Black History Month is celebrated every February to honor the achievements of African Americans who have shaped American history. Historian Carter G. Woodson hoped to raise awareness of African American's contributions to civilization by establishing Negro History Week. The event was first celebrated during a week in February 1926 that included both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass' birthdays. The week was later expanded to a month in 1976 during the United States bicentennial.
PHOTO: On March 20, 1969, Black hospital workers at the Medical College of South Carolina in Charleston went on strike to protest the firing of twelve employees and to call for higher wages and union recognition.
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In the 18th and 19th centuries, rice was the most produced crop in the United States, and provided the most wealth. Historian Daniel Littlefield, and botanist Richard Porcher, discuss rice’s African...
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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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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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Dizzy Gillespie was not only a great entertainer, but was also known for being an influential music teacher. He earned his status as a famous musician not through instant gratification, but through...
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Dick Goodwin discusses Dizzy Gillespie’s style of playing, and covers one of Dizzy’s most famous songs: “Con Alma.”
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The group discusses Dizzy Gillespie’s legacy, and what he meant to them, as a teacher, musician, and human being. Here, the song “Birks Works” is played by Charlton Singleton.
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Dick Goodwin returns to talk with the group about Dizzy Gillespie’s personality, and how Dizzy was able to influence an entire generation’s interest in this style of music, with his motivation, and...
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Friends and fellow musicians reminisce about the time they first met Dizzy Gillespie.
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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...
