New walkway honors civil rights heroes
Rock Hill’s new Freedom Walkway, dedicated during a special ceremony Monday, could have simply been an easier way to get from East Main Street to the White Street parking lot. Instead, it is a living memorial to local civil rights heroes that expands the roster of those officially honored for their brave and humane deeds.
Plans to build a walkway in conjunction with the demolition of the old F.W. Woolworth building have been in the works for years. But the idea of using the passageway to memorialize “those who have made a significant contribution to the cause of justice and equality” in Rock Hill and York County came about more recently.
The city’s Quality of Life Committee and Economic and Urban Development Department joined forces to begin the planning process. Then, a Freedom Walkway Interpretation Committee solicited names of local civil rights champions.
It was a given that the names and stories of the Friendship Nine would be incorporated in the design. The nine activists staged a sit-in in 1961 at McCrory’s lunch counter – now the Five and Dine restaurant – and then, after being arrested, served time in the York County detention center rather than being bailed out.
Their heroic efforts spawned the rallying cry, “Jail, no bail.”
The names of the Friendship Nine are engraved in the brick paving of the walkway. In addition, nine granite stools stand in the walkway to commemorate the sit-in.
But in addition to these well known and highly honored men, the names of four more civil rights heroes have been incorporated in the design. They are:
▪ Jim Williams (1830-1871), who escaped slavery during the Civil War, fought for the Union Army and later battled the Ku Klux Klan, which captured and lynched him.
▪ Dr. William W. Fennell (1869-1926), a white Richburg surgeon who went against the societal norm to treat blacks and poor people in his practice, turning away no one who needed medical help.
▪ Bobby Plair Sr. (1927-), a member of the all black Montfort Point Marine unit honored in 2012 with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor a U.S. citizen can receive. He was the only honoree to attend Monday’s ceremonies.
▪ Addelene Austin White (1934-), a catalyst for the 1957 bus boycotts of York County, which led to the integration of public transportation in the county.
The names of the four honorees will be engraved in the brick paving, and plaques will detail their stories. The walls of the walkway also are adorned with a stunning mural and the words “and justice for all” in large letters.
Planners have stressed that the walkway will recognize not only those who fought for freedom and equality in the past but also those who will continue that fight in the future. That’s what makes this a living memorial, a place that commemorates both the battle to gain civil rights under the law and the continuing effort to make civil justice an integral part of our daily lives.
We commend the city for its efforts to turn what might have been a humble walkway into a memorial that will remind young and old alike of the importance of extending equal rights to everyone, whatever their race, religion, gender or sexual orientation.
This story was originally published November 16, 2016 at 5:02 PM with the headline "New walkway honors civil rights heroes."