In South Carolina’s capital city, courageous student activists, attorneys, and civil rights organizations waged a tenacious campaign to transform our community. Facing stiff opposition, these freedom fighters took action and forever changed a city, state, and nation.

Too many of Columbia’s pivotal moments and landmark decisions have been forgotten. Too many of our stories have never been heard. A complete rendering of South Carolina’s Civil Rights Movement and its dramatic impact on the quest for democracy and social justice does not exist.

By gathering images, artifacts, and testimony, the mission of the Columbia SC 63 project is to ensure that a more accurate and expansive history becomes familiar to all.

If we are to continue moving forward, our city’s history deserves an honest look back.

That’s why, with respect for the past and hope for a brighter future, Our Story Matters.

Columbia SC 63 is a partnership of the City of Columbia, the Columbia Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau, Historic Columbia Foundation and the University of South Carolina.