In 1895, Senator Benjamin Tillman of South Carolina attempted to solidify his political power. He proposed to rewrite the South Carolina Constitution to deny African Americans their constitutional rights and make racial segregation the law of the state. Six Black leaders—Robert Anderson, Isaiah Reed, Robert Smalls, William J. Whipper, James Wigg and Thomas E. Miller—went to the state capitol in the face of insult and ridicule to make an eloquent stand against these developments. The erudite and forceful addresses of these men drew worldwide headlines but are largely forgotten today. Author Damon L. Fordham attempts to rectify that omission and inspire generations to come.
Damon L. Fordham was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and raised in Mount Pleasant, near Charleston. A graduate of the University of South Carolina and the College of Charleston, he is the author of four books, a public lecturer and an adjunct professor of history at The Citadel and Charleston Southern University.