From Briggs to Brown

In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling that declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional, marking a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement and paving the way for greater equality in education. Brown v. Board of Education, a historic case comprised of five separate cases, challenged the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ and the constitutionality of state-sponsored segregation in public schools. The first of the five cases, Briggs v. Elliot, occurred two years prior in 1952 in South Carolina and served as an important milestone in challenging the racial segregation of public schools.

In collaboration with the Thurgood Marshall Center Trust for Service and Heritage, the International African American Museum (IAAM) will mark the 70^th Anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court Decision through conversation on its enduring legacy, the significance and impact of Briggs v. Elliot, and the legal strategies employed by Thurgood Marshall and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and its connection to the fight for equitable and accessible public education today.

We invite you to join us at IAAM on May 17 for a panel and celebration as we reflect on these two historic cases, confront the complexities of the past and present, and forge a path towards a more just and equitable future.

Panelists Include:

Cecil Williams - In 2019 with his wife Barbara and his sister Brenda, Cecil created South Carolina's first and only civil rights museum. Before 12 years of age, Cecil Williams’ camera had captured the petitioners in Clarendon County as they lit the torch of freedom. In 10th grade, he photographed Thurgood Marshall coming to Charleston for the Briggs case, and again one year later, speaking at Claflin. In 1955, he became the youngest-ever JET Magazine photographer. In 1960, upon being thrown out of a New York press conference, he became JFK’s favorite lensman.

In South Carolina, Dr. Bobby Donaldson is "Mr. South Carolina Civil Rights" for the fantastic body of work he has undertaken bringing back the untold stories. Donaldson is an Associate Professor of History, and the Director of the Center for Civil Rights History and Research, at the University of South Carolina-Columbia. He received his undergraduate degree in History and African American Studies from Wesleyan University and his Ph.D. in American History from Emory University. Previously, he held fellowships at Dartmouth College and the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute at Harvard University.

James L. Felder has spent his life working for justice as a civil rights activist and South Carolina legislator. A native of Sumter, S.C., Felder spent his early adult years in Washington, D.C., and has lived in Columbia, S.C. since 1967. Felder received an undergraduate degree from Clark Atlanta University and earned his Juris doctor from the Howard University School of Law. He holds a master of laws from Atlanta Law School and a doctorate of humane letters from the College of Charleston.

The conversation will be moderated by Brandon Reid, Public Historian at the International African American Museum.