African-Americans

At the outset of operations Vesta Mills did not employ African American labor throughout the mill. Approximately forty white operatives worked in the weave room, but Montgomery was convinced that in time blacks would be employed in all departments.

The school’s name was changed in 1947 to Voorhees School and Junior College, and in 1962 it became Voorhees College.

According to the United States Justice Department, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as extended in 1970, 1975, and 1982, may be the most significant civil rights legislation passed by the United States Congress.

Painter. Walker was born in Charleston on March 11, 1839, the son of John Falls Walker and Mary Elizabeth Flint.…

The Wanderer was a schooner built in New York and initially intended to be a racing yacht. It was later…

Jurist. Waring was born in Charleston on July 27, 1880, the son of Edward Perry Waring, Charleston County superintendent of…

Legislator, congressman. Watson was born in Sumter on August 30, 1922, the son of Claude A. Watson and Eva Clark.…

Weston’s lifelong commitments to youth empowerment, literacy, and Black advancement mirrored those of Sigma Gamma Rho and Black Greek Letter Organizations more broadly.

Educator, legislator. Whipper was born in Charleston on June 6, 1928, the daughter of Joseph Simmons and Sarah Marie Washington.…

Legislator. Whipper was one of the most influential African American politicians in South Carolina’s Reconstruction government. He was born free…

Party primary elections were introduced in the nineteenth century. They were touted as a more democratic means of nominating candidates…

Musician. White was born in Greenville on February 11, 1914. A sophisticated guitarist and singer, Broadway actor, and favorite of…

Slave, West Point cadet, lawyer, educator. Whittaker was born on August 23, 1858, on the Camden plantation of James Chesnut,…

Architect, college president. Whittaker was born on December 30, 1892, in Sumter, the son of Johnson Chesnut Whittaker and Page…

Legislator. Wigg was born a slave in Beaufort County around 1850. As a young boy during the Union occupation of…

Social reformer, black women’s club leader. Wilkinson was born in Charleston on June 23, 1870, to Richard Birnie and Anna…

College president. Wilkinson was born on February 18, 1865, in Charleston, the son of Charles Henry Wilkinson and Lavinia Smith…

(937 sq. miles; 2020 pop. 29,825). Williamsburg County, located in the outer coastal plain and in the southern tip of…

In Columbia, she attended Booker T. Washington in grade school and in 1933, she earned her teaching credentials from Allen University. After graduation, she taught mostly in rural South Carolina schools until 1971

Governor. Wilson was born in Cheraw District in May 1784 to John Wilson and Mary Lyde. He studied law in…