Invisible No More

Description

Since its founding in 1801, African Americans have played an integral, if too often overlooked, role in the history of the University of South Carolina. Invisible No More seeks to recover that historical legacy and reveal the many ways that African Americans have shaped the development of the university. The essays in this volume span the full sweep of the university's history, from the era of slavery to Reconstruction, Civil Rights to Black Power and Black Lives Matter. This collection represents the most comprehensive examination of the long history and complex relationship between African Americans and the university.

Like the broader history of South Carolina, the history of African Americans at the University of South Carolina is about more than their mere existence at the institution. It is about how they molded the university into something greater than the sum of its parts. Throughout the university's history, Black students, faculty, and staff have pressured for greater equity and inclusion. At various times they did so with the support of white allies, other times in the face of massive resistance; oftentimes, there were both.

Between 1868 and 1877, the brief but extraordinary period of Reconstruction, the University of South Carolina became the only state-supported university in the former Confederacy to open its doors to students of all races. This "first desegregation," which offered a glimpse of what was possible, was dismantled and followed by nearly a century during which African American students were once again excluded from the campus. In 1963, the "second desegregation" ended that long era of exclusion but was just the beginning of a new period of activism, one that continues today. Though African Americans have become increasingly visible on campus, the goal of equity and inclusion—a greater acceptance of African American students and a true appreciation of their experiences and contributions—remains incomplete. Invisible No More represents another contribution to this long struggle.

A foreword is provided by Valinda W. Littlefield, associate professor of history and African American studies at the University of South Carolina. Henrie Monteith Treadwell, research professor of community health and preventative medicine at Morehouse School of Medicine and one of the three African American students who desegregated the university in 1963, provides an afterword.

Contributors Graham Duncan, South Caroliniana Library Tyler D. Parry, University of Nevada, Las Vegas Christian K. Anderson, University of South Carolina Jason C. Darby, University of South Carolina Evan A. Kutzler, Georgia Southwestern State University Brian Robinson, University of North Carolina, Greensboro Robert Greene II, Claflin University Marcia G. Synnott, University of South Carolina Ramon M. Jackson, Newberry College Holly Genovese, University of Texas, Austin Katharine Thompson Allen, Historic Columbia Lydia Mattice Brandt, University of South Carolina

Sujets

• GA
• VA
• Discrimination
• AR
• NC
• SC
• MS
• TN
• LA
• KY
• FL
• Robert Anderson
• United States
• History of the Americas
• Higher education
• Social sciences
• School
• Tertiary education
• Level
• University of South Carolina
• Harry Walker
• Higher
• James Solomon
• Richard Theodore Greener
• EDUCATION
• HISTORY

Informations

• Publié par: University of South Carolina Press
• Date de parution: 30 décembre 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781643362557
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

