Clarissa Minnie Thompson’s seminal work, Treading the Winepress; or, A Mountain of Misfortune, would have been among the first novels published by an African American woman in the United States.
In 1944, Bolden established the city’s first library in a black elementary school. Over her 38-year career, she brought books into segregated classrooms across the city.
Lucy Hampton Bostick was instrumental in establishing and growing the infrastructure of the Richland County Public Library as Chief Librarian for almost forty years.
In 2001, Boyd became the executive director of SC Campaign to End Teen Pregnancy. Over the next five years, she guided new and innovative public health initiatives.
After graduation, Burnette took a job as a correctional officer at Harbison, the state’s only women’s prison, and her experiences in that role solidified her career trajectory.
From a lawsuit to work at the State House to establishing a hotline for female students, Eslinger's work for women's rights opened new opportunities for women in Columbia and across...
Matilda Arabella Evans was the first licensed woman physician in South Carolina and provided access to free health care for several generations of African Americans in the early twentieth century.
Lilly Filler organized the South Carolina Holocaust Memorial, established the Columbia Holocaust Education Commission, and is the Chair of the South Carolina Council on the Holocaust.
In 2011, Finney won the National Book Award for Poetry for Head Off & Split. She has a unique ability to translate Southern black experiences into jarring and beautiful language.
Harriet Hancock is a pioneer LGBTQ activist in South Carolina. In her distinguished career as an attorney, she prioritized legal work for LGBTQ rights.
Sarah Elizabeth Leverette was the first woman faculty member at the University of South Carolina Law School and led the Law Library for twenty five years.
In 1978, Primus won a key victory for the ACLU, marking the end of a three-year battle to ensure that the organization could continue its legal advocacy.
In 1920, Reamer was elected chair of the newly formed League of Women Voters of Columbia and Richland County. During her tenure, the League promoted a platform that granted equal...
Modjeska Monteith Simkins was one of the nation’s leading civil rights activists of the twentieth century. Her activism extended to health care, social justice and human rights.
Dawn Staley is the Head Coach for the University of South Carolina’s Women’s Basketball team and is one of the nation’s leading coaches in college athletics.
Anna Heyward Taylor was one of South Carolina’s most celebrated visual artists. Her artwork was one of the first gallery collections exhibited at the Columbia Museum of Art.
Jean Toal is the first woman elected to be an Associate Justice on the South Carolina Supreme Court and is the first woman to serve as the court’s Chief Justice.
After a summer of threats and at least one bombing attempt, Treadwell and two other courageous students broke the state university’s color line on September 11, 1963.
In 1948, Wilson joined African Americans across the state as they voted for the first time in the Democratic Primary. She voted in every election during the next 70 years.