Civil rights leader and community activist William Saunders was born in 1935 and has resided most of his life in Johns Island, South Carolina. In this interview, Saunders reflects on the economic and cultural changes he has witnessed over the years. Many of the changes had a negative impact on the health and life expectancy of the African American community. Regarding land ownership and access to natural resources, he states- both poor white and black landowners lost their properties because of shark loan practices. He criticizes government policies that facilitated city annexations, profuse housing development, and promoted tourism industry without considering their impact in the life of folks residing in rural and urban areas of Charleston. He thinks organic farming is a positive practice but one that does not benefit poor families. Saunders states he keeps working on his community as a member of the Gullah/ Geechee Commission. He also co-chairs with Tommy Legare the organization Concerned Citizens of the Sea Island, which is against the extension of I-526. Saunders states that activism can carry a heavy toll. "If you got the knowledge, and you care, then you have to suffer. You really have to suffer because you’re the one that gets involved."
William Dudley Gregorie was born and raised in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. In 1967 he graduated from Burke High School. In the interview, Gregorie remembers his experiences at Burke High School, including running for student body president, and affirms they prepared him for the positions he held later in life, including running for mayor of Charleston. He discusses his efforts as a City of Charleston council member to honor Septima Clark’s legacy by naming a highway that runs through the city the Septima Clark Parkway.
Herbert Frazier was born in 1951 in Charleston, South Carolina. This interview focuses on his childhood experiences growing up in the Asonborough Projects and attending Buist Elementary School and C.A. Brown High School. When he was fourteen years old, his family moved to Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. Frazier returned to Charleston in 1969 and enrolled in the University of South Carolina. In the interview, Frazier reflects on the long-lasting effects of school desegregation.
Elmire Raven was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1952 and moved to South Carolina in 1989. Since 1991 she has served as the Executive Director of My Sister's House, Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides services to domestic violence victims in the Lowcountry area. In this interview, Raven recounts her upbringing, her early awareness of discrimination and her work with the South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. She also reflects about motherhood, social justice, and what it means for her to be a feminist and a southern woman.
Father Leonard Cunningham (1923-2010) was born in Charleston, SC to Harley and Marion Cunningham. In this interview, conducted several months before his death, Cunningham discusses his rich family history. His ancestors included a former Confederate officer and federal judge, a midwife, a Baptist minister, a supporter of Marcus Garvey, and many skilled craftsmen. His father was a skilled plasterer and ornamental worker who worked on the Francis Marion Hotel, as well as many historic Charleston homes. He also built the family home at 15 Larnes St. and sent his children to the Immaculate Conception School. In 1950, Cunningham was ordained a Catholic priest, joining the Holy Ghost Fathers. That year he became the first African American priest to celebrate mass at the Cathedral of St. Johns in Charleston. In 1960, he joined the community at Mepkin Abbey, but was given leave a few years later to work in North Charleston during the civil rights movement. This interview was conducted in conjunction with College of Charleston graduate student Joi Mayo’s 2011 thesis, “A Beacon Light: Immaculate Conception School's Encouragement of Charleston's Black Middle and Upper Classes.”
For over three months in 1969, four hundred African-American hospital workers from the Medical College of South Carolina and Charleston County Hospital walked off their jobs in protest over discrimination and the right to form a union. The state government and hospital boards argued that workers receiving pay from public funds could not engage in collective bargaining. The hospital strikers were mostly women, some of whom earned below the federal minimum wage; white hospital workers performing the same jobs were paid higher. This interview details the experiences of two women involved in the strike, Mary Moultrie and Rosetta Simmons, and a local civil rights activist who helped organize the strike, William Saunders. Moultrie and Simmons describe the working conditions before the strike and their demand for “respect as human beings.” Saunders remembers the racial tension in the city during the strike, detailing threats made by local officials and the false arrests of activists. All three interviewees report that African Americans at the hospital today are “afraid” to push for better pay and working conditions. Saunders also comments on the fact that “nothing is illegal in South Carolina,” referring to the fact that the state continues to deny public sector workers the right to collectively bargain. The session, which took place at the office of the union representing City workers (Local 1199-Charleston), was part of a Citadel graduate course on local history. Citadel history professor Kerry Taylor guided the initial portion of the conversation and various students followed with their own questions. For additional interviews related to the hospital workers strike, visit the Southern Oral History Program collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Avery Research Center at the College of Charleston.
Lu Edna Capers (1915) was born and raised in Johns Island, S.C. Capers, like her mother and her siblings, attended Promise Land School, a segregated school for black children on the island. In this interview, Capers recalls her experiences at Promise Land describing the school building and its inadequate equipment. She explains how the classes were organized, what were the students' routines and responsibilities, and the games they played. She also recalls some of her teachers, among them civil right leader Septima Clark.
Willa Mae Freeman was born and lived most of her life on Johns Island. In this interview Freeman recalls growing up in a rural environment and learning to work on farming since early age. She also remembers her days at Promise Land School, a segregated school for black children. She describes the precarious school structure and the students' responsibilities and routines. When she was in fourth grade, Promise Land building was closed and all the students were transferred to Mt. Zion Elementary. Then, for the first time, they rode the school bus and had access to the bookmobile. Freeman reflects about the importance of education and expresses her concerns for the problems that happen at school nowadays.
Theron Snype was born and raised in Downtown Charleston. In 1967, he graduated from Burke High School. In the interview, Snype remembers his experiences at Burke High School. He talks about his favorite English teachers, Ms. Doris Hazel and Ms. Altimeze McGriff, and his geometry teacher, Ms. Hazel Stewart. He describes Burke's positive environment and the abundance of activities available to students. Finally, he remembers the students that integrated Charleston Schools and states that activism was not promoted at Burke. He reflects on the limited understanding he and his friends had back then about the magnitude of the civil rights movement in Charleston. He also reflects on how he did not learn until he was older the importance the contribution of leaders like Septima Clark were in Charleston. He concludes with comments about how important his experiences at Burke were to helping him see a life beyond the segregated society he grew up in, and he expressed pride in what he and his fellow classmates went on to accomplish.
Mary Edwards was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina. In 1967 she graduated from C.A. Brown High School. In the interview, Edwards recalls memories about her childhood in the Eastside Community, her experiences at C.A. Brown, and school integration. Finally, Edward focuses on her work as a counselor and instructor at Trident Technical College.
