48 Hours in Charleston

This time last year I was preparing for my trip to Charleston, South Carolina. The Black Economic Alliance hosted a presidential forum with some of the Democratic presidential candidates at the time. I had never been to South Carolina before. This was the perfect opportunity to blog about my adventure. I gathered my list of things to do in Charleston, but also realized that I would only have one free day and then I would have to head straight to the airport after the news special was over.

Soledad O’Brien moderated the forum and Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) participated in the forum at the historic Charleston Music Hall in the key early primary state of South Carolina. I had the opportunity to interview all of the candidates except for Warren and feature them on our Instagram. We wanted our audience to know who was running and how their response on expanding economic opportunity for Black Americans.

After the taping was over, I decided to take a stroll into town to do some exploring before my flight. It was a sunny Sunday afternoon and I still had enough time to brunch. I stayed at the Renaissance Charleston Hotel which is located in the city market area. City Market is a historic market complex in downtown. Market Hall, which faces Meeting Street, through a continuous series of one-story market sheds is another historic building in the area. It is also an 8 minute walk from Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, where the shooting took place of the 9 African Americans were killed during a Bible study. The hotel lobby suggested High Cotton for brunch and I ordered lobster grits with cheese grits and a bellini. High Cotton was a cute restaurant located in the city market area and it is walking distance from the hotel.

I am hoping next time I can check out some Black owned businesses, but the stay was short and sweet. Although, these candidates are not the nominees anymore, you can click here to watch the forum. Remember, voting in your primary elections is just as important as voting in November! 🇺🇸