Building a legacy at SC State

S.C. State University has been a hub for African-American influence in the state for more than a century.

The school in Orangeburg opened in 1896 after a federal law was passed to have Southern states open colleges for African-Americans.

S.C. State was the only public university open to African-Americans for many decades, building a reputation for its science, education, agriculture and social work programs.

The school produced authoritative politicians (Congressman Jim Clyburn), barrier-breaking judges (Matthew Perry and Ernest Finney) and 19 military generals.

Bulldog football teams have included future NFL Hall of Fame inductees Harry Carson and Deacon Jones and Super Bowl winners Donnie Shell and Charles Brown.

S.C. State became a focal point of the civil rights movement with the Orangeburg Massacre, when police shot into a crowd of protesters in 1968, killing three and injuring 23.

In recent years, S.C. State has struggled financially with declining enrollment, but new leadership, put in place by state lawmakers, are trying to turn around the historic college.