Noted African Americans

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

Mary McLeod Bethune | History of SC Slide Collection
Mary McLeod Bethune | History of SC Slide Collection
Episode 16

Photo

Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955), the daughter of former slaves, was born in Maysville. Believing that the only way to advance in the world was to be able to read, Bethune eventually became a leading...
Mary McLeod Bethune (1875 - 1955) | Periscope
Mary McLeod Bethune (1875 - 1955) | Periscope
Episode 5

Photo

Educator Mary McLeod Bethune began a school for needy African Americans in 1904 with $1.50, five students, and a passion to teach. Her school became Bethune-Cookman College and currently has over 2...
Dori Sanders: Clover | Periscope
Dori Sanders: Clover | Periscope
Episode 12

Photo

The setting for her first book, Clover, is a peach farm like the one Dori Sanders grew up on. Clover was published in 1990 and immediately became a best-seller. In the story, Clover is a 10-year-old...
Dori Sanders, Author | Periscope
Dori Sanders, Author | Periscope
Episode 11

Photo

Dori Sanders' book Clover has been translated into five different languages and made into a Disney film. The story is set in the countryside of South Carolina, and told through the eyes of a 10-year...
Philip Simmons | Periscope
Philip Simmons | Periscope
Episode 9

Photo

There are hundreds of Philip Simmons's gates and fences around Charleston. One of his gates hangs in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. He has won national awards and was commissioned to...
Philip Simmons, Master Blacksmith | Periscope
Philip Simmons, Master Blacksmith | Periscope
Episode 7

Photo

When Philip Simmons was a child, he liked to draw the wrought iron gates around Charleston, South Carolina. The spirals and loops he saw in the ironwork inspired his artistic abilities. Philip would...