A civil rights group gathered in Manning on Monday to demand accountability from Clarendon County’s elections board after the abrupt firing of Elections Director Princess Lang, whose supporters say she was removed for refusing political pressure.
The Racial Justice Network, led by founder and CEO Elder James Johnson, held what it called a “Justice for Princess Lang” rally on Oct. 27. The event was originally planned for the Clarendon County Courthouse but moved to attorney Eleazer Carter’s law office because of inclement weather.
“This is a moment that we are calling for action,” Johnson told the crowd. “We believe in integrity, fairness and justice for all public servants, free from retaliation and political bias. We will not quit until we get justice.”
Lang, a Summerton native with nearly two decades of election administration experience, was unanimously appointed in July as executive director of Clarendon County Voter Registration and Elections and began work Aug. 18. She was terminated a little more than 30 days later in a Sept. 29 vote taken after a closed-door executive session.
Board Chairman Edward Gamble III said afterward that the board determined Lang “wasn’t the best person for the job.” No specific cause was stated publicly, and Lang was not given advance notice, according to those present. She was immediately barred from nonpublic areas and ordered to return county property.
Supporters called Lang’s firing politically motivated and part of a pattern of Black women in leadership being removed or passed over.
“This is not a coincidence. It’s a pattern,” said community member Robert A. McFaddin, who helped organize the event. “We’re here for Princess Lang. We’re here for Sharmane Anderson. We’re here for every Black woman in this community who has given her all to lead, to serve, and to build—only to be cast aside, dismissed or overlooked when it matters most.”
McFaddin linked Lang’s termination to Clarendon County Council’s recent decision to bypass Interim County Administrator Sharmane Anderson in favor of hiring an outside candidate. “You can lead in a crisis,” he said, “but you can’t stay when it’s time to rise.”
Lang, who attended the rally but did not speak, was introduced as “the reason we are all gathered here today.”
“Her courage to stand firm in her integrity, even when it cost her everything, has inspired this entire community to speak up and stand together,” said Sondra Busby. “She answered the call to serve Clarendon County with dedication, experience and integrity … and yet in just a little over 30 days, she was terminated without cause, without warning and without due process.”
Lang began her career in the county elections office in 2006 and rose to become its first deputy director. Before returning this year, she worked as Legislative Affairs Manager for the South Carolina House of Representatives. Her appointment was seen as a stabilizing step for an office that has experienced some of the highest turnover in the state.
According to County Auditor Patricia Pringle, who also chairs the Clarendon County Democratic Party and attended the Sept. 29 meeting, Lang resisted efforts by some board members to “clean house.”
“That office is so important, to make sure the votes are going to be counted fairly,” Pringle said. “Because she would not do what they wanted her to do … because she recognized integrity … they voted in executive session to terminate her immediately. She wasn’t even allowed back to her desk.”
Pringle said the move was “very hurtful” and reflective of a broader trend. “I see that happening … especially with Black females,” she said. “It seems to be especially in this county now.”
Johnson said the Racial Justice Network plans to continue pressing for Lang’s reinstatement and the removal of the current elections board. “We are demanding that the legislative delegation remove these nine board members,” he said. “If they do not remove them … we will shop outside of this county. We will remove the dollars from the streets of this county. We’re not playing.”
He also tied the issue to a national trend of Black professionals being pushed out of public positions. “All over America, Black folks are being treated unfairly,” he said. “They train their counterparts, and their counterparts take their jobs. This has to stop.”
Speakers invoked Clarendon County’s civil rights legacy, referencing the Briggs v. Elliott school desegregation case that became part of Brown v. Board of Education. “Education as we know it started in Clarendon County,” said Joseph Dingle. “If we allow injustice to go here and we don’t challenge it, before you know it we have no rights. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Carter, whose office hosted the rally, described Lang as “probably one of the most qualified people in the state of South Carolina.” He added, “She would not let anybody take her off the line of fairness. She said, ‘I’m doing the right thing. Y’all might get rid of me, but I’m doing the right thing.’”
The event opened and closed in prayer and featured gospel music, with organizers describing it as both political and spiritual. Attendees collected donations for Lang, saying she had lost her livelihood “for doing what was right.”
Before dismissing, organizers urged attendees to attend that evening’s meeting of the Clarendon County Board of Voter Registration and Elections.
Later that night, Lang’s family members, Nelson, McFaddin and Pringle spoke during public comment, again asking the board to explain Lang’s termination and release related records under the state’s Freedom of Information Act.
Gamble thanked each speaker but said the board was limited in what it could discuss, citing personnel restrictions. He said members would consider releasing records if Lang signed a waiver but otherwise declined to comment.
The board took no additional action and adjourned without addressing the termination further.
Earlier, McFaddin had told supporters that their message was simple: “We will not be silent. It’s time for change in Clarendon County.”
