Oral history interview conducted by College of Charleston Libraries Special Collections and Archives as part of the ongoing efforts to preserve, elevate, and document the stories and history of the LGBTQ+ community in South Carolina. Lynn Dugan attended Catholic grammar and high schools in New York City. With a lesbian friend, she visited lesbian bars where rigid “butch” or “fem” roles prevailed. She came of age just after the Stonewall Riots of 1969, later befriending some of the participants, as she became part of a community that looked after and protected each other from attacks, some of which she describes. She notes the comradery of men and women in the early gay rights movement, and the accessibility of many future celebrities entertaining in the gay baths and bars. She was mentored by an older gay man, Jimmy Alan Newcomer and she created a marriage ceremony with a woman opera singer at St. Peter’s MCC Church in 1981. She witnessed the start of the AIDS crisis and the work of many women and activists such as Larry Kramer. Professionally, she held jobs in management and sales, drove a taxi, and had her own greeting card company. In some jobs, she had to hide her sexuality. She visited Colorado often before moving to Boulder ca. 1993, participating in the LGBTQ community there. While attending a Pride parade in Columbia SC, she met political activist Charlie Smith, who invited her to Charleston, SC; she moved there soon after and began her involvement in the community, founding the Charleston Social Club, which offered opportunities to many isolated and closeted women. One of the programs, Lezz Fest, produced on the club’s tenth anniversary closed off part of North Charleston and drew 1,000 participants. Dugan was the prime mover in establishing the first Pride Festival in the lowcountry. She and a cadre of friends staged fundraisers for the event which the City of Charleston wanted to sideline. The city of North Charleston, however, including Mayor R. Keith Summey, who served as grand marshal of the parade, supported it, despite the criticism of many local churches. The Charleston Pride Organization event took place on May 15, 2010, and its impact, and that of the evening event held on the Citadel campus, is described in detail by Dugan. In response to questions, she comments on African American participation in the community and ends the interview with suggestions of other issues that LGBTQ community could address, such as the care of its older citizens, a task in which she is involved.
Correspondence from Septima P. Clark to Carolyn L. Collins, President of the North Charleston Chapter of the NAACP, discussing the issues surrounding Clark's losing her retirement money in 1956 due to her affiliation with the NAACP, requesting help recovering money owed to her.
Yulma López-López (b. 1997) was born in Oaxaca, Mexico. When she was three years old, her parents decided to seek better luck in the United States and arrived to California where they worked as agricultural workers. Subsequently, the family moved to other states pursuing better employment opportunities until finally establishing themselves in North Charleston, South Carolina. López-López recalls her experiences at Midland Park Elementary and Charleston County School of the Arts and the teachers who helped her. She explains that she began to progressively understand her status as an undocumented immigrant and, therefore, the reasons why she could not access higher education in South Carolina. In 2016, thanks to a grant from The Dream.Us organization, she was accepted as a student at the University of Delaware. Along with other students, she is part of an organization that advocates for the rights of DACA students and seeks to persuade lawmakers in Washington of DACA students' rights. In the interview, López-López tells how she experiences the challenges of university life, including fear for her safety and that of her loved ones. Finally, she reflects on the limited information and support DACA eligible people and recipients have in the Lowcountry as well as the barriers to organizing politically. Yulma López-López (1997) nació en Oaxaca, México. Cuando tenía tres años, sus padres decidieron buscar mejor suerte en los Estados Unidos y llegaron a California donde se desempeñaron como trabajadores agrícolas. Posteriormente fueron mudándose a otros estados persiguiendo mejores oportunidades de empleo hasta que se establecieron definitivamente en North Charleston, Carolina del Sur. López-López recuerda sus vivencias en las escuelas Midland Park Elementary y Charleston County School of the Arts y a los maestros que la ayudaron. Explica cómo progresivamente fue entendiendo su condición de inmigrante indocumentada y las razones por las que no podía acceder a la educación superior en Carolina del Sur. En el año 2016, gracias a una beca de la organización The Dream.Us es aceptada como estudiante en la Universidad de Delaware. Junto con sus compañeros forma parte de una organización que defiende los derechos de los jóvenes DACA y busca persuadir a los legisladores en Washington. En la entrevista Lopez-Lopez cuenta como experimenta los desafíos de la vida universitaria, incluido el temor por su seguridad y la de sus seres queridos. Finalmente, reflexiona acerca de la limitada información y apoyo con que cuentan los jóvenes DACA en el Lowcountry como así también de las barreras que enfrentan para organizarse políticamente.
Tom Waring discusses the history of Charleston, particularly the population growth in surrounding cities such as North Charleston in the first part of the twentieth century, its designation as the “Holy City,” poverty following the Civil War, the increase in employment during World War I, and the subsequent influx of newcomers to Charleston during World War II. Waring concludes the interview with a local Gullah Story. Hermina Waring discusses the legend behind her family’s silver service. Audio with transcript and tape log.
First elected in 1970, Lonnie Hamilton was the first African American to serve on the Charleston County Council. In this interview Hamilton discusses teaching at Bonds Wilson High School in North Charleston, his decision to run for Charleston County Council, subsequent elections, and his daughter. Audio with transcript.
