Photo by Mic Smith
Elijah Heyward III
Claim to fame: Chief operating officer, International African American Museum (IAAM) in Charleston.
Education: Doctorate in American studies from UNC-Chapel Hill; master’s in religion from Yale Divinity School.
Guiding philosophy: “I was raised to believe that I was born with a purpose and that purpose is to use my gifts and talents to serve others and our society.”
Special interests: Art enthusiast who enjoys reading about new artists and new shows.
Plans for IAAM: “We will have an amazing slate of programming, including speakers and performances—all aimed at further interpreting the collections that we will house.”
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From the International African American Museum's construction site, Chief Operating Officer Elijah Heyward III can see the mouth of Charleston Harbor through which many Africans passed before being sold into slavery.
“It is hard not to be moved,” Heyward says. “We can see Sullivan's Island, the first point of quarantine after the long journey across the Atlantic. There is Fort Sumter, where the Civil War started. And you can see the USS Yorktown at Patriots Point, which represents a whole narrative around African Americans who fought in World War II.”
Even the museum itself—a 40,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility set to open next year—is situated on the site of Gadsden's Wharf, where enslaved Africans were sold at auction.
The significance of these historical touchpoints has long been a part of Heyward's worldview. Growing up in Beaufort, these and other subjects were often explored during daily family conversations around the dinner table. Heyward's father, a high school history teacher, led the discussions about current events and their family's Gullah Geechee roots.
“There was a wonderful sense of pride that I and my sister, Monica, were imbued with by virtue of those discussions,” says Heyward.
That appreciation for history carried over into school activities. When he was about 10, he entered an essay contest called Coming to America. He wrote about the slave trade and his ancestors who were brought to North America against their will. “I was really intent, even at that age, to be clear about the historical record,” he says.
Today, of course, Heyward is closer than ever before to the history he knows so well—and is in a position to help share that history with the world. But as he watches the $100 million museum take shape, he often reflects on those who helped him along the way.
Says Heyward: “Where I stand today in Charleston is on the shoulders of my ancestors and my family and all those who sacrificed for me to be able to enjoy an opportunity such as this.”