Black History Month: Notable Black South Carolinians

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)– As Black History Month comes to an end, ABC Columbia wants to highlight notable Black South Carolinians. Since the month is a time to highlight the history of Black people, here are some to know about from across the state.

Photo from BCU website

• Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune who was originally from Sumter County started a small school for African American girls in 1904. The school eventually went on to be known as Bethune-Cookman University. She also founded the National Council for Negro Women.

   

Singer Eartha Kitt is shown at the Grammy Awards in New York’s Radio City Music Hall, Feb. 25, 1981. (AP Photo)

• Eartha Kitt was born on a cotton farm in Orangeburg County in 1927. Kitt is known for her entertainment career as a singer and actress. She is also has her own star on Hollywood Boulevard.

Alexander “Alex” English is NBA basketball player from Columbia, S.C.

Photo: Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame

• Alex English is a Columbia, S.C. native and the first player in NBA history to score 2,000 points in eight straight seasons.

Dr. Matilda Evans

Photo: National Institutes of Health (NIH)

• Dr. Matilda Arabelle Evans is an Aiken native who became the African American woman to to be a licensed physician in South Carolina and open Columbia’s first hospital for African Americans. She also had an independent practice where she cared for patients of all colors and classes. Evans has many notable achievements.

James Clyburn

Photo: His website

• James E. Clyburn was successfully elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for South Carolina’s Sixth District in 1992. The Sumter native is a U.S. Congressman that represents South Carolina’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives and Chairman of the Democratic Faith Working Group.