22:34 – Influential chefs, scholars, and writers

00:25:32 – Upcoming cookbook and food projects

00:27:30 – Closing thoughts and announcements