Civil Rights 360

View these schools and locations and learn more about their history!

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<div>Bettis Academy</div>
Bettis Academy

Rev. Alexander Bettis, a former slave who could read but couldn't write, established Bettis Academy in 1882 to provide education for African-Americans in South Carolina.

<div>Booker T. Washington High School</div>
Booker T. Washington High School

From 1915-1974, Booker T. Washington High School served as a separate educational system for young African-Americans in Columbia, South Carolina.

<div>Florence C. Benson Elementary School</div>
Florence C. Benson Elementary School

The Florence C. Benson Elementary School was built in 1953-55 as Wheeler Hill School to serve African American students of the community and as a replacement for the overcrowded Celia Dial Saxon Negro Elementary...

<div>Historic Scott’s Branch High School</div>
Historic Scott’s Branch High School

The original Scott’s Branch High School was formed to serve African American students in Summerton, South Carolina.

<div>Lamar High School</div>
Lamar High School
<div>Penn Center</div>
Penn Center

The Penn Center, formerly the Penn School, is an African American cultural and educational center in the Corners Community, on Saint Helena Island.

Resource Type
Lamar High School Overview | Let's Go!

Video

Grades

  • 5
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Lamar High School Overview | Let's Go!
Lamar High School in Darlington County, South Carolina, was the site of an attack on school buses carrying African American students to the campus on March 3, 1970. In January 1970, the 4th Circuit...
Bettis Academy Overview | Let's Go!

Video

Grades

  • 5
  • 8
  • 11
Bettis Academy Overview | Let's Go!
Established in Trenton (Edgefield County) in 1881 by the Reverend Alexander Bettis, this school provided former enslaved African Americans and their children with a basic education of reading and...
3D VR - Lamar High School Gymnasium | Let's Go!

Interactive

Grades

  • 5
  • 8
  • 11
3D VR - Lamar High School Gymnasium | Let's Go!
Lamar High School in Darlington County, South Carolina, was the site of an attack on school buses carrying African American students to the campus on March 3, 1970. In January 1970, the 4th Circuit...
3D VR - Lamar High School | Let's Go!

Interactive

Grades

  • 5
  • 8
  • 11
3D VR - Lamar High School | Let's Go!
Lamar High School in Darlington County, South Carolina, was the site of an attack on school buses carrying African American students to the campus on March 3, 1970. In January 1970, the 4th Circuit...
Lamar High School Photo Gallery | Let's Go!

Photo

Grades

  • 5
  • 8
  • 11
Lamar High School Photo Gallery | Let's Go!
Lamar High School in Darlington County, South Carolina, was the site of an attack on school buses carrying African American students to the campus on March 3, 1970. In January 1970, the 4th Circuit...
Penn Center Overview | Let's Go!

Video

Grades

  • 4
  • 5
  • 8
  • 11
Penn Center Overview | Let's Go!
Penn Center is one of the most significant African American historical and cultural institutions in existence today. The historic campus is located on St. Helena Island, one of the most beautiful and...
3D VR - Bettis Academy | Let's Go!

Interactive

Grades

  • 5
  • 8
  • 11
3D VR - Bettis Academy | Let's Go!
Established in Trenton (Edgefield County) in 1881 by the Reverend Alexander Bettis, this school provided former enslaved African Americans and their children with a basic education of reading and...
Bettis Academy Photo Gallery | Let's Go!

Photo

Grades

  • 5
  • 8
  • 11
Bettis Academy Photo Gallery | Let's Go!
Established in Trenton (Edgefield County) in 1881 by the Reverend Alexander Bettis, this school provided former enslaved African Americans and their children with a basic education of reading and...
Penn Center Photo Gallery | Let's Go!

Photo

Grades

  • 4
  • 5
  • 8
  • 11
Penn Center Photo Gallery | Let's Go!
The Penn Center, founded officially as the Penn School in 1865, is a campus of buildings dedicated to African American education in St. Helena Island, South Carolina. The original school grew out of...
3D VR - Penn Center: Brick Church | Let's Go!

Interactive

Grades

  • 4
  • 5
  • 8
  • 11
3D VR - Penn Center: Brick Church | Let's Go!
Penn Center is one of the most significant African American historical and cultural institutions in existence today. The historic campus is located on St. Helena Island, one of the most beautiful and...
Historic Scott’s Branch High School | Let's Go!

Video

Grades

  • 5
  • 8
  • 11
Historic Scott’s Branch High School | Let's Go!
The original Scott’s Branch High School was formed to serve African American students in Summerton, South Carolina. Originally known as the Taw Caw School, the school's name changed due to the...
3D VR - Booker T. Washington High School | Let's Go!

Interactive

Grades

  • 5
  • 8
  • 11
3D VR - Booker T. Washington High School | Let's Go!
From 1915-1974, Booker T. Washington High School served as a separate educational system for young African-Americans in Columbia, South Carolina. The school began with elementary grades and became a...