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In the 1970s, the growth of state government jobs and light industry began to draw people from outside the midlands into Columbia. New generations of residents moved back into Downtown Columbia, and...
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When Harvey was a junior at Burke High School, he joined the NAACP Youth, and then in February, 1960, the “sit-in” protests began, with which the NAACP became heavily involved. These “sit-ins” became...
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Leaders at Clemson University, and some state legislators attempted to resist the result of the case, but all efforts to overturn the decision were denied. Senator Marion Gressette called for peaceful...
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In the 1950s and early 1960s, Southern states fought against desegregation, and the last state to comply was South Carolina. In 1963, Harvey Gantt was able to peacefully integrate Clemson College...
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Melvin Purvis’ life tragically ended on February 29, 1960, due to an accidental discharge of a firearm. Some speculate that his death was suicide, while some others say that Purvis may have been...
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In the 1950s and 1960s, Rock Hill, South Carolina, was a thriving mill town, also known as “The Gateway to the Carolinas.” Like most of the segregated South, there were two separate worlds: one black...
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If Rock Hill was a war-zone, the most pivotal battle was February 12, 1960. For months before that date, local churches, students, and members of the NAACP planned a mass sit-in protest at lunch...
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By the summer of 1960, civil rights leaders began to question the effectiveness of these “sit-ins.” Thomas Gaither, a field secretary for CORE (Congress of Racial Equality), along with other civil...
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Rev. Ivory, and James McCain, the South Carolina leader of CORE, arranged for a sharp, young attorney to represent and defend the student protesters: Ernest J. Finney. Finney would later on become the...
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Life in jail for the student prisoners was grueling. News of these “jail-ins” had reached other civil rights groups, and caught the attention of SNCC (Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee). SNCC...