Maroon Walk for Juneteenth
College of Charleston observes Juneteenth, the holiday that celebrates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans, by coming together for the Maroon Walk for Juneteeth. The annual walking tour was founded in 2022 by members of the Whipper Grant Caucus, an affinity group for Black faculty and staff. This tour highlights sites on campus that reflect the histories of African-descended people in our city. Participants on the walk are invited to carry small flags bearing the College of Charleston logo and Pan-African colors.
Until 1970, “Maroons” was the name of the College’s sports teams. It’s still a C of C school color, but the word has other meanings, too. “Maroons” were people who had escaped from slavery and lived in permanent settlements in swamps. forests, or other remote areas. (See “Maroons.” South Carolina Encyclopedia.)
To learn more about College of Charleston sites on the Maroon Walk for Juneteenth, follow our virtual tour.
Avery Research Center
A community hub providing education and advocacy
To understand the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture, it is important to consider its rich history. Founded in 1865 as the Avery Normal Institute, this community hub provided education and advocacy for the growing Charleston African American community and trained Blacks…
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57 Coming Street
Cornerstone of a Thriving Neighborhood
In 1925 a young entrepreneurial couple, Edward Leon Guenveur Sr. and Lauretta Goodall-Guenveur, purchased a home on Coming Street in the midst of a thriving African American community, adjacent to the College of Charleston. The living descendants recall how the five siblings had to walk around the perimeter of the College to get to the grocer, instead of simply cutting directly through the…
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63 ½ Coming Street/Solar Pavilion
The complex evolution of a landscape occupied by enslaved and free African Americans
The simple address used to identify this historical site on campus reflects a complex and nuanced history that threads its way through the fabric of American society today.
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Black Burial Sites and Memorials on Rivers Green
Commemorating Black Charlestonians on C of C's campus
Over two centuries ago, free people of color buried their dead near this spot. In 2008, the College installed this memorial on Rivers Green, outside Addlestone Library. Nearby, another marker commemorates a beloved librarian and member of Emanuel AME church.
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14 Green Way
Built for an African American during Reconstruction, later served as a women’s residence hall
Decorated with elaborate ironwork and a distinctive cupola, this house was built in 1872 for A.O. Jones, African American and clerk of the South Carolina House of Representatives during Reconstruction.
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Randolph Hall
The College’s first classroom building
Built 1828-30, Randolph Hall is the signature building of the College of Charleston campus. A National Historic Landmark, the building is one of three historic structures in Cistern Yard, and it appears in the university’s main logo.
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105 Wentworth Street
Septima Clark's home once stood here
Civil rights activist Septima Poinsette Clark was born at this address in 1898. Her mother worked as a laundress and her father had been enslaved to a College of Charleston trustee. This family, like other Black citizens, had few legal rights and limited opportunities. Clark worked to change these conditions, drawing inspiration and support from her family and community.
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The Unveiling of “Saint Septima”
African American Icon
As a tribute to Clark’s life, a 30-foot mural was installed in 2023 beside the Septima Clark Auditorium. The mural, based on Natalie Daise’s “Saint Septima with Carolina Jasmine,” is also a call to action.
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The Maroon Walk for Juneteenth is an annual event organized by the Whipper Grant Caucus Black Faculty and Staff Affinity Group and the Staff Advisory Committee at the College of Charleston, in collaboration with the Office of Institutional Diversity. This virtual tour, sponsored by the Committee on Commemoration and Landscapes, was published in June 2023.