South Carolina
SC law designates February for black history study
A new South Carolina law officially declares February as African-American History Month, 36 years after former President Gerald Ford recognized the first month-long tribute to black history. Democratic Sen. Darrell Jackson of Columbia said Friday he was surprised to learn the designation wasn’t in state law and wanted to correct that. His measure moved quietly [...]
Lawsuit Alleges South Carolina’s GOP Wants a “Whitewash”
It’s not often that a Black lawmaker or candidate thinks that having too many African-American constituents is a bad thing. Historically, they fight to maintain or create majority minority political districts. But when South Carolina’s Republican-led legislature tried to pack the district represented by state Rep. Mia Butler Garrick with Black voters in its new [...]
Old barriers gone, new ones rising?
When state Sen. John Matthews first became a member of the S.C. House of Representatives in 1975, segregation still was rampant. “Back then, it was racism in your face,” said Matthews, D-Orangeburg. “But there was a willingness to deal with legislation that could help African-Americans and the poor in this state. “People wanted to change [...]
Group seeks to grow South Carolina’s black tourism
More than 60 people converged in a reconstructed, one-room schoolhouse in Berkeley County on Saturday to strategize and network on developing the African-American tourism niche in the Lowcountry. The first-ever “Raising the Curtain: African-American Niche of the Tourism Industry” conference was hosted by Wando Huger Community Development Corp. and featured sessions on developing business, public [...]
Black leaders to SC gov: You’re a minority, too
Civil rights leaders bothered by South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s stance on issues like requiring voters to show their IDs at the polls are reminding the governor that she is a minority, too. “She couldn’t vote before 1965, just as I couldn’t,” said the Rev. Jesse Jackson, referring to the Voting Rights Act that abolished [...]
