Elijah Heyward III
Elijah Heyward III serves as Chief Operating Officer of the International African American Museum, opening 2022 in Charleston. A native of Beaufort, SC and a Hampton University graduate, he founded the Bigger’s Circle, an initiative that supports the Hampton University Museum. Elijah is a graduate of Yale Divinity School and recipient of the Yale President’s Public Service fellowship, which supported the Youth Scholar Academy, a nationwide college access program he founded to prepare young men from under-resourced communities to thrive in high school, college and beyond. Elijah earned his Ph.D. in American Studies from UNC-Chapel Hill where he curated the show “Beyond Walls: Designs for 20th Century Murals at the Ackland Art Museum” and contributed to a traveling exhibition focused on the work of artist Ronald Lockett. He has published and presented on his various research interests, including African American history, popular culture, religion, and contemporary Gullah/Geechee culture.
