The Nick, in collaboration with USC Press, invites you to a special evening celebrating the life, art, and activism of Edwin Augustus Harleston, one of SC’s most significant African American visual artists.
This event serves as the official launch of A Dream Deferred: The Art and Activism of Edwin Augustus Harleston, the first full-length biography of Harleston, written by Akua McDaniel. The book explores Harleston’s artistic legacy, his efforts to redefine representations of Black life in American visual culture, and his role as a social and political activist, including his work founding South Carolina’s first NAACP chapter.
The evening will also include a screening of the documentary Tenacity: The Story of Edwin and Elise Harleston, which examines the lives and work of Edwin Harleston and his wife, photographer Elise Forrest Harleston, and their shared commitment to countering the misrepresentation of Black Americans through art and photography.
Author Akua McDaniel and filmmaker Charles Kaufman will both be in attendance for discussion and audience Q&A.
Evening Schedule
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5:45–6:15 PM – Conversation with Akua McDaniel and Dr. Tolson, Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of African American Studies at USC
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6:25–6:30 PM – Film introduction by Charles Kaufman
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6:30 PM – Screening of Tenacity: The Story of Edwin and Elise Harleston
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8:36 PM – Post-film Q&A with Akua McDaniel and Charles Kaufman
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9:00 PM – Book signing
USC Press will have copies of A Dream Deferred available for purchase on-site, and Akua McDaniel will be signing books following the screening.
