FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 6, 2006
Krista Robertson
krobertson@trio-solutions.com
(843) 216-0442 or
(843) 224-8089

Alliance Honors a Forgotten American Hero

Charleston, SC --- The African American Historical Alliance, a nonprofit organization formally established earlier this year to increase awareness about the role of African-Americans in South Carolina history during the Civil War and Reconstruction period, plans to officially kick-off their formation with their inaugural Legacy of Freedom Celebration, a weekend full of special events, October 27-28, 2006.

Starting off the series of events is A Celebration of the Life & Times of Lt. Stephen Swails an exhibit and lecture on Friday, October 27 at 2:30 p.m. at the Charleston Museum. Swails, the first African-American to be commissioned as an officer in the army, served with the Massachusetts 54th Regiment that fought on Morris Island, remained in South Carolina following the Civil War and became a three-term South Carolina Senator, a trustee of the University of South Carolina and Mayor of Kingstree, South Carolina.

In addition, the Alliance will host the inaugural Legacy of Freedom Gala that evening at 7 p.m. at the William Aiken House to celebrate the creation of the organization and to thank supporters. The Gala, sponsored by Merrill Lynch and Santee Cooper, will feature a silent auction, a special unveiling of a portrait of Lt. Stephens Swails by artist John W. Jones and special guests, the Plantation Singers, Mount Moriah's Intergenerational Men's Choir and 54th Massachusetts Regiment Reenactors.

The weekend will end with the Lt. Stephen Swails Memorial & Dedication Ceremony, a monument dedication for Swails, who is currently buried in an unmarked gravesite in Charleston's Humane and Friendly Society Cemetery. The ceremony will be held at 9 a.m. on Saturday, October 28 and is being sponsored by the Magnolia Development Group. Speakers will include General Abraham Turner, Mayor Joseph P. Riley and Senator Glenn McConnell.

The Legacy of Freedom Celebration is being planned in conjunction with the South Carolina Council on African American Studies' annual conference that will be held at the Convention Center in North Charleston the same weekend.

For additional information about the Alliance or the weekend celebration, membership and sponsorship opportunities, visit the Alliance's Web site at www.aahasc.org or call (843) 216-0442.