MORNING HEADLINES | The College of Charleston’s Avery Research Center on Friday will debut a new U.S. Postal Service stamp inspired by Phillis Wheatley, a once-enslaved woman who became America’s first published African American female poet.
“Now over 250 years later, Wheatley is being celebrated for her artistic abilities and perseverance,” according to a College of Charleston news release. Wheatley is best known for her works regarding Christianity, morality, and political themes during the American Revolution.
The Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture’s connection to Wheatley is through one of its dedicated social clubs founded in 1916, the Phillis Wheatley Literary and Social Club. The unveiling event will take place at 11 a.m. Friday — two days before the start of the nation’s Black History Month — at the center, 125 Bull St. The event is free and will be streamed on the Avery Digital Classroom.
Virtual press releases are to be Friday at two other South Carolina locations with links to Wheatley: the Richland Library Wheatley in Columbia and the Wheatley Community Center in Greenville.
“As the stewards of the Phillis Wheatley Literary and Social Club Papers, the Avery Research Center team is excited to see Ms. Wheatley’s life honored at the federal level,” said Tamara Butler, executive director of the Avery Research Center. She noted that a room at the Avery Center is named after the social club as well.
“Guests are welcomed by a 1950 and 2004 photograph of club members. Inside the reading room, a painting of Ms. Wheatley penning poetry reminds students, staff and visiting researchers of the power of study and introspection — all while inviting them to think creatively and critically with the archival materials they are viewing.”
Born in West Africa, Wheatley was 7 in August 1761 when she was sold to the Wheatley family in Boston. They taught her to read and write. According to The Poetry Foundation, she wrote 28 poems by age 18.
Around 1773, she traveled with the Wheatley’s son to London, reportedly seeking publication of her work, according to Wikipedia. That year, she became the first African American author of a published book of poetry. She was freed by the Wheatleys after the release of her book. She died 11 years later.
The Avery Research Center, established nearly a century later as the Avery Normal Institute in 1865, maintains a collection of Wheatley’s works through the papers of the Phillis Wheatley Literary and Social Club, which studied her work.
The club was founded in 1916 under the direction of Jeannette Cox, wife of Avery Normal Institute Principal Benjamin Cox. The club consisted of 19 women who met to celebrate the works of African American authors and discuss social issues.
Avery Research Center documents from the club’s March 20, 1935, meeting show how the members voted to send letters to U.S. Representives, Senators, and even the President, urging them to support the passage of the Costigan-Wagner Act — an anti-lynching bill, demonstrating the center’s commitment to uplifting Black voices and pushing for equity. —Alyssa McDowell
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