Reaching Back and Looking Forward: Our Judges and Lawyers

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​Penn Center National Historic Landmark District will host its 37th Heritage Days Celebration on November 7 – 9 to honor its 157-year history and share the history, art, and culture of the Gullah Geechee people. The 2019 celebration will also include a special educational symposium titled “Reaching Back and Looking Forward: Our Judges and Lawyers” on Friday, November 8 that will facilitate a greater understanding on how black judges and lawyers brought about change in South Carolina and the nation. SC Humanities supported this symposium with a Major Grant.

The “Reaching Back and Looking Forward: Our Judges and Lawyers” symposium will attempt to engage a broader conversation and facilitate a greater understanding on how black judges and lawyers brought about change in civil rights and social justice for African Americans. Some topics of discussion will include the importance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); the contributions of courageous individuals like Charles Hamilton Houston, Thurgood Marshall, Ernest Finney, I.S. Leevy Johnson and others; and some of the most challenging race and equality issues of today.

The symposium will take place from 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. on Friday, November 8. Tickets are $20/adult and $10/student.

Some of the proposed speakers include Danielle Holley-Walker (Dean and Professor of Law at Howard University School of Law), Judge Elaine Mercia O’Neal, Brian Hicks (senior writer for The Post and Courier), Maureen Costello, and Hasan Kwame Jeffries.

For more information about the Heritage Days event and the symposium in particular, visit the Penn Center website: http://www.penncenter.com/heritage-days.

The mission of SC Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. Established in 1973, this 501(c) 3 organization is governed by a volunteer 21-member Board of Directors comprised of community leaders from throughout the state. It presents and/or supports literary initiatives, lectures, exhibits, festivals, publications, oral history projects, videos and other humanities-based experiences that directly or indirectly reach more than 250,000 citizens annually.

Image: Reaching Back To Wisdom, Copyright 2019, Patricia Elaine Sabree