USC monument honors students who desegregated campus
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - The University of South Carolina unveiled a monument honoring three students who desegregated the university.
The unveiling commemorated the enrollment of the students: Robert Anderson, Henrie Monteith Treadwell and James Solomon, Jr.
Officials said the 12-foot bronze monument, created by famed Georgia-based sculptor Basil Watson, was inspired by the photograph of the students, as they entered the school’s istration building on Sept. 11, 1963.
MORE FROM NEWS 12:
- Augusta Tech gets $500K to further boost auto program
- Why ‘Paine College is not only surviving; Paine College is thriving’
- S.C. State to add several new degree programs this fall
The university’s board of trustees commissioned the sculpture.
Board Chairman Thad Westbrook, President Michael Amiridis and other university and civic leaders were all in attendance during Friday’s unveiling.
“This inspiring monument, standing tall at the heart of our historic Horseshoe, will bear witness every day to the university’s unwavering promise to provide educational opportunities for all,” said Amiridis. “This is our responsibility to the people of South Carolina.”
Treadwell, Solomon and representatives from Anderson’s family were present during the monument unveiling.
Upon their enrollment, the trio became the first Black students to attend the university since Reconstruction. The integration of the school was led by a lawsuit filed by Treadwell when she was just 16 years old.
The three students went on to have prominent careers.
Anderson, a Greenville native, was a political science major and became a social worker in New York City. Solomon was elected to the Sumter District 17 School Board and held various istrative positions in the South Carolina state government. Treadwell had a long career in public health and became the founding executive director of Community Voices at Morehouse School of Medicine.
The monument can be found in front of the McKissick Museum on the northeast corner of USC’s Horseshoe.
According to a press release, the university selected Watson as the sculptor in 2022. Watson’s past work includes tributes to icons of the civil rights movement such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rep. John Lewis.
“I want them to see a place where all are welcome that has embraced the fact that we are different people,” Treadwell says. “I want them to see in my colleagues, but also in myself as a woman, someone who said, ‘I can do this. This should be done so that you can also come.’ That doesn’t mean you as simply African American, but you as a member of society. Everybody is welcome here. And that’s really what I want people to think about. This university took a huge step that day, and it is continuing to walk forward.”
Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
