Five new historical monuments will be presented at the Briggs v. Elliott National Park Dedication Ceremony on September 3, 2022. The event will take place at Summerton’s new national park at 1154 4th Street, where the old Scott’s Branch High School was once located. The Summerton Community Action Group organized the ceremony.
Five new monuments will be joining the three monuments that were presented in September of 2021. The new monuments will be honoring Levi Pearson, Reverand J.A. Delaine, Harry Briggs, and the plaintiffs, petitioners, and lawyers who were involved in the desegregation case. Delaine’s petitions are what made this desegregation possible, and his perseverance despite violent threats will not be forgotten.
Congressman James E. Clyburn, whose office is responsible for fining the funds for the park and monuments, will be speaking at the presentation. All of the new monuments will be surrounding the main monument that was unveiled last September.
These five new monuments will not be the last to be created in Briggs v. Elliott National Park. More monuments are set to be built and presented in the future in an effort to continue honoring Summerton’s history.
