Harry Briggs Jr.

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Harry Briggs Jr., 75, husband of Helen Mack Briggs and widower of Marie Sanders Briggs, died Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2016, at his home in Bronx, New York, after a battle with a lengthy illness.

Born Feb. 10, 1941, in Clarendon County, he was a son of the late Harry Briggs Sr. and Eliza Gamble Briggs of Summerton. After graduating from Scott's Branch High School in South Carolina, Harry migrated to New York, New York, where he worked for Madison Square Garden and the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan until his retirement.

He never returned to live in the town or county that forced the Briggs family to flee for their own safety more than 50 years ago.

A simple request for a school bus for young students of Scott's Branch in Summerton changed the course of history in the United States of America. Harry Briggs Jr. et al. v. R.W. Elliott, chairman, et al. became known as Briggs v. Elliott. Harry Briggs Jr. was the child associated with the lead name in the landmark case, which led the way for the United States Supreme Court to strike down separate but equal education across the country in the Brown v. Board of Education case.

Briggs et al. v. R.W. Elliott et al. was filed in May 1950 by former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. As the case progressed, it moved from simply pursuing equalization of facilities and obtaining buses to attacking segregation. The ruling set the stage for Briggs to be appealed to the Supreme Court, where it was combined with four other desegregation cases, including Brown v. Board. The Brown v. Board of Education decision served to greatly motivate the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s and ultimately led to the abolishment of racial segregation in all public facilities and accommodations.

Survivors besides his loving wife, Helen Mack Briggs, include his children, Ronald Juniors (Carolyn) of Sumter, Gregory Juniors (Linda Goldsmith and Patricia Briggs-Perry, both of New York, New York, and Audra Briggs of Long Island, New York; a sister, Catherine (Joseph) Smith of Corona, New York; a brother, Nathaniel Briggs of Teaneck, New Jersey; an aunt, Hattie Gamble of New York, New York; and eight grandchildren.

Celebratory services will be held 1 p.m. Friday, Aug. 19, 2016, at the Clarendon School District 1 Resource Center, formerly known as Scott's Branch High School, 1154 Fourth St. in Summerton, with the Rev. Nelson B. Rivers III officiating. The Rev. Williette Canty will preside.

Burial will follow in St. Mark AME Church cemetery in Summerton.

Wake services were held Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016, at the funeral home, 114 N. Church St. in Manning.

In lieu of floral arrangements, donations are being accepted for St. Mark AME Church, P.O. Box 262, Summerton, SC 29148.

Services have been entrusted to Samuels Funeral Home LLC of Manning.