African American History

Learn about the achievements of African Americans who have shaped South Carolina and American history.

Black History Month is celebrated every February to honor the achievements of African Americans who have shaped American history. Historian Carter G. Woodson hoped to raise awareness of African American's contributions to civilization by establishing Negro History Week. The event was first celebrated during a week in February 1926 that included both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass' birthdays. The week was later expanded to a month in 1976 during the United States bicentennial.

PHOTO: On March 20, 1969, Black hospital workers at the Medical College of South Carolina in Charleston went on strike to protest the firing of twelve employees and to call for higher wages and union recognition.

Within this Collection

Chief Justice Ernest Finney | Carolina Snaps

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Ernest Finney was the first African American chief justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court. He left an indelible mark on the legal system with his unwavering commitment to justice and equality...
Nikky Finney

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Nikky Finney, daughter of the late SC Supreme Court Chief Justice Ernest A. Finney, Jr., recites her poem, " He Never Had It Made" on the occasion of his installation to the S.C. Supreme Court. Just...
A Conversation with Judge Finney

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Ernest A. Finney, Jr., was born in Smithfield, Virginia during the depression, on March 23, 1931. His mother died 10 days after he was born and his father was a teacher who traveled as part of his...
Talking Black in America: Roots

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EXPIRES: 9/30/2025 “Talking Black in America: Roots” is the third program in a series of television documentaries exploring dimensions of African American language and culture and their formative...
"Onward, 54th!" | Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie
Episode 4

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Episode 4 focuses on the attempts of the North to take back Fort Sumter and hopefully bring the war to an end. This episode illustrates the struggles of African American soldiers who fought bravely on...