CCPL & USC Launch Cynthia Graham Hurd Book Club for Teens
September 2019 — September 2020
Cynthia Graham Hurd/St. Andrews Library
Charleston County Public Library (CCPL) is honoring the memory of Cynthia Graham Hurd, a 31-year veteran of CCPL who was killed in the Mother Emanuel AME shooting in 2015, by launching a new book club for teens in her name. This year-long program is in collaboration with the South Carolina Collaborative for Race and Reconciliation and part of the South Carolina Youth Collective.
“Cynthia was very passionate about providing equitable access to education,” said Darlene Jackson, a colleague of Cynthia’s and the Deputy Director of CCPL. “We believe this will continue to keep her legacy alive in enhancing literacy and the understanding of social and community issues.”
The book club will run between September 2019 and September 2020. Participants in grades 6-12 will read and discuss literary works that focus on social justice issues. The South Carolina Collaborative for Race and Reconciliation will provide free copies of the books for the teens registered in the program.
The participants will have about one month to read each book and then discuss the books at their chosen location, the Main Library at 68 Calhoun Street, or the Hurd/St. Andrews Library at 1735 N. Woodmere Drive in Charleston. Registration is limited to 25 participants per location.
This program is in partnership with the Cynthia Graham Hurd Foundation, led by Malcolm Graham, Cynthia’s brother, and also made possible by Melvin Graham, who is also the brother of Cynthia Graham Hurd.
Reading Partners Book Drive 2020
Coming November 2020
Cynthia Graham Hurd foundation
Past Events
Charlotte Amateur Tennis Championship
September 11-13, 2020
Marion Diehl Recreation Center & Jeff Adams Tennis Center
The Charlotte Amateur Tennis Tournament (CATT) successfully celebrated its second year in the Queen City, in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic that halted virtually all sporting events nationwide. After weighing our options, we decided to move forward with the tournament. The decision was welcome news for participants, who were excited to get back on the courts.
The tournament date was pushed back to September 11 — 13, and a series of restrictions and changes were implemented in regards to sign-up and the tournament play, including online registration, temperature checks for participants, spectator limitations, physical distancing, and mask-wearing.
Even with the restrictions, the tournament was a success. Over 150 total participants were able to take part in the open play tournament, which featured singles, doubles, mixed doubles, and wheelchair matches. The proceeds for the event benefited the Cynthia Graham Hurd Foundation, the foundation I started in honor of my sister, Cynthia, who was one of nine parishioners to be killed in the Emanuel AME shooting in Charleston, SC five years ago. Cynthia was my first tennis coach, and I think she’d be thrilled to see the opportunities we’re providing for local tennis players to showcase their talent.
By the numbers
156 USTA players in the main tournament
12 Wheelchair players
664 Tennis balls used
in the tournament
13 Sponsors
32 Volunteers
16 Feature news stories
about the Tournament
$2,500.00 Tournament Purse
News Coverage
Community Conversation: “Race, Politics, and the 2020 Election”
September 9, 2020
Virtual Event
The tournament weekend kicked off with a virtual town hall via Zoom to discuss the interaction of race and politics, and what it means for the upcoming November election. Writer, author, and educator Jelani Cobb, journalist Mary Curtis, and minister and political activist Rev. Dr. William J. Barber joined us as the featured speakers for this panel discussion, moderated by WBTV Channel 3’s Dedrick Russell.
Discussion ranged from racism and its historical place as a defining issue in our political landscape, how the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Jacob Blake are bringing the issues of system racism and injustice into sharp focus, and what that means for not only the presidential election but local elections as well. The town hall had over 2,000 views on the evening of the event.
By the numbers
2,000 Views of the Town Hall “Community Conversation” event to kick off tournament weekend
Missed the Event?
Watch the recorded event at the link below.
Reading Partners Book Drive
Throughout June, 2019
Cynthia Graham Hurd/
St. Andrews Library
Donate, donate, donate! Residents are encouraged to drop off new or gently used children’s books for students in kindergarten through third grade at six CCPL branches and select Mellow Mushroom locations. Donated books will be distributed through the Reading Partners’ network of tutors to help students in local schools improve their literacy and reading levels. Students will be able to further develop their love of reading by building their own library collections at home with the donated books. This book drive is hosted by the Cynthia Graham Hurd Foundation and Reading Partners, in partnership with CCPL, the Berkeley County Public Library, Live 5 News and Mellow Mushroom.
CCPL's drop-off locations:
Dorchester Road Regional Library
Hurd/St. Andrews Regional Library
John’s Island Regional Library
Main Library
Mt. Pleasant Regional Library
Otranto Road Regional Library
Charlotte Amateur Tennis Championship
August 16-18, 2019
Marion Diehl Recreation Center & Jeff Adams Tennis Center
Game, set, match! We had a great time at the Charlotte Amateur Tennis Tournament, which kicked off with a sponsor dinner on Friday, August 16 before heading into a number of action-packed tennis matches on Saturday. The event closed with a Championship Brunch on Sunday, where we congratulated all of our winners!
A huge thank you to our sponsors at Atrium Health for making this weekend possible — we’re already looking forward to next year’s event!
By the numbers
384 Participants in the Town Hall event to kick off tournament weekend
90 USTA players in the main tournament
16 Wheelchair players
60 Participants in the Rock & Rally Kids Day tennis clinic
45 Participants in the Adult Social Play event
16 Sponsors
$2,500.00 Tournament Purse
13 Feature news stories about the tournament
Food Lion Rock & Rally Kids Day and Adult Social Play
August 17, 2019
Jeff Adams Tennis Center
As part of the Charlotte Amateur Tennis Tournament, we hosted a Rock & Rally Kids Day on Saturday, August 17. Kids ages 6-12 were taught the fundamentals, skills and (most important) the fun of tennis. In addition, an Adult Social Play was held at the same time, for those adults who wanted to play “just for the fun of it” in a non-competitive environment. Participants were asked to bring gently-used books for children in grades K-3 to support the work of the Foundation, and school supplies were also collected to be donated to youth in Charlotte communities.
By the numbers
384 Participants in the Town Hall event to kick off tournament weekend
90 USTA players in the main tournament
16 Wheelchair players
60 Participants in the Rock & Rally Kids Day tennis clinic
45 Participants in the Adult Social Play event
16 Sponsors
$2,500.00 Tournament Purse
13 Feature news stories about the tournament
Keep Pounding day with the Carolina Panthers
May 1, 2019
Cynthia Graham Hurd/
St Andrews Regional Library
Carolina Panthers provided free book fair for kindergartners in Charleston County School District Head Start Program and awarded $2,000 in grant funding to the Cynthia Graham Hurd Foundation for Reading & Civic Engagement.