Summerton's Choice recognized during Rural Summit

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COLUMBIA - The state Department of Commerce recognized Thursday Summerton resident Dorothy Choice with a 2015 Rural Summit Humanitarian Award. "Choice has devoted much of her life to improving the lives of others in her Summerton community," notes a release from the Department of Commerce. "Specifically, Choice has been committed to helping local youth, serving as chairwoman of the Pride in Summerton Committee and playing an integral role in the establishment of a youth baseball team in Clarendon County." Held at the South Carolina State Museum in downtown Columbia, the 2015 South Carolina Rural Summit featured a performance from the Claflin University Choir, a retrospective look at rural economic development in South Carolina since 1990 and a keynote address from NBC Today Show correspondent Craig Melvin, formerly of WIS-TV in Columbia. Throughout the years, the summit has provided community leaders, economic developers and state officials the opportunity to come together and hold collaborative discussions on ways to improve rural South Carolina. Additionally, the event serves as a venue to honor individuals for work they've done to advance their respective communities. "Each and every county in South Carolina boasts attributes that make it a candidate for growth. Through our team-first approach and the efforts of local leadership throughout the state, we can ensure the advancement and economic success of all of our communities," Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt said. Choice was nominated by Jeffrey Black, who called the lifelong member of the Clarendon County branch of the NAACP "an unsung hero who has worked very hard for the citizens of Summerton and for the children of Clarendon School District 1." "She has been steadfast in helping others, never seeking recognition for herself," Black said. "The award from the South Carolina Department of Commerce is a real tribute to this great lady. I am honored to be her friend." Choice was a founding member of the Briggs-DeLaine-Pearson foundation, which was established to perpetuate the legacy of Briggs v. Elliott, the landmark school desegregation case in Summerton that set the stage for Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. "Their goals are to make positive community changes by facilitating the educational, social and physical well-being of all members of the community, as well as to honor and memorialize the people whose courage and sacrifices were responsible for the lawsuit that would forever change American history," reads a release from the Clarendon County Development Board. Choice said her life "has been a rewarding and learning experience in preserving this legacy of desegregation in Clarendon County." "All of the research, conversations with others and community involvement have played such a wonderful part in my lifelong journey of helping others and keeping our rich history alive in Summerton," she said. Two others were recognized during the ceremony, Hitt said. They were Carson Anderson of Barnwell County, who was presented the 2015 Rural Scholastic Achievement Award; and former DOC project manager Jason Speake, who was presented with the Rural Development Project Award. "It's a privilege to honor these invaluable members of Team South Carolina," Hitt said. "The people of this state truly are our secret sauce, and I'm inspired to see the positive impacts that they've had on both their local communities and our entire state." Artist Wade Elliott did a portrait of Choice for the occasion, he said, calling it "Our Choice." "I wanted to depict the core aspect of all of who she is, which has been her faith," Elliott said. "During one of our deep conversations, she said, simply, 'Don't look down on nobody unless you're going to help them up.' I used symbolism throughout the piece as well for viewers to discover."