2003-2004 Bill 5331: Briggs, De Laine, Pearson Interchange in Clarendon County - South

1 South Carolina General Assembly 2 115th Session, 2003-2004 3 4 H. 5331 5 6 STATUS INFORMATION 7 8 Concurrent Resolution 9 Sponsors: Reps. Harvin, Kennedy and G.M. Smith 10 Document Path: l:\council\bills\swb\6077cm04.doc 11 12 Introduced in the House on May 19, 2004 13 Introduced in the Senate on May 26, 2004 14 Adopted by the General Assembly on May 26, 2004 15 16 Summary: Briggs, De Laine, Pearson Interchange in Clarendon County 17 18 19 HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS 20 21 Date Body Action Description with journal page number 22 5/19/2004 House Introduced HJ-347 23 5/19/2004 House Referred to Committee on Invitations and Memorial Resolutions HJ-347 24 5/20/2004 House Committee report: Favorable Invitations and Memorial Resolutions HJ-113 25 5/25/2004 House Adopted, sent to Senate HJ-60 26 5/26/2004 Senate Introduced, adopted, returned with concurrence SJ-8 27 2/21/2006 Scrivener's error corrected 28 29 30 VERSIONS OF THIS BILL 31 32 5/19/2004 33 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 10 11 TO REQUEST THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF 12 TRANSPORTATION NAME THE INTERCHANGE LOCATED 13 AT EXIT 108 ALONG INTERSTATE HIGHWAY 95 IN 14 CLARENDON COUNTY THE “BRIGGS, DE LAINE, 15 PEARSON INTERCHANGE” AND ERECT APPROPRIATE 16 SIGNS OR MARKERS AT THIS INTERCHANGE 17 CONTAINING THE WORDS “BRIGGS, DE LAINE, PEARSON 18 INTERCHANGE”. 19 20 Whereas, African American families that resided in this State in 21 the 1940’s and 1950’s were subjected to the harsh conditions 22 imposed upon them by a segregated society; and 23 24 Whereas, a group of courageous Clarendon County community 25 leaders, parents, children, and families dedicated themselves 26 toward building better lives for themselves as well as future 27 generations by being part of the first legal challenges that attacked 28 racial segregation in the public schools in our State and nation. 29 Their efforts led to the filing of Pearson vs. County Board of 30 Education, Briggs vs. Elliott, and ultimately Brown vs. Board of 31 Education of Topeka, Kansas, which struck down the doctrine of 32 “separate but equal” in public education and paved the way for the 33 integration of public schools throughout this nation; and 34 35 Whereas, led by Reverend Joseph Armstrong De Laine, the 36 following brave Clarendon County parents of children who were 37 forced to receive their education in a segregated school system 38 which was clearly separate and unequal placed their names and the 39 names of their children on legal petitions that demanded that a 40 quality education be afforded all students of Clarendon County: 41 Levi Pearson, Harry Briggs, Annie Gibson, Mose Oliver, Bennie 42 Parson, Edward Ragin, William Ragin, Lucrisha Richardson, Lee

1 [5331] 1 1 Richardson, James H. Bennett, Mary Oliver, William M. “Bo” 2 Stukes, G.H. Henry, Robert Georgia, Rebecca Richburg, Gabriel 3 Tindal, Susan Lawson, Frederick Oliver, Onetha Bennett, Hazel 4 Ragin, and Henry Scott; and 5 6 Whereas, it is fitting and proper for the members of the General 7 Assembly to permanently recognize the unselfish acts of this 8 courageous group of individuals by naming an interchange along 9 Interstate Highway 95 in Clarendon County in honor of Reverend 10 Joseph Armstrong De Laine, Levi Pearson, and Harry Briggs, three 11 of the most prominent individuals among this group that led the 12 battle to desegregate the public schools in South Carolina. Now, 13 therefore, 14 15 Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate 16 concurring: 17 18 That the members of the General Assembly, by this resolution, 19 request that the Department of Transportation name the 20 interchange located at Exit 108 along Interstate Highway 95 in 21 Clarendon County the “Briggs, De Laine, Pearson Interchange”, 22 and erect appropriate signs or markers at this interchange 23 containing the words “Briggs, De Laine, Pearson Interchange”. 24 25 Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to 26 the Department of Transportation. 27 ----XX---- 28

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