SUMMERTON, S.C. — A lawsuit that ensured equal education for everyone is coming up on its 70th anniversary.
In 1895, South Carolina mandated racial segregation in public schools when it adopted its constitution. This came before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Plessy v. Ferguson the following year, which enforced state segregation policies.
In the late 1940s, a group in Clarendon County began the fight to change that, serving as the catalyst for Briggs v. Elliott.
History was made in Summerton at the historic Scott’s Branch High School, which was at the center of a lawsuit that ultimately became part of the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education.
“They were the spark that lit the fire that changed America,” Akiva Ford said about her great, great grandfather Levi Pearson. “He began and filed along with, under the direction of Rev. DeLaine, that first petition. And it was in reference to a school bus ensuring that his children, the children within the community can get to school just like the other children in the community. That’s all it started with."
"And then they were asking, even though they were able to get the bus," Pearson added. "They were then asking for help with the repairs. Quite naturally, it takes some time takes finances to do that. And because it's public schooling, the idea is that the county, the state would assist, the school board would assist. And so that was the goal. They had children walking upwards from 11 miles from here, from this very spot, just to get an education, just to read, just to color, just to sing.”
On Thursday, a group toured historic spots through the area that were instrumental, including where Pearson lived.
“Equality is what was started here,” Summerton Community Action Group (SCAG) executive member Van Lawson said. “And it’s still going on, and we’re still seeking it.”
Lawson helped found the group along with SCAG’s former president Robert Allen McFadden Sr. As part of their work, they established a park outside of the Scott’s Branch School to commemorate the landmark case.
“We felt like if we didn't do something to recognize our leaders that sacrificed so much, and the followers that had sacrificed so much, that if we didn't do it, it wouldn't get done. Because the next generation, they don't even know the history,” McFadden said. “If you don’t teach your children their history, they're going to be lost. And they’re not going to know where they came from. They're not going to know what their ancestors, what their grandfather, their great grandfather did. And what do they have to be proud of?”
McFadden says this is part of an attempt to “recapture our history here in Summerton.” Lawson says he is “saddened” by the lack of recognition Summerton gets regarding this case.
“[We’re] trying to bring back some of the things that was here before in terms of our history,” Lawson said. “We're not getting the national history, national recognition.”
It’s a feeling that resonates with Ford.
“To me, I think leaving out the part about Summerton and its impact is very disheartening, and it's troublesome, and it leaves our kids who we want to continue with this legacy unaware,” she said.
Clarendon County School District Superintendent Shawn Johnson says it is something he keeps in mind.
“I was a public school participant when I was in school in K-12. I do know that without Briggs versus Elliot, which later transformed to Brown versus Board of Education, I wouldn't have been able to ride a school bus, you know, we still would have been segregated,” Johnson said. “And so I think all of us who are minorities, we benefited from the sacrifices that these pioneers Briggs and Elliott, they did for us, and provided for us.”
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Johnson says Brown v. Board of Education is taught in public schools throughout the state as part of the South Carolina standards, but teaching about Briggs v. Elliott is emphasized in his district because of the local ties.
“We do a good job of reminding, especially in that Summerton area, of what happened, the spiritual significance of what happened and it all began here,” Johnson said. “So like when you talk about brown versus board of education in Clarendon County, you can’t talk about brown without talking about Briggs v. Elliott because it started with Briggs v. Elliott and the other four cases.”
Celebrations for that 70th anniversary are taking place all throughout the weekend. On Friday, there is a nine-mile walk starting at 8 a.m. On Saturday, there is a parade, community festival and commemorative black-tie gala all day from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m. Finally, on Sunday, there is a worship service from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., with Congressman Jim Clyburn as the guest speaker.
“I think every state legislator in the state of South Carolina should be here, should be uplifting these individuals. This is what we call grassroots America,” Ford said. “The goal is to continue. The goal is to continue to grow. And as long as we know our history, we can continue to grow.”