S.C. Democrats may change name of Jefferson-Jackson fundraiser

S.C. Democrats will consider dropping the names of two former U.S. presidents from their annual fundraiser at their executive committee meeting in September.

“We’ll bring it up and see what our leadership in the party would like to do,” said Jamie Harrison, the first African-American chairman of the S.C. Democratic Party.

The annual fundraiser, called the Jefferson-Jackson dinner, has come under fire in other states because both presidents, Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson, were slave owners.

This week, neighboring Georgia and Connecticut both removed the Jefferson and Jackson names from their fund-raising dinners.

The talk of changing the name comes in the wake of a racially motivated Charleston church shooting in June. State Sen. Clementa Pinckney, D-Jasper, was one of the nine victims.

Cassie Cope

This story was originally published July 24, 2015 at 3:07 PM.