COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – A year ago, a nation stood horrified after nine African-Americans were deliberately gunned down during a quiet, evening Bible study at a church in Charleston, South Carolina. The massacre sparked anguish and soul-searching that led to steps unimaginable even a decade ago, including the lowering of Confederate flags in parts of the South.
Now, the ever-passionate conversation about race has a new venue: the South Carolina State Museum. Opening on Saturday is an exhibit that aims to tackle and explain the elements that comprise race and racism in the United States, in an effort to help explain differences and perhaps find ways to bridge them.
“Race: Are We So Different?” opens June 4 and runs through September 11. Museum officials say the 5,000 square-foot exhibition is the first nationally traveling exhibit to tell the stories of race from the biological, cultural and historical points of view.
Museum officials estimate anywhere from 15,000 to 20,000 visitors will tour the exhibit during its run, spending as much as three hours taking in the videos, text panels and interactive materials.
The exhibit tackles its topic from a variety of angles, exploring the scientific reasons for different skin tones and using high-tech stations to give users an up-close look at how genes work and make us look different from one another.