South Carolina group lauds African-American leaders

The South Carolina African American Heritage Foundation has chosen a group of the state’s citizens to honor for their contribution to the culture and history of the state.

Awards were presented Friday at the group’s meeting at the South Carolina Archives and History Center in Columbia.

The honorees are: U.S. Rep. James Clyburn and his wife Emily; NASA director and former space shuttle astronaut Charles Bolden, a Columbia native; Lowcountry artist Johnathan Green, who now lives in Florida; Columbia Mayor Stephen Benjamin; and cookbook author and novelist Dori Sanders of York County.

Kevin Cherry of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources delivered the keynote address. He recalled how the state in 2015 highlighted the contributions of African-Americans as it commemorated the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War.

Associated Press