SC Legislature to honor Friendship Nine

In the same state where they were once jailed for a month for fighting segregation laws created by politicians, and three months after a historic court hearing where their convictions were vacated, Rock Hill’s Friendship Nine will be honored April 28 for their courage to fight against inequality.

The S.C. General Assembly will formally honor the civil rights heroes with a Statehouse ceremony at noon after the group meets with the Legislative Black Caucus and both houses of the Legislature.

The Friendship Nine includes David Williamson Jr., Willie T. “Dub” Massey, Clarence Graham, James Wells, Willie McCleod, Mack Workman, John Gaines, Charles Taylor and the late Robert McCullough, along with civil rights organizer Thomas Gaither.

All but Gaither were students at Rock Hill’s Friendship Junior College in 1961 who sat down at one of Rock Hill’s segregated lunch counters and were arrested for trespassing. The next day all were convicted but nine chose a month at hard labor at the York County prison camp, dubbed “Jail, No Bail,” instead of paying a fine. The action re-ignited the civil rights movement in America.

In January, 54 years after the convictions in a court hearing that received international attention, the men were cleared when 16th Circuit Solicitor Kevin Brackett and Circuit Judge John C. Hayes agreed that the men heroically were convicted under unjust segregation laws.

Both the state Senate and House of Representatives approved a resolution honoring the men as a group, and individually. State Rep. John King, D-Rock Hill, will speak before the Legislature and will be joined by the full York County delegation.

This story was originally published April 16, 2015 at 3:17 PM with the headline "SC Legislature to honor Friendship Nine."