Speakers Bureau Search

Challenging White Supremacy — and Winning

Challenging White Supremacy — and Winning Presented by Claudia Smith Brinson. The day after the Ku Klux Klan chained Rev. James Myles Hinton Sr. to a tree and beat him, Hinton returned to work. He said he would rather die fighting than live on his knees. The president of the  SC Conference of Branches of … Read more

June 12, 2014

Briggs v. Elliott: ‘Because It Was Right’

Briggs v. Elliott: ‘Because It Was Right’ Presented by Claudia Smith Brinson. More than 100 parents and children signed Clarendon County petitions that led to Brown v. Board of Education and the end of legal segregation of public schools. The first petition, asking that “separate but equal” actually be equal, led to death threats, a … Read more

May 6, 2022

How Brown v Board of Education Began in South Carolina

How Brown v. Board of Education Began in South Carolina Presented by Claudia Smith Brinson. In 1946, Levi and Hammett Pearson asked for a public school bus for Black children who walked nine miles to school in Summerton, SC. The request could have gotten the Pearsons killed and did lead to gunfire into their homes, … Read more

From a Wheelchair

From a Wheelchair Presented by Claudia Smith Brinson. A fourteen-year-oldfell far from a pecan tree; the family accepted the doctor’s diagnosis: Cecil Augustus Ivory would never again walk. After six months in bed, Ivory employed two cane chairs as crutches and walked again. His drive and determination led to a football scholarship, a divinity degree, … Read more

“Soul Power“ of South Carolina Sit-Ins

“Soul Power“ of South Carolina Sit-Ins Presented by Claudia Smith Brinson. James T. McCain, fired as a school principal for NAACP membership, became the first Black and Southern field secretary for the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). CORE’s founders had accepted imprisonment rather than fight in World War II and Korea; they emulated Mahatma Gandhi’s … Read more

400 Black Women and a Union: The 1969 Charleston Hospital Strike

400 Black Women and a Union: The 1969 Charleston Hospital Strike Presented by Claudia Smith Brinson. In December 1967, five Black women left work at Medical College Hospital in Charleston when ordered to violate their LPN licensing limits. Despite the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the hospital segregated patients, restrooms, and cafeterias, and did not provide … Read more

Education and the Vote: Then and Now

Education and the Vote: Then and Now Presented by Claudia Smith Brinson. South Carolina’s 1895 constitution disenfranchised Black citizens. The constitution, which was not submitted to a popular vote, also said, “Separate schools shall be provided for children of the white and colored races, and no child of either race shall ever be permitted to … Read more

Collecting and Telling Your and Others’ Stories

Collecting and Telling Your and Others’ Stories Presented by Claudia Smith Brinson. For Stories of Struggle I interviewed at least 150 Black activists while I worked as a journalist at The State and as director of a writing program at Columbia College. I wanted to preserve Black elders’ stories, and, through their stories, to reveal … Read more

Turning Your Ideas into Stories

Turning Your Ideas into Stories Presented by C. Hope Clark. Most of us wish we could flesh our thoughts, experiences, and make-believe dreams into stories on paper. The art of theme, plotting and characterization come from understanding what makes for an intriguing read: tension, active voice, creative dialog. Learning how to mold a story concept, … Read more

May 9, 2022

How a Character Becomes 3-D

How a Character Becomes 3-D Presented by C. Hope Clark. Using examples from well-known books, movies and television shows, and whatever example the audience wants to dissect, learn the art of taking a character from basic hair and eye color into a quirky, charismatic, loveable, respectable, enticing, intense, or demonic contributor to a tale. Whether … Read more