INVISIBLE NO MORE
INVISIBLE NO MORE
THE AFRICAN AMERICAN EXPERIENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
EDITED BY
Robert Greene II and Tyler D. Parry
Foreword by Valinda W. Littlefield Afterword by Henrie Monteith Treadwell
2021 University of South Carolina
Published by the University of South Carolina Press Columbia, South Carolina 29208
www.uscpress.com
Manufactured in the United States of America
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data can be found at http://catalog.loc.gov/ .
ISBN 978-1-64336-253-3 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-64336-254-0 (paperback)
ISBN 978-1-64336-255-7 (ebook)
Publication of this book is made possible in part by the University of South Carolina Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Front cover photographs: Richard T. Greener by Jon Hair, photograph by Ehren Foley; and the South Caroliniana Library, the University of South Carolina, Columbia, courtesy of the Library of Congress
Design by Emily Weigel
Contents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Foreword
Valinda W. Littlefield
Introduction
Chapter One Slavery on Campus: Examining the Lived Experiences of Enslaved People at South Carolina College
Graham Duncan
Chapter Two Irrespective of Race or Color : Examining Desegregation at the Reconstructed University of South Carolina, 1868-1877
Tyler D. Parry
Chapter Three Richard T. Greener at the Reconstruction-Era University: Professor, Librarian, and Student
Christian K. Anderson Jason C. Darby
Chapter Four Laying the Mountains Low: The Life and Education of Simon Peter Smith, 1845-1914
Evan A. Kutzler
Chapter Five Struggle for Educational Access in South Carolina, 1865-1890
Brian A. Robinson
Chapter Six Before 1963: Race, Education, and the NAACP Desegregation Campaigns at the University of South Carolina
Robert Greene II
Chapter Seven The Legacy of Desegregation: USC and Its Changing Campus and Student Body since the 1960s
Marcia G. Synnott
Chapter Eight Peace, Love, Education, and Liberation: The Black Campus Movement at the University of South Carolina
Ramon M. Jackson
Chapter Nine What s Next, Southern Fried Chicken? Confederate Memory and Racial Violence at the Postintegration University
Holly Genovese
Chapter Ten The Right Time : Performing Public History at the University of South Carolina, 2010-2020
Katharine Thompson Allen Lydia Mattice Brandt
Conclusion
Afterword
Henrie Monteith Treadwell
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index
Illustrations
Bird s Eye View of Columbia (1872)
Map of Horseshoe, University of South Carolina (1884)
William H. Heard (1910)
Graduates of the State Normal School for Teachers (1874)
Celia Dial Saxon
Portrait of Richard T. Greener
University of South Carolina Library (1875)
Richard T. Greener s 1876 Law School Diploma
Robert G. Anderson, Henrie Monteith Treadwell, and James L. Solomon at the University of South Carolina after registering for classes (1963)
Harry Walker Campaign poster, Let s Get Things Together
Harry Walker, USC student body president (1971)
Marker recognizing slavery on the Horseshoe, University of South Carolina
Sculpture of Richard T. Greener, University of South Carolina
Acknowledgments
The work of an edited volume is a collaborative project, which in many ways is a welcome departure from the traditionally solitary nature of historical work. Many hands have lifted this effort, and we are deeply grateful to acknowledge those who believed in this volume and brought it to fruition. Nearly one decade ago we each received a message from Valinda W. Littlefield, then Director of the University of South Carolina s African American Studies Program, about an endeavor to commemorate the university s two desegregations in 1873 and 1963. Alongside many others, including many contributors to this volume, Val oversaw a yearlong endeavor to commemorate the remarkable achievements and contributions of Black people on USC s campus.
Such events were made possible by the support of many faculty, administrators, students, and community leaders in both the university and Columbia community. We give special thanks to Harris Pastides, Mary Anne Fitzpatrick, Nikky Finney, Steve Benjamin, Chanal McCain, Tamerra McCrea, and Sean Pitt. We also gratefully thank each of our wonderful contributors, Brian Robinson, Ramon M. Jackson, Holly Genovese, Katharine Thompson Allen, Lydia Mattice Brandt, Evan A. Kutzler, Graham Duncan, Jason C. Darby, Marcia G. Synnott, and Christian Anderson, for offering their compelling work to this collection. Without their collective work, this volume would simply not exist.
Robert Greene individually recognizes several people at the University of South Carolina who shaped his academic career for the better. Marjorie Spruill, Greene s dissertation advisor, became a mentor for him as he delved deeper into the history of southern politics in the latter half of the twentieth century. Bobby Donaldson taught him what it meant to be a true public-facing historian, always giving back to the broader community that shaped him as a historian, a citizen, and as a human being. Friends and colleagues Jennifer Taylor, Candace Cunningham, Ramon M. Jackson, Brian Robinson, and Randy Owens all served as bedrocks during his time in graduate school. Jennifer Gunter has been his closest friend and confidant during and after graduate school at South Carolina. Also, Robert thanks his colleagues at Claflin University, especially those in the Department of Humanities, who have supported him during this endeavor. Finally, without his parents Robert and Cynthia Greene, he would not be the person or scholar he is today. Their reading to him at a young age and encouraging his curiosity about the world molded him into a historian. To them, he owes an everlasting thanks.
Tyler D. Parry, also independently, first thanks his wife, Shanelle, who has been with this project since its inception, and who, as a fellow Gamecock graduate, is excited about its long-awaited publication. Tyler remembers how she listened to his first presentation on this subject in the Gressette Room of Harper College in April 2014 and has steadfastly supported the work in its long road to publication. He also recognizes the important contributions of his daughters, Nazanin and Yara, who, although making sustained writing and editing sessions rather difficult, have provided welcome distractions by pulling Dad from his work area to view their latest block towers or, most commonly, a new drawing (usually on the wall). Tyler is also thankful for their energy and the positive force they continue to provide in his life. In addition, he is grateful to his parents, Stan and Carol, who remain bedrocks of support and always listen to his latest ideas with interest. Tyler also recognizes the many scholars and friends who are responsible for helping him to see this project from beginning to end. Most notably, Kevin Dawson, who first encouraged him to consider the University of South Carolina for graduate school; Daniel C. Littlefield, a mentor, adviser, and friend who always gives honest feedback on his work; Bobby Donaldson, a scholar and community advocate who always asked him the best questions and demonstrated the value of connecting the university to the community; and Matt D. Childs, who is not only a terrific scholar but also a genuinely good human being. A specific thanks goes to Erica L. Ball, Sharla Fett, Justin Gomer, and Robin D. Muhammad, each of whom read and commented on Tyler s Reconstruction research and helped push this broader project forward. He also gives a huge thanks to all of his wonderful University of Nevada, Las Vegas, colleagues, who have supported this project since his return home in the Summer of 2019.
Last, we both honor the remarkable Henrie Monteith Treadwell for accepting our request to write the afterword for this volume. Alongside James Solomon Jr. and Robert Anderson, Treadwell initiated the critical step toward desegregating USC, and we are deeply grateful for her continued activism and contributions to Black people in South Carolina and beyond.
Foreword
ROBERT ANDERSON HENRIE MONTEITH JAMES SOLOMON
They arrive knocking at Osborne s great garnet door. They want to study mathematics, join the debate team, and sing in the choir. They are three in a sea of six thousand. With each step they pole-vault shards of doubt, sticks of dynamite, and stubborn hate mail. With them arrives the bright peppermint of change. The new laws of the new day can no longer resist these three irresistible ones, in a sea of six thousand, stepping through a door now garnet and black. Nikky Finney, The Irresistible Ones, 2013
For two and a half years I served as cochair, along with then Associate Provost, Lacy Ford, for the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the 1963 desegregation of the University of South Carolina, Embracing Change, Fulfilling the Dream . Tiye Gordon, MA History graduate student, served as the graduate assistant for this project, and much gratitude is owed to her for those long hours of service.
At the beginning of this journey, I wanted to accomplish three things. First, I wanted to ensure we developed and completed a series of successful events. Working with alum, colleges, departments, institutes, programs, corporations, members of the at-large community, and an advisory board, we held a series of events from September 6, 2013, through April 12, 2014. The university family was so receptive, and several organizations provided crucial assistance in