On January 24th, Governor Henry McMaster, along with the South Carolina Senate and House of Representatives, declared the week of January 21st thru the 27th, 2024 to serve as National Coroner and Medicolegal Death Investigator Week in honor of the public service of the South Carolina Coroner’s Association, coroners, deputy coroners and medicolegal death investigators.
In attendance at the proclamation was State Senator Kevin Johnson, Representative Fawn Pedalino, and Clarendon County Coroner Jacqueline Blackwell. Blackwell has served as coroner since January 4, 2021.
That January, Clarendon County residents witnessed the swearing in of their first African American Coroner. Blackwell has broken many racial and gender barriers in her life. After schools were integrated in 1971, she was voted by her classmates as the first black Student Council President at Manning High School. Blackwell, originally from Alcolu, is one of seven siblings and after graduating from MHS, Blackwell furthered her education by obtaining a degree from South Carolina State University. Upon graduation from SCSU, Blackwell took a job with Clarendon County Dispatch services. While at dispatch, she obtained another degree from Morris College. Blackwell is also a graduate of the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy. She has served as a deputy sheriff for Clarendon County and a victim’s advocate for the Manning Police Department and Sumter County.
Sen. Johnson lauded Blackwell’s presence at the proclamation and her commitment to her community. “I will just say that I was happy to look up in the balcony and see Jackie Blackwell, visiting and with all the coroners from across the state. I’ve known Jackie for a very long time and as I said to my Senate colleagues when I went to introduce her, Jackie has a very distinguished law enforcement career. She’s a very vital part of our community, always volunteered her services to help people that are in need of help. And she’s done a great job as our county coroner and it was just good to see her up there.”
