South Carolina's capital city enjoys a strong African-American presence, one that has had considerable influence on the growth and development of Columbia's commerce and culture since the city's creation in the late 1700s. The challenges of the antebellum South, Reconstruction, the Civil Rights era, and even the present have shaped a vibrant and dynamic black community, which supplies a wealth of leaders for the city, state, and nation.
Author and local photographer Vennie Deas-Moore has compiled a wonderful selection of historical images celebrating the black experience in Columbia. Through these vintage photographs, readers of all ages will step back into the Columbia of yesteryear and explore the fascinating world of their ancestors.