IAAM reaches $75M capital fundraising goal
Eighteen years ago, Charleston Mayor Joe Riley announced his intention to build a new museum in the city dedicated to telling the stories of African-Americans.
“When I first proposed that we build this institution, it was just an ambitious idea, something far off in the distance” Riley said this morning at the Charleston Maritime Center, next to the site of the future museum. “Exactly what it would be, we were unsure. … But I knew that it required a huge amount of work, countless people — and certainly raising $75 million to begin construction of this museum was monumental, and many thought impossible. But it was our duty to create this museum.”
Now, the International African American Museum is now one big step closer to reality as it has completed its $75 million capital campaign, which was equally funded by the state; the city of Charleston and Charleston County; and private donors. The city also donated the land on the former site of Gadsden’s Wharf to build the museum.
