Today we’d like to introduce you to Wayne O’Bryant.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I am an author & historian. My story started in the historic city of Charleston, SC, where I was born in 1960 and raised by 3 generations of educators. My forebears began teaching me African American History when I was a toddler because they knew that I would not learn it once I began school because it wasn’t in the school’s history text books. Part of my early education was to take me to see & hear figures like Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in person & to take part in marches & demonstrations. As an adult I began to research, write & publish little know African American History. Over the years it has branched out into designing and conducting Black History Tours, documentaries, curating Museum exhibits and more.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s never a smooth road because you have to dig deep into old records and documents that aren’t widely known. Some of the topics may be thought to be somewhat controversial because they were deliberately buried for a reason, so that one particular narrative could be advanced and taught and that narrative would be different in light of the missing factual information. However, I go where the facts lead.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am an author & lecturer who deals with African American History in the context of World & U.S. History & Comparative World Religions. I write with the reader in mind and am most proud of how I can take little known & difficult to understand topics & connect the dots for the listener to understand. I am also proud of the work that I have done to get Historical Markers installed, Historic Sites designated, & museums established that tell African American History.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
They can get in touch with me at the email address that I provided or through the Center for African American History, Art & Culture in Aiken, SC
