Voices of Black South Carolina: Legend & Legacy

by Damon L. Fordham

Discover the contributions notable Black South Carolinians gave to bring encouragement and inspiration to their communities. Did you know that eighty-eight years before Rosa Parks's historic protest, a courageous black woman in Charleston kept her seat on a segregated streetcar? What about Robert Smalls, who steered a Confederate warship into Union waters, freeing himself and some of his family, and later served in the South Carolina state legislature? In this inspiring collection, historian Damon L. Fordham relates story after story of notable black South Carolinians, many of whose contributions to the state's history have not been brought to light until now. From the letters of black soldiers during the Civil War to the impassioned pleas by students of ""Munro's School"" for their right to an education, these are the voices of protest and dissent, the voices of hope and encouragement and the voices of progress.

160 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2009

Reviews

[Susan Molloy · Rating 5 out of 5]

🖊 My review: This is a thoughtful, intelligent, and enjoyable book of South Carolina stories. Not only do I like the topics, I especially enjoyed the chapter, “Letters from Black Civil War Troops,” and “The Mystery of Uncle Johnny.”

📌 Would I read this again? Yes.
🤔 My rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
🏮 Media form: Kindle Unlimited version.
🔲 Excerpt that caught my attention :

🔸 Much has been written about the 200,000 black servicemen who fought for the Union army and navy in the Civil War, some literate black soldiers from the Thirty-fifth United States Colored Troops (as they were known) were so inspired by the South Carolina Leader as a medium to speak for themselves that they shared their feelings about their experiences in the March 31, 1866 edition of this newspaper.

[Laura Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This slim book packs a lot of knowledge. I bought it at the Rice Museum in Georgetown, SC. It is full of primary sources so would be great for history students, but also very accessible for everyday readers wanting to know more about Black history in South Carolina. Highly recommend!