Noted African Americans

Learn about noted African Americans, many born in South Carolina, with local and national accomplishments.

Richard S. Roberts | History of SC Slide Collection
Richard S. Roberts | History of SC Slide Collection
Episode 124

Photo

Richard S. Roberts (1880-1936), a talented photographer, left an enduring film record of Columbia's African-American middle class community during the 1920s and 1930s. This self portrait was taken in...
Ron McNair | History of SC Slide Collection
Ron McNair | History of SC Slide Collection
Episode 97

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The "Challenger" astronaut Ron McNair (1951-1986) and Governor Richard Riley during a joint session of the South Carolina legislature in the House Chambers on April 11, 1984. McNair, an Air Force...
Benjamin E. Mays | History of SC Slide Collection
Benjamin E. Mays | History of SC Slide Collection
Episode 94

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Benjamin E. Mays (1894-1984) was born in Greenwood County, the son of former slaves, and educated at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, and the University of Chicago, where he received his M.A. and Ph...
Dr. Ernest E. Just | Scientific SC

Video

Produced by Darren K. Woodland Jr., 2017 Knowitall.org Spring Semester Intern ​Dr. Ernest E. Just was born in Charleston, S.C. in 1883. He was an African American biologist, teacher, and scholar who...
Robert Smalls | Palmetto Special

Video

REENACTMENT: The lesson focuses on a mission in which Robert Smalls was sent to convince President Lincoln to arm Negro troops in the South Carolina Lowcountry to fight for the Union. This is done in...