News Bites From Across South Carolina And The Nation

*New Exhibition Features 135 Recently Acquired Artworks That Tell An Inclusive Story Of American Art*

“This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World” showcases the dynamic landscape of American craft with 171 artworks from the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s extensive holdings of modern and contemporary craft, including 135 recently acquired works made by a broadly representative and diverse group of American artists. These objects deepen the history of the studio craft movement while also introducing contemporary artworks that push the boundaries of what is considered to be handmade in the 21st century.

The exhibition marks the 50th anniversary of the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery as the nation’s premier museum dedicated to American craft. The Renwick Gallery opened its doors Jan. 28, 1972, to showcase the ingenuity and relevance of craft and design in American culture. For the past 50 years, the museum has featured many expressions and definitions of craft. Today, through exhibitions and the collection galleries at the Renwick, the museum continues to celebrate the creativity of American craft artists, and the vital role craft plays in modern life.

“This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World” is on view at the Renwick Gallery from May 13 to April 2, 2023. The exhibition, which activates both floors of gallery space, explores how artists have crafted spaces for daydreaming, stories of persistence, models of resilience, and methods of activism that resonate today. To craft a better world, it must first be imagined.

*Butler Family Attorneys Respond To County Honoring Detention Center*

COLUMBIA, SC - Attorneys for the family of Lason Butler, the 27-year-old Orangeburg resident who died while in custody at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center (ASGDC), released a statement today responding to Richland County publicly praising ASGDC officers in a new resolution and social media post yesterday while failing to address either Butler’s death or the long-term and systemic issues that led to it.

Butler’s family is represented by renowned Civil Rights attorneys Bakari Sellers and Audia Jones. The statement reads as follows:

“In the months since Lason Butler died alone in that cell, Richland County can’t so much as apologize to his family. But they can shower praise on the men and women who let him die. It’s infuriating, irresponsible and obscene.

“Richland County wants to claim that the officers at Alvin S. Glenn ‘work day in and day out to ensure the safety of the public and those within the care of the facility.’ Lason Butler was in their care for less than two weeks and he was isolated, bitten by rats, starved and died of thirst.

“You don’t honor that kind of behavior. You prosecute it.”

Butler’s death was ruled a homicide by Richland County Coroner Naida Rutherford who pointed directly to “lack of action” by the jail’s staff. Richland County is also currently facing two separate lawsuits filed by Butler’s family and Disability Rights South Carolina respectively.

*Tell Your Tales: James And Johns Islands History Collection Days*
STONE MOUNTAIN — New South Associates, in cooperation with the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) and Charleston County, will be holding a three-day history collection event at James and Johns Islands on Thursday, May 19 through Saturday, May 21, 2022. New South historians will be on hand during the events to speak with current or former residents of James and Johns Islands and to gather information about these historic African American settlement communities. The purpose of the project is to provide SCDOT and Charleston County with a study focusing on the history of James and Johns Islands.
New South Associates, based in Stone Mountain, Georgia, is a nationally recognized cultural resource management firm with a permanent staff of over 100 professionals experienced in history and archaeology. New South historians from both Georgia and South Carolina offices will be working on the study, recording oral history interviews to learn about the historic communities and neighborhoods on the islands and their boundaries.
Attendees are invited to bring historic photos that can be scanned and digitized on site, with owner permission. All information regarding the history of these communities is welcome, including locations of gathering places, schools, important pharmacies, churches, and recreational places (such as baseball fields), either standing or long gone. Various maps will be available for attendees to view and mark with pertinent information.
There are time slots for oral history interviews during the May 19 through May 21 history collection days. Opportunities for interviews on future dates can also be arranged by contacting New South historian Renee’ Donnell. Each oral history interview should take about an hour. To secure your preferred time slot, please contact New South historian Renee’ Donnell at rdonnell@newsouthassoc.com, or (770) 498-4155, ext. 150. Time slots will be filled on a first come first serve basis. Refreshments will be served.
Event Dates:

Baxter Patrick James Island Library, 1858 S Grimball Rd, Charleston, SC 29412

Thursday, May 19th

10:00 am-12:00 pm, 1:00-3:00 pm, and 5:00-7:00 pm

Johns Island Regional Library, 3531 Maybank Hwy, Johns Island, SC 29455

Friday, May 20th, 10:00 am- 12:00 pm, 1:30-4:30 pm

Saturday, May 21st, 12:15-4:30 pm

*Karine Jean-Pierre Selected as First Black Woman White House Press Secretary*

Karine Jean-Pierre, whose long career in Democratic communications led her to the podium last year as the second Black woman to hold a White House daily briefing, will regularly host those news conferences.

On Thursday, May 5, President Joe Biden announced that he has selected the Martinique native as his next White House press secretary.

“Karine not only brings the experience, talent, and integrity needed for this difficult job, but she will continue to lead the way in communicating about the work of the Biden-Harris Administration on behalf of the American people,” Biden said in a statement.

He added that outgoing press secretary Jen Psaki set the standard for returning decency, respect, and decorum to the White House Briefing Room.

*Black Teen Still Missing From South Carolina One Year Later*

Nationwide — The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is asking for the public’s help to find Semaj Goodwine, a missing 16-year-old boy on the one-year anniversary of his disappearance.

Semaj was only 15-years old when he left his aunt’s home in Camden, South Carolina, on March 7, 2021, and did not return. Although he was reported missing from South Carolina, he is originally from Georgia.

Law enforcement believes that Semaj could still be in South Carolina and may still be in Camden or the surrounding areas. It is also possible that he traveled to the Covington, Georgia area. No one has heard from or spoken to him since he was reported missing last March.

Semaj is 5-foot-5-inches tall and weighs 100 pounds. He is a Black male with brown hair and brown eyes.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call the Newton County Sheriff’s Office at 678-625-1400 or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST.

Learn more about his case at https://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMC/1415068/1/screen