Commissioners In The Community

Chair Vivian Glover attended the unveiling of the Palmetto Cemetery state historical marker. This cemetery is a historically African American vernacular cemetery in Columbia. As on of the only burial grounds reserved as the final resting place for African Americans in South Carolina’s capital city, the cemetery reflects the political turmoil of the period post-Reconstruction and the growing sense of community harnessed among free African Americans in society seeking to dignify and honor the lives of deceased community members.

The SCAAHC met at the SC Archives & History Center for their last Quarterly Meeting of 2025. At this meeting, the Commissioners met their new Non-Voting Associate members and reflected on the achievements of the Commission over the year, including the 2025 Annual Conference, the unveilings and dedications of Commission funded markers, and the launching of an independent website. Quarterly Meetings are open to the public and upcoming meetings, along with agendas can be found on the SCAAHC website.

Vivian Glover, Chair of the Commission, attended the unveiling of the J.H. Fordham Lodge No. 7 in Effingham. The lodge was originally a meeting hall for several African American masonic lodges. After its construction, the building became known as “The Hall” and served a variety of functions for local Black residents. At one point, the building also housed a public school for African Americans.

Chair Vivian Glover attended the dedication ceremony for the Goodwill Cultural Center, formally Goodwill Parochial School. This school was established during Reconstruction and served the community until 1960. The center will host programs, events, exhibits, and other activities that share the history and culture of this area of Sumter

Commissioner Dr. Vernon Burton presented on the plenary panel discussion at the Social Science History Association’s conference. He delivered on the paper, Practices that Sap Voting Power: Restrictions, Gerrymandering, Suppression.

Chair Vivian Glover attended the unveiling of the Snow Hill Baptist Church marker in Florence. This church, organized in the 1880s, served the Black residents of Ebenezer Township and other nearby sections of Florence. The current church building was constructed around 1950, replacing the original.

Commissioner Deacon Wilfred Pace attended Dorchester Heritage Center’s American Revolution exhibit. This exhibit highlights the major battles that took place in South Carolina, including the Battle of Cowpens, as well as the role that African Americans and women played in the war.

Commissioner Dr. Vernon Burton and Dr. Melissa Stuckey attended the Southern Historical Association Annual Meeting. Both presided over presentations at the meeting and Dr. Stuckey participated on a panel titled, “History at Work: Careers in Public History.”

Commissioner Deacon Wilfred Pace attended the Williams Memorial High School Alumni and Reacher Monument Unveiling at St. George Rosenwald School. Hosted by the Williams Memorial High School Alumni and Community Alliance, the event unveiled a monument that honors the strength, resilience, and progress of the local African American community during an era of segregation and extreme hardship in the South. St George Rosenwald, constructed in 1925 with funds from the Julius Rosenwald fund, became an accredited school in 1926 and was named Williams Memorial High until 1954. The monument includes the names and photographs of the teachers and students who worked and attended the school.

Commissioner Charmaine Clowney attended a documentary screening sponsored by Allen University and SCETV. This documentary entitled, “Becoming Thurgood,” highlighted the career achievements of Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall, the nation’s first African American Supreme Court Justice. The documentary also provided historical insight into Justice Marshall’s role in filing a lawsuit in the landmark S.C. school desegregation case, Briggs v. Elliott. The Briggs case formed the basis for the historic Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case decision making school segregation illegal in the United States. Dr. Bobby Donaldson facilitated a though-provoking discussion about the documentary.

Commissioner Charmaine Clowney attended a historic University of SC Law School ceremony celebrating the unveiling of a portrait of James E. Bowers, J.D. Attorney Bowers was UofSC Law School’s first full-time African American professor from 1973 to 1976. He received his undergraduate degree from UofSC and graduated from Harvard University’s Law School. Recently, Attorney Bowers donated one million dollars to UofSC Law School to fund an endowed chair in law and democracy.

Commissioners Wilfred Pace and Thad Daise participated in the marker unveiling of Edisto Island Baptist Church. Thad Daise, who assisted with the installation of the marker, spoke, acknowledging those who helped make the marker a possibility. Learn the history of the church at this link.

Commission Chair Vivian Glover attended the unveiling of the Louie Tenement marker, a Commission funded marker. This marker is on the site of a former housing complex developed by Syrian immigrant Louis “Louie” Joseph who moved to the African American community, Liberty Hill in 1920. To learn more about the legacy of Louie Joseph and his family, click this link.

Commissioner Dr. Melencia Johnson was the Mistress of Ceremonies for the 44th Annual Freedom Fund Banquet that was hosted by the NAACP Aiken County Branch. The guest speaker was CEO, speaker, author, and USDA Chief EEO Principal Officer, Judge Penny Brown Reynolds. Keep up to date on the Aiken County branch of NAACP at this link.

Dr. Burton was a guest speaker for the premier showing of “Becoming Thurgood: America’s Social Architect,” along with Civil Rights photographer Cecil Williams and Cecilia Marshall, granddaughter of Thurgood Marshall. Chair Vivian Glover also attended the event. To learn more and watch the documentary, click this link.

Vivian Glover, Chair of the Commission, attended the Jefferson High School marker unveiling in York County. This Commission funded marker details the school’s journey from a Rosenwald school built in 1924 for the Black students in York county. By the late 1940s, Jefferson High School served 30 students in grades 1-12 and in 1956 had renovations and additions that were funded by the state equalization program. The school closed in 1970.

Commissioner Dr. Melissa Stuckey has been appointed as Center for Civil Rights Affiliate. These affiliates consist of University of South Carolina faculty, staff, and graduate students who are committed to civil rights scholarship by fostering interdisciplinary collaboration with one another. Learn more about the Center at this link.

Chair Vivian Glover and Director of Historical Services Elizabeth Johnson attended the dedication and open house of the Bull Swamp Colored School Preservation and Community Center Project. The organization has completed Phase 1 of 3 to preserve the school and transform it into a community center with a commercial kitchen, food pantry, and reception hall in Phase 2, and the development of the school’s lawn for outdoor activities in Phase 3. To read more about the history of the school, the dedication, and future plans, click here for part 1 and here for part 2 of a news article. 

Commissioners Dr. Vernon Burton, Jennifer Curtis, Vivian Glover, Deacon Wilfred Pace, and Dr. Melissa Stuckey had the opportunity to represent the Commission at the Association of African American Museums Conference in Charleston, SC. This enriching conference allowed Commissioners to learn new ideas, methods, and projects to advance their goals, and an opportunity to connect with other individuals as future collaborators. 

Commissioner Dr. O. Vernon Burton was honored by the Dr. Benjamin E. Mays Historical Preservation group with the naming of their research library after him. The Dr. Orville Vernon Burton Research Library features Dr. Burton’s personal collection from 50+ years as a historian and is a gift to future generations of researchers and students. 

The marker for Oak Grove Colored School, funded by the Commission, was unveiled to a receptive group; all descendants of John Sewell. This former site of the school was established in 1900 as a school for African American children in the area. There were 26 students during the 1900-01 school year with one teacher. The lot the school was built on belonged to Black farmer John Sewell whose descendants still have ownership of the land today. 

Old Zion AME Zion Church unveiled their marker, funded by the Commission. Chair of the Commission, Vivian Glover, gave remarks on the importance of preserving Black history. This church was formally organized in 1873 and came to be at the current location in 1890. Old Zion was part of a wave of African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Zion congregations founded in SC after the 1867 establishment of the Church’s state conference. 

The Commission had their 3^rd annual Strategic Planning Retreat and second Quarterly Meeting of the year. Commissioners had constructive discussion about the previous year’s successes and created an action plan with consultant Anne Sinclair for the new year. 

Commission Chair Vivian Glover, along with SHPO staff Dr. Edwin Breeden and Ayanna Goines attended the unveiling of the Dr. B.T. Williams Home marker in Sumter, SC. This Commission-funded marker describes the successes of Dr. Booker T. Williams, a Sumter dentist and activist who assisted with the raising of funds for the Sumter NAACP’s teacher pay equalization campaign and the Briggs v. Elliott school desegregation case. 

St. Mary Catholic Church in Rock Hill held an unveiling event for their Commission-funded marker. This site, formed in 1945 by Fr. Edward Wahl, was an attempt to minister the local African American community. The original building also served as a community center for the surrounding Black residents. In 1951, the church established Crawford Federal Credit Union to provide financial assistance to local African Americans. 

Commissioners Jennifer Curtis and Dr. Melencia Johnson met with SC Archives staff Elizabeth Johnson and Ayanna Goines, and SCAAHC intern Tiana Galloway at the Center for African American History, Art, and Culture in Aiken. To learn more about the center, click this link. 

Commission Chair Vivian Glover attended a book talk where Keith Rushing, author of Descended: Searching for my Gullah-Geechee Roots discussed his journey to uncover his family’s past. To learn more about the book, visit this link. 

Commissioners Vivian Glover, Dr. Kennetta-Renee’ Robertson, and Deacon Wilfred Pace attended the Statewide Historic Preservation Conference. At this conference speaker topics included current research in historic preservation presented by Clemson graduate students, Preservation Society of Charleston’s “Mapping Charleston’s Black Burial Grounds” project. 

Current Chair Vivian Glover and Former Chair Charmaine Clowney attended a meeting of the Greater Columbia Community Relations Council. Vivian made a brief presentation about the Commission’s mission, goals, and current projects. The Commission looks forward to accepting invitations to future events to connect with organizations across the state. 

Commissioners Rhonda Midgette and Vivian Glover attended the marker unveiling for Pine Grove AME Church. These markers, funded by the Commission, highlight the church’s local significance as a place of worship that started under a brush arbor. After acquiring one acre of land in 1875, their first house of worship was a wood framed building. The church was also the site o the Pine Grove Colored School, a public school for local Black children. Congratulations to the congregation on this historic achievement. 

Commissioner Tery James was a speaker for the SC State Museum’s Pee Dee region Harvesting Heritage event. James, who is also the Director of the Jamestown Foundation in Florence County, was joined by Kirk Wardy, founder of Southern Queen Foods, and Dr. Howard Conyers, a NASA aerospace engineer and barbecue historian to discuss the historical and contemporary significance of Black food traditions, agriculture, and the cultural impact of African American communities in the Pee Dee area.

Commissioner Dr. K. Renee’ Robertson participated in the 60^th anniversary of the Bridge Crossing in Selma, Alabama. This historic event, also known as “Bloody Sunday” commemorates the demonstrators who gathered in 1965 to demand the right to vote. After crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge, they were met with state troopers who attacked the protesters. Dr. Robertson was involved in organizing the commemoration and the PR/media of the event. 

Commissioners Vivian Glover, Rhonda Midgette, and Deacon Wilfred Pace attended the unveiling for the Mt. Moriah Baptist Church marker. This marker, honoring the oldest Black Baptist congregation in Kershaw County, is on of the 25 markers funded by the Commission. 

Commissioner Charmaine Clowney gave a presentation on the life and times of iconic SC Civil Rights activist, Re. Dr. I. DeQuincey Newman for Columbia SC’s St. Martin in the Fields Episcopal Church Black History Month luncheon. 

Commission Chair Vivian Glover visited Eutaw Springs Battlefield in Eutawville, SC and Mepkin Abbey in Moncks Corner, SC. The battlefield has ties to the American Revolution as the site of the Battle of Eutaw Springs. They recently added signage to discuss the impact of Black soldiers during the era. For more information on the battle, visit this link. Before becoming a monastery, Mepkin was the principal home for Henry Laurens, a Charlestonian merchant, slave trader, and rice planter. He, along with his son John Laurens, were prominent figures in the American Revolution. For more info, click here.