Voorhees College is a private, four-year coeducational historically black liberal arts university located in Denmark, South Carolina on a small, park-like campus located approximately 50 miles from Columbia. Voorhees was first opened in 1897 as Denmark Industrial School. In 1902, the school changed its name … Read MoreVoorhees College (1897- )
In the article below historian Gwendolyn Midlo Hall recounts her role as a founder of the New Orleans Youth Congress and the early years of the Southern Negro Youth Congress. This account is part of her soon to be published memoirs. Few of us know … Read MoreThe Southern Negro Youth Congress: A Participant Recalls Its Past
Allen University, a Christian liberal arts institution located on a 20-acre campus in Columbia, South Carolina, is the oldest historically black college in the state. The school was founded in 1870 by the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church of South Carolina, and was originally located … Read MoreAllen University (1870- )
Located within walking distance of downtown Columbia, South Carolina, Benedict College is a private four-year, co-educational, liberal arts college affiliated with the American Baptist Churches, USA. Benedict College was founded in 1870 by Rhode Island native Mrs. Bathsheba Benedict and the Baptist Home Mission. Its … Read MoreBenedict College (1870- )
James Farmer Sr., prominent early 20th Century educator, initially gained attention as the first African American to hold a Ph.D. in the state of Texas. Farmer was born on June 12, 1886 in Kingstree, South Carolina to Carolina and Lorena Farmer, who were former slaves. … Read MoreJames Farmer, Sr. (1886-1961)
David George, a slave and later a Baptist minister, was born in 1742 on a plantation in Virginia. His parents had been brought from Africa as slaves, and the cruel treatment they suffered prompted George to run away to South Carolina where he hid for … Read MoreDavid George (1742-1810)
Harvey B. Gantt, architect and politician, was born January 14, 1943 in Charleston, South Carolina to Christopher and Wilhelmenia Gantt. In 1961, Gantt attended Iowa State University. After one year of study, he returned to South Carolina and soon afterwards sued to enter racially segregated … Read MoreHarvey Bernard Gantt (1943- )
Frank W. Ballance, Jr., was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2003 to 2004, representing the 1st Congressional District in North Carolina. Prior to his tenure as a member of Congress, Ballance served in the North Carolina State House of Representatives … Read MoreFrank W. Ballance, Jr. (1942- )
The Afro-American Council (AAC) was established in Rochester, New York, in September 1898 by newspaper editor T. Thomas Fortune and Bishop Alexander Walters of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. They envisioned the organization as a revival of the earlier National Afro-American League (NAAL), which … Read MoreAfro-American Council (1898-1907)
On October 20, 1946, seventy-eight year old W.E.B Du Bois delivered the address at the closing session of the Southern Youth Legislature in Columbia, South Carolina. Although this was one of his last major orations, he used the occasion to inspire his audience to continue … Read More(1946) W.E. B. Du Bois, “Behold the Land”
