Midtown - Downtown in Columbia in Richland County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
'We Kept the Fire Going'
Student Activism in Columbia's Civil Rights Movement
| | Our Story Matters | |
Photographed by Dave W, May 13, 2023
1. 'We Kept the Fire Going' Marker
On February 1, 1960, four African American students at North Carolina A&T University in Greensboro sat at a segregated Woolworth's lunch counter and requested service. Their simple demand for equality ignited a generation and intensified the struggle for social justice in the American South. Inspired by the "Greensboro Four, young Black South Carolinians conducted marches, sit-ins and demonstrations in a determined campaign to dismantle segregation. Simon Bouie, an Allen University student arrested during a sit-in at Eckerd's Drug Store in Columbia in March 1960, credits the student movement for accelerating the pace of change in Columbia and elsewhere. It sharpened the movement, he remembers we kept the fire going."
Erected by Columbia SC 63.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities series list. A significant historical date for this entry is February 1, 1960.
Location. 34° 0.294′ N, 81° 2.119′ W. Marker is in Columbia, South Carolina, in Richland County. It is in Midtown - Downtown. It is on Main Street south of Hampton Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in the Midlands. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Sylvan Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Sarah Mae Flemming (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Legacies of The Civil Rights Movement in South Carolina (about 300 feet away); We Shall Not Be Moved (about 300 feet away); The Palmetto Building (about 300 feet away); Washington Street (about 400 feet away); Canal Dime Savings Bank / Bouie v. City of Columbia (1964) (about 400 feet away); Court House Square (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Columbia.
Also see . . . Columbia SC 63.
Since 2012, Columbia SC 63: Our Story Matters has successfully built a platform for the world to learn the stories of the brave men and women who participated in South Carolinas march toward freedom.(Submitted on May 15, 2023, by Dave W of Co, Colorado.)
Photographed by Dave W, May 13, 2023
2. 'We Kept the Fire Going' Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on May 18, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 15, 2023, by Dave W of Co, Colorado. This page has been viewed 237 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 15, 2023, by Dave W of Co, Colorado. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
