A traveling exhibition that tells the story of South Carolina’s essential role in the
American Civil Rights Movement will be on display from July through September at Darrah Hall of
the Reconstruction Era National Historical Park, within the Penn Center National Historic Landmark
District.
Organized by the University of South Carolina’s Center for Civil Rights History and Research, the
“Justice for All” exhibition uses oral history recordings, news film footage, photographs, postcards,
newspapers and letters to highlight overlooked chapters in the history of the movement.
“South Carolina’s Low Country region played a critical role in the nation’s Civil Rights Movement,”
said Dr. Bobby Donaldson, professor of history and Executive Director of the Center for Civil Rights
History and Research. “We are delighted to work closely with the Reconstruction Era National
Historical Park, the Penn Center, and other community partners in shedding much-needed light on the
individuals, organizations, and key events that shaped one of the most transformative movements in our
nation’s history.”
The exhibition is open Tuesday – Saturday, 9:00am – 5:00pm, during park hours.
Visitors will see interpretive panels that tell the story of the Civil Rights Movement, beginning in
Reconstruction following the Civil War and continuing through the 1960s. Also on display will be
photographs, letters and other materials from the movement in South Carolina’s Lowcountry, items
from collections housed in USC’s University Libraries, Moving Image Research Collections, South
Carolina Political Collections, Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, and the South
Carolina Library.
“Students and visitors to the exhibition will learn about activists and institutions who struggled for and
demanded racial justice in South Carolina and across the country,” said Donaldson. “The materials
cover a broad time span, from Reconstruction through the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, and
will allow visitors to see firsthand the struggles of those who pushed for equal rights and the efforts of
those who worked to curtail them.”
“We’re excited to partner with USC’s Center for Civil Rights History on Research and to be able to host
this exhibit in such a historic space,” said Nathan Betcher, Supervisory Historian of the Reconstruction
Era National Historical Park. “The themes of equality that we talk about at the park are timeless, and
you will see them emphasized across different eras of South Carolina history. The resiliency of those
ideals during Reconstruction and the Civil Rights Movement is inspiring, and I hope it brings a greater
appreciation of those people who have worked so hard to make our nation a more perfect union. We
hope that visitors will be inspired to explore these stories further across the Penn Center and the
community.”
The Center will host several public events in coordination with the Reconstruction Era National
Historical Park, including a book signing and public programs.
On July 15, from 12-4:00pm, there will be an opening drop-in and guided tours of the exhibit at
Penn Center to celebrate the opening of the exhibit in Beaufort. There will be light refreshments and
Center staff will be on hand to provide tours and answer questions.
The “Justice for All” traveling exhibition was designed with groups and students in mind. Traveling
trunks with materials and lesson plans for students are available by request. For information about
traveling trunks or our other initiatives such as oral history interviews, please email the Center,
[email protected].
“Justice for All” has visited Columbia, Sumter, Orangeburg, Hartsville, and Spartanburg. After
Beaufort, the traveling exhibition will visit Georgetown through December 2023.
The traveling exhibition is based on the 2019 archival exhibition “Justice for All” that the Center
created collaboratively with South Carolina Humanities, University of South Carolina Libraries and
the College of Arts and Sciences. The traveling version is supported with funding from the Williams
Companies as part of a $1.5 million gift, and by South Carolina Humanities and Central Carolina
Community Foundation.
