South Carolina: The Center for Civil Rights History and Research

Established in November 2015 as a joint initiative of the College of Arts and Sciences and University Libraries, the Center for Civil Rights History and Research at the University of South Carolina is dedicated to documenting the contributions of the Palmetto State to the American Civil Rights Movement. The center promotes a deeper understanding of the South Carolina Civil Rights Movement and its impact by highlighting the hidden or little-known stories and people of the movement. Visitors witness the long freedom struggle in the Justice for All traveling exhibition, virtual and in-person programs, teacher institutes, virtual tours of South Carolina civil rights sites, and educational materials. The center, currently housed in the Ernest F. Hollings Special Collections Library, includes a unique collection of historically significant documents, including the congressional papers of Rep. James Clyburn. The center helps visitors, student and faculty researchers, and scholars from around the country and internationally explore these collections, enhancing the understanding of civil rights networks and history far beyond the state’s borders